Gudehus, Heinrich

views updated

Gudehus, Heinrich

Gudehus, Heinrich, distinguished German tenor; b. Altenhagen, near Celle, March 30, 1845; d. Dresden, Oct. 9, 1909. He was a student of Malvina Schnorr von Carolsfeld in Braunschweig and of Gustav Engel in Berlin. After making his operatic debut in Berlin as Nadori in Jessonda (Jan. 7, 1871), he sang in Liibeck, Freiburg, and Bremen. From 1880 to 1890 he was a principal member of the Dresden Court Opera. On July 28, 1882, he made his Bayreuth debut as Parsifal in its second staging, and returned there as Tristan in 1886 and as Walther von Stolzing in 1888. On June 4, 1884, he made his first appearance at London’s Covent Garden in the latter role. He made his Metropolitan Opera debut in N.Y. on Nov. 28, 1890, as Tannhauser, and remained on its roster for the season. After singing at the Berlin Royal Opera (1891-96), he settled in Dresden as a voice teacher. Among his other outstanding roles were Florestan, John of Leyden, Siegmund, Lohengrin, and Siegfried.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire