Patzak, Julius

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Patzak, Julius

Patzak, Julius, distinguished Austrian tenor; b. Vienna, April 9,1898; d. Rottach-Egern, Bavaria, Jan. 26, 1974. He studied musicology and conducting with Adler, Schmidt, and Mandyczewski at the Univ. of Vienna, but was autodidact as a singer. He made his operatic debut as Radamès in Reichenberg (1923). After singing in Brno (1927–28), he was a principal member of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich (1928–45) and the Vienna State Opera (1945–59); first appeared at London’s Covent Garden as Tamino (1938), returning there with the visiting Vienna State Opera (1947), and then singing there regularly (1951–54). He was a teacher at the Vienna Academy of Music and the Salzburg Mozarteum, retiring from the stage in 1966. Patzak was noted for his roles in Mozart’s operas, but he became best known for his compelling portrayals of Beethoven’s Florestan and Pfitzner’s Palestrina.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

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