Pechner, Gerhard

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Pechner, Gerhard

Pechner, Gerhard, German-American baritone; b. Berlin, April 15,1903; d. N.Y., Oct. 21,1969. He studied in Berlin, making his debut there in 1927. After singing at the German Theater in Prague (1933–39), he emigrated to the U.S. In 1940 he made his U.S. debut as Mozart’s Bartolo at the San Francisco Opera. On Nov. 27,1941, he made his Metropolitan Opera debut in N.Y. as the Notary in Der Rosenkavalier, and remained on its roster until 1965. In 1966–67 he was again on its roster. Pechner was especially admired for such roles as Alber-ich, Beckmesser, Melitone in La forza del destino, and the Sacristan in Tosca.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire