Unger, Georg

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Unger, Georg

Unger, Georg, famous German tenor; b. Leipzig, March 6, 1837; d. there, Feb. 2, 1887. He was originally a student of theology, making his operatic debut in Leipzig at the age of 30. Hans Richter heard him in Mannheim and recommended him to Wagner for the role of Siegfried, which he created at the Bayreuth Festival (1876). After appearing in London in a series of Wagner concerts in 1877, he went that year to Leipzig, where he sang with the Opera until 1881. He was the first Wagnerian Heldentenor.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

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