Peter Schreier was born on July 29, 1935, and passed away on December 25, 2019. He was a German singer known for performing in operas, concerts, and art songs. He was also a conductor, meaning he led musical groups. He was considered one of the most important tenors, or male singers with a high voice, of the 20th century.

Schreier was part of a choir called the Dresdner Kreuzchor, led by Rudolf Mauersberger. He sang as an alto, which is a type of voice, before becoming a tenor. He focused on singing in concerts and art songs. He was famous for singing parts of religious music by Johann Sebastian Bach, such as the "Christmas Oratorio" and "Passion."

From 1963, he was part of the Berlin State Opera, where he performed roles in operas by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, such as Belmonte in Die Entführung aus dem Serail and Tamino in Die Zauberflöte. He also played the main character in Palestrina by Hans Pfitzner. He performed at famous opera houses like the Vienna State Opera and the Metropolitan Opera, which were rare for a singer from the German Democratic Republic.

Schreier recorded many musical pieces, especially works by Bach, as both a singer and a conductor. He also recorded many art songs, including collections by Franz Schubert and Robert Schumann. He was known for deeply understanding the meaning of the words he sang and expressing them with strong emotion. He received awards such as the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize and the Léonie Sonning Music Prize.

Early life

Schreier was born in Meissen, Saxony, and grew up in the village of Gauernitz, near Meissen. His father worked as a teacher, church musician, and organist. In June 1945, when Schreier was nearly ten years old, and shortly after the destruction of Dresden, he joined the boarding school of the Dresdner Kreuzchor boys' choir. The choir's conductor, Rudolf Mauersberger, noticed Schreier's musical ability. Mauersberger allowed him to perform solo alto parts and composed music specifically for his voice. Solo recordings from 1948 to 1951 were later released on compact disc.

At age 16, Schreier's voice changed, and he became a tenor, a role he had always wanted to pursue. This change was influenced by the many tenor roles, such as the Evangelists in J.S. Bach's Passions and the Christmas Oratorio. After deciding to become a professional singer, Schreier took private voice lessons from 1954 to 1956. He later studied voice and conducting at the Musikhochschule Dresden.

Career

Peter Schreier began his professional career in 1957 at the Dresdner Staatsoper, performing the role of the First Prisoner in Beethoven's Fidelio. His major success came in 1962 when he played Belmonte in Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail, and he also performed as Tamino in The Magic Flute. In 1963, he joined the Berlin State Opera. From 1966 onward, he was a frequent guest at the Vienna State Opera. That same year, he made his debut at the Bayreuth Festival as a young seaman in Tristan und Isolde, with Karl Böhm conducting. From 1967 to 1992, he participated in the annual Salzburg Festival. In 1969, he performed the role of The Witch in Engelbert Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel, in a recording that included the Staatskapelle Dresden. He performed over 60 operatic roles. He felt it was important to perform the main role in Palestrina, an opera by Hans Pfitzner, in both Munich and East Berlin, which was a controversial topic in East Germany at the time.

Schreier was among the few singers from the German Democratic Republic to perform internationally, including at the Metropolitan Opera. He performed often at the Vienna State Opera, where he gave 200 performances, beginning with Tamino in 1967, and also played roles such as Belmonte, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, the title character in Idomeneo, Flamand in Capriccio by Richard Strauss, Lenski in Eugen Onegin, Count Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia, and Loge in Das Rheingold. His Wagner roles included Mime in Siegfried.

He regularly recorded Bach cantatas with the Thomanerchor and the Gewandhaus Orchestra, led by Erhard Mauersberger, with soloists such as Adele Stolte, Annelies Burmeister, and Theo Adam. These recordings included the cantata Erschallet, ihr Lieder, erklinget, ihr Saiten! BWV 172, from 1970. He performed the role of the Evangelist in Bach's St Matthew Passion in recordings directed by Rudolf and Erhard Mauersberger, Karl Richter, Claudio Abbado, and Herbert von Karajan. He also recorded Bach's St John Passion and Christmas Oratorio with Helmuth Rilling.

In June 2000, Schreier left the opera stage. His final role at the Berlin State Opera was Tamino; he said he could no longer pretend to be a young prince. He ended his singing career on December 22, 2005, performing both the role of the Evangelist and conducting in a performance of Bach's Christmas Oratorio in Prague. He continued to sing lieder, a genre he had performed throughout his career, including song cycles by Schubert and Schumann.

From the early 1970s, Schreier also became a conductor, with a focus on the works of Mozart, Bach, and Haydn. He conducted orchestras such as the Vienna Philharmonic and the New York Philharmonic.

Personal life

Schreier was married and lived in Dresden from 1945 until his death, which occurred in the district of Loschwitz. He died in Dresden on December 25, 2019, after being sick for a long time. He was left behind by his wife, Renate, and two sons, Torsten and Ralf. A funeral service was held at the Kreuzkirche in Dresden on January 8, 2020.

Evaluation

Schreier was a very smart singer who understood and felt the meaning of the words he performed. Monika Grütters, Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, said after his death that he was one of the most remarkable singers from Germany ("eine der eindrucksvollsten Stimmen unseres Landes"), who showed the world how talented German artists are ("für die Kulturnation Deutschland gestanden"). He is known for his role as the Evangelist in Bach's Passions and helped shape music history over 40 years of his career.

Honours and awards

In 1963, 1980, and 1982, the governments of the GDR, Austria, and Bavaria awarded the title of Kammersänger to the singer for outstanding achievement. In 1967, the GDR granted the National First Class Prize. In 1969, the City of Zwickau awarded the Robert Schumann Prize. In 1972, the City of Halle gave the Handel Prize, and the GDR awarded the National Prize. In 1984, the Gold Vaterländischer Verdienstorden was received. In 1988, the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize and the Léonie Sonning Music Prize from Denmark were awarded. In 1986, the Musikverein Wien (Vienna Society of Music) granted honorary membership. In 1989, the Star of People's Friendship was received, and membership in the Royal Swedish Academy of Music was conferred. In 1993, the Bundesverdienstkreuz I. Klasse (Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany) was awarded, and membership in the Academy of Arts, Berlin, was granted. In 1994, the Wiener Flötenuhr was received, and the Georg Philipp Telemann Prize from the city of Magdeburg was awarded. In 1998, the German Bible Prize was given for service in the great Passions and interpretation of the work of J.S. Bach. In 2000, the European Church Music Prize was awarded. Honorary citizenship of the city of Meissen was granted for efforts in fundraising for the city's restoration. In 2009, the Royal Academy of Music/Kohn Foundation Bach Prize was received. In 2011, the Hugo Wolf Medal from the Hugo Wolf Academy in Stuttgart and the International Mendelssohn Prize from the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Foundation in Leipzig were awarded. In 2013, the Bach Medal from the Bach Festival Leipzig for interpretation of Bach was received. In 2016, the Sächsischer Verdienstorden and the Kunstpreis der Landeshauptstadt Dresden were awarded.

Discography

The German National Library has recordings by Peter Schreier, including:

• 80th Anniversary Edition, Berlin Classics (Edel), 2015
• Johann Sebastian Bach: Matthäus-Passion (Evangelist and arias), conducted by Karl Richter, Archiv Produktion (Universal Music), 1989
• Johann Sebastian Bach: Johannes-Passion, conducted by Hans-Joachim Rotzsch, RCA Classic (Sony Music), 1998
• Johann Sebastian Bach: Weihnachtsoratorium, conducted by Martin Flämig, Dresdner Philharmonie, Dresdner Kreuzchor, Lukaskirche, 1974
• Ludwig van Beethoven: An die ferne Geliebte, with András Schiff, piano, Decca (Universal Music), 1996
• Hector Berlioz: Requiem, conducted by Charles Munch, Deutsche Grammophon (Universal Music), 2009
• Johannes Brahms: Die schöne Magelone, with András Schiff, Belvedere (Harmonia Mundi), 2015
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Opera Arias, Polygram Records, 1990
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Die Zauberflöte (Tamino), conducted by Wolfgang Sawallisch, EMI (Warner Classics), 1987
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Der Odem der Liebe. Peter Schreier als Mozart-Tenor, conducted by Otmar Suitner, Eterna, 1973
• Prokofjew – Hindemith: Lieder, Berlin Classics (Edel), 2004
• Franz Schubert: Die schöne Müllerin (with Konrad Ragossnig, guitar), Berlin Classics (Edel), 2004
• Franz Schubert: Die Winterreise (setting for voice and string quartet), Profil (Naxos), 2015
• Franz Schubert: Schubert Songs, with András Schiff, Wigmore Hall Live (CODAEX Deutschland), 2006
• Heinrich Schütz: Johannes-Passion SWV 481 / Psalmen Davids, conducted by Martin Flämig, Berlin Classics (Edel), 1997
• Robert Schumann: Dichterliebe, with Christoph Eschenbach, Teldec Classics International GmbH, 1991
• Robert Schumann: Dichterliebe / Liederkreis, with Norman Shetler, Berlin Classics (Edel), 2007
• Vom Knabenalt zum lyrischen Tenor, Berlin Classics (Edel), 1995
• Richard Wagner: Tristan und Isolde (Melot), conducted by Herbert von Karajan, His Master's Voice, 1988
• Hugo Wolf: Goethe-Lieder, with Wolfgang Sawallisch, Ariola Eurodisc, 1986
• Hugo Wolf: Mörike-Lieder, with Karl Engel, Orfeo (Naxos Deutschland), 1998

• Johann Sebastian Bach: Weihnachtsoratorium (selections), Staatskapelle Dresden, MC, Eterna-Digital, 1985
• Johann Sebastian Bach: Johannes-Passion, Staatskapelle Dresden, Newton Classics (Membran), 2011
• Johann Sebastian Bach: Zwei Hochzeitskantaten (Weichet nur, betrübte Schatten, BWV 202 / O holder Tag, erwünschte Zeit, BWV 210), the Kammerorchester Berlin, Brilliant Classics (c. 2000)
• Johann Sebastian Bach: Weltliche Kantaten (Was mit behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd, BWV 208 / Ich bin in mir vergnügt, BWV 204), Brilliant Classics (c. 2000)
• Johann Sebastian Bach: Matthäus-Passion, Rundfunkchor Leipzig, Staatskapelle Dresden, VEB Schallplatten, Berlin/GDR, 1984
• Johann Sebastian Bach: Messe h-Moll, Rundfunkchor Leipzig, Staatskapelle Dresden, Philips Classics Production, 1992
• *Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Documentary films

• Peter Schreier – Alles hat seine Zeit. 83 minutes. Directed by and produced by Heide Blum. Germany, 2006. OCLC number 315720106.

Literature

• Gottfried Schmiedel: Peter Schreier für Sie porträtiert. VEB Deutscher Verlag für Musik Leipzig, Leipzig 1976 DNB-IDN 770150675
• Peter Schreier: Aus meiner Sicht. Gedanken und Erinnerungen, Ostberlin 1983, 207 pages. ISBN 978-3-552-03535-5
• Lewinski, Wolf-Eberhard von (1992). Peter Schreier: Interviews, Tatsachen, Meinungen. Munich, Mainz: Piper, Schott. ISBN 978-3-492-18280-5
• Jürgen Helfricht: Peter Schreier – Melodien eines Lebens. Verlag der Kunst Dresden, Husum 2008, ISBN 978-3-86530-109-3
• Renate Rätz: Schreier, Peter. In: Wer war wer in der DDR? 5. Ausgabe. Vol. 2, Ch. Links, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-86153-561-4
• Manfred Meier, Peter Schreier: Im Rückspiegel: Erinnerungen und Ansichten, recorded by Manfred Meier, Wien: Steinbauer 2005, ISBN 978-3-902494-04-7.