Dietrich Fischerdieskau

Vocation

German baritone singer of opera and of classical songs. He sang his first "Winterreise" at the age of 18 and then served briefly in the German army during WW II. He spent time as a prisoner of war in Italy where he gave concerts in conditions that were a far cry from the luxury of a concert stage. Back to civilian life, he made both his official recital debut and his stage debut as Rodrigo at Berlin's Städtische Opera in 1948. The enthusiasm that greeted Dietrich in post-war Germany is exemplified by conductor Fritz Busch upon encountering the singer's work: "Such a voice, such an assured technique, such musicality, such a range of interests, such an imperious intelligence! And still in his twenties. It's phenomenal." Fischer-Dieskau remained "phenomenal" for decades despite smoking cigarettes. By 1996 his resume included something in the neighborhood of sixty opera roles, well over 100 concert works with orchestra and a performed repertory of more than 2,000 songs. His discography ranges through some 500 recordings of music by 125 composers. In addition to singing, he has proven to be an adept conductor and authored several insightful books on musical topics, particularly on lieder. When retiring, Fischer-Dieskau began to teach aspiring singers. Link to Wikipedia biography