- Robert Kerns
Robert Kerns (
June 8 ,1933 ,Detroit -February 15 ,1989 ,Vienna ) was an Americanbaritone , he was a stylish and versatile singer with a wide repertoire.Life and career
Kerns studied at the University of Michigan, and made his debut in 1955 in Toledo, Ohio, as Sharpless in "
Madama Butterfly ". After one year with theNew York City Opera , he left for Europe in 1960, where he was engaged at theZurich Opera .In 1963, he began a long association with the
Vienna State Opera ,and made his debut at theRoyal Opera House in 1964, as "Billy Budd ". He made his debut at theParis Opera in 1973, and became the same year a permanent guest at theDeutsche Oper Berlin .He was also a regular guest at the
Aix-en-Provence Festival and theSalzburg Festival , where he sang notably; Almaviva in "Le nozze di Figaro ", "Don Giovanni ", Guglielmo in "Cosi fan tutte ", Papageno in "The Magic Flute ", Arlequin in "Ariadne auf Naxos ", as well as Figaro in "Il barbiere di Siviglia ", and Belcore in "L'elisir d'amore ".Later he took on heavier roles such as, Germont, Posa, both Ford and Falstaff, as well as Marcello, Scarpia, and Onegin. He also included a few
Wagner rolessuch as Wolfram, Donner, and Amfortas, in which his vocal and acting abilities were put to fine effect.Robert Kerns made relatively few recordings, the best known being "Madama Butterfly", opposite
Mirella Freni ,Luciano Pavarotti ,Christa Ludwig , underHerbert Von Karajan .ources
* "Grove Music Online", Elizabeth Forbes, Oxford University Press, 2008.
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