Opera Scotland

Rudolf Schock Suggest updates

Born Duisburg,  4 September 1915.

Died Gürzenich, Düren,  13 November 1986.

German tenor.

Rudolf Schock was one of the most successful lyric tenors of his generation.  He was extremely versatile, and particularly successful in Mozart, Puccini, Strauss and operetta.  Though his voice was not huge it was still able to sing some Wagner parts,  including Lohengrin, and he appeared at Bayreuth in 1959 as Walther.

His solo career began in 1937 and was interrupted by military service from 1940 to 1945.  He was a member of the Hamburg State Opera from 1947 to 1956.  He was also a successful performer in films

His first appearance in Britain was in 1947 when he worked with the Covent Garden Opera as Rodolfo,  Alfredo,  Pinkerton and Tamino.  In those days, performances at the Royal Opera House were generally sung in English.  He appeared regularly in the following years, with colleagues including Elisabeth Schwarzkopf.   The company also toured widely in the UK.

Schock's first appearance in Scotland, was with the touring Covent Garden company.  He later made two visits to the Edinburgh Festival while a member of the Hamburg State Opera.