RIP , Great Basso Lazlo Polgar.

[Teddy Ray]

A hero of mine. RIP, Sir. I hope one day I am a fraction of the bass you were..





http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/21/ar..._r=1&ref=music

BUDAPEST (AP) — Laszlo Polgar, a Hungarian bass who was a member of the Zurich Opera, died on Sunday in Zurich. He was 63. Enlarge This Image

Dorothea Mueller/KEYSTONE, via European Pressphoto Agency

Laszlo Polgar with Brigitte Hahn in a 2003 Zurich Opera performance of “Der Kreidekreis” by Zemlinsky.

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Mr. Polgar’s death was confirmed by the Hungarian State Opera. The cause was not specified.
During his career, Mr. Polgar performed on some of the world’s most prestigious stages, including La Scala in Milan, the Vienna State Opera and the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires.
His most famous role was probably that of Bluebeard in the Bartok opera “Bluebeard’s Castle,” for which Mr. Polgar won the Grammy Award for best opera recording in 1999 along with the soprano Jessye Norman, the conductor Pierre Boulez and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
In a review in The New York Times in 2008, Bernard Holland wrote, “Laszlo Polgar, who has made something of a career from the part, sang Bluebeard splendidly: his sepulchral bass wavering to wonderful effect between menace and regret.”
Mr. Polgar’s versatility and deeply resonant voice allowed him to play many other major roles, including Rocco in “Fidelio,” Sarastro in “The Magic Flute,” Basilio in “The Barber of Seville,” Philip II in “Don Carlos” and Gurnemanz in “Parsifal.”
Laszlo Polgar was born Jan. 1, 1947, in Somogyszentpal, Hungary, and studied at the Hungarian Music Academy.
He received Hungary’s most prestigious cultural award, the Kossuth Prize, in 1990.
“I wanted to become an artist,” he said in a 1997 interview. “I was always attracted by the stage.” He moved to Zurich in 1991, where he initially earned 20 times his Hungarian income.
“I do not expect the Hungarian Opera to compete with it,” Mr. Polgar told the Hungarian newspaper Magyar Hirlap in 1994. “What I expect is respect and affection. If I get these two, I happily go home and sing there.”
Mr. Polgar is survived by his wife, Agnes, and three daughters: Katalin, Judit and Eva.

[Plush]

Yes, a great loss and a heroic voice. Filled with genuine humanity and an ambassador for Hungary, Polgar offered his audience a magnificent singing voice.

R.I. P. great artist.

Thank you for the videos, Teddy.

[Teddy Ray]

Originally Posted by Plush

Yes, a great loss and a heroic voice. Filled with genuine humanity and an ambassador for Hungary, Polgar offered his audience a magnificent singing voice.

R.I. P. great artist.

Thank you for the videos, Teddy.

thank you , Sir. I was wondering too, Sir, if you knew who recorded this?? It sounds great. I know DG did it, but since it was in your stomping grounds ,didn't know if you knew specifics.

Amazon.com: Béla Bartók: Bluebeard's Castle - Jessye Norman / László Polgár / Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Pierre Boulez: Béla Bartók, Pierre Boulez, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Jessye Norman, László Polgár: Music

[Plush]

I'm sorry--I don't know who recorded it. Maybe Karl-August Naegler?

I don't know the specifics.

Sad News.

[0VU]

A quick look at the booklet gives:

Balance Engineer: Helmut Burk
Recording Engineer: Jobst Eberhardt
Editing: Hans-Ulrich Bastin
Post Production [?Mastering]: Stephan Flock
Producer: Karl-August Naegler
Executive Producer: Roger Wright


Very good it is, too.

[Teddy Ray]

Originally Posted by 0VU

A quick look at the booklet gives:

Balance Engineer: Helmut Burk
Recording Engineer: Jobst Eberhardt
Editing: Hans-Ulrich Bastin
Post Production [?Mastering]: Stephan Flock
Producer: Karl-August Naegler
Executive Producer: Roger Wright


Very good it is, too.

Thank you Sir! Much appreciated! I see that name "Stephan Flock" quite a bit, although with the DG discs I rarely see the same name twice!!