Hans Hotter

[mn dave]

What a voice!

I admit, I've only heard him in samples on Amazon thus far, but these snippets were enough to get me interested in a purchase. A reviewer described his Wintereisse as being black as coal (or something to that effect) which prompted me to check him out.

So, which recordings do you like?

[mn dave]

Here it is. This from Colin Clarke in Fanfare:

"With a voice as black as coal, his various Winterreisen have always seemed to me to sit at the top of that work's discography."

[bhodges]

Your query led me to a discography page (Its detail makes me think it's accurate, but I have no idea.), and I don't have much of his work--have to fix that. 

I've heard him as Schigolch in Lulu with Dohnányi (and Hotter plays the same role in the Chandos recording with Ulf Schirmer) but that seems to be it.

--Bruce

[mn dave]

Your query led me to a discography page (Its detail makes me think it's accurate, but I have no idea.), and I don't have much of his work--have to fix that. 

Thanks, Bruce.

My work computer won't let me view that site (for Criminal Skills reasons?!) but I'll check it out later.

[Novi]

I wanted to explore some of Brahms's lieder and someone here suggested this recording. 'Ich habe genug' is great too, even if its 'old-fashioned' bach . His voice is gorgeous - as that reviewer says, dark and powerful. I haven't another recording of BWV 82, so my only comparison is the one time I heard it live with Mark Padmore. Hotter's version is slower and heavier, as I recall, and there is a sense of power in check in his singing, even in the tender moments (which I like).   

[mn dave]

I wanted to explore some of Brahms's lieder and someone here suggested this recording. 'Ich habe genug' is great too, even if its 'old-fashioned' bach . His voice is gorgeous - as that reviewer says, dark and powerful. I haven't another recording of BWV 82, so my only comparison is the one time I heard it live with Mark Padmore. Hotter's version is slower and heavier, as I recall, and there is a sense of power in check in his singing, even in the tender moments (which I like).   

Thanks for the recommendation, Novi. Yes, "dark and powerful" is a good description. Hotter's voice gives me (good) chills.

[PSmith08]

Hotter's Wagner shouldn't be overlooked either. People tend to recommend the Solti Ring, but by the time they got his voice in some of the bigger scenes, he was on a noticeable decline. Better, if you like Wagner, to go with the 1955 Joseph Keilberth Ring from Bayreuth. It has reasonably good stereo sound and captures the Festspielhaus acoustic nicely, too. There is also a set on EMI of Hotter and Nilsson doing some monologues and scenes, the primary draw of which is the end of act III of Walküre. Leopold Ludwig leads the Philharmonia and those extracts are in very serviceable and clean stereo. The scene has been out on both EMI and Testament, but the current GROTC incarnation isn't too expensive. As to Parsifal, I personally prefer Hotter's Gurnemanz for Knappertsbusch in 1964 (on Orfeo), but his 1962 performance is very good, too.

[knight66]

I have that Bach/Brahms disc and would also recommend it. Considering he was most famous for Wagner, he scales the voice right down and although latterly he had a bit of a wobble, it is not evident here.

He was also an excellent interpeter of Schubert Lieder. If an entire song cycle would be heavy going, and Winterreise is heavy in the sense of the subject matter of the cycle, then there are discs of miscellaneous Schubert songs available. This one is possibly a good starting point. Strictly speaking although Schwanengesang is referred to as a cycle, it is not. It was postumously published. Schubert's publisher brought together songs that had not been published and gave the grouping the name which has stuck.



I am no expert on his Wagner, see above re suggestions for specific performances, there are a number of live issues and I don't know all the pros and cons of them.

Mike

[mn dave]

Thanks, Patrick and Mike. Much appreciated.

Anyone heard this?

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Hotter may, in a sense, be too old for the role of romantic, world-weary young man who is the 'protagonist' of this song-cycle. But he brings out every nuance with such sensitivity and authority, I really treasure this recording.

[PSmith08]

Thanks, Patrick and Mike. Much appreciated.

Yo.

Hotter was one of the greats, indeed, my personal Wagnerian bass pantheon goes Friedrich Schorr - Hans Hotter - John Tomlinson.

[Que]

More Hotter goodies, strongly recommended.



Q

[mn dave]

My wholehearted thanks. It appears you can't really go wrong with Hotter.

[knight66]

I have the three disc set. There are only five Wagner tracks, they are from 1942/3, the earliest recordings in the set. Here his voice is at its most mellifluous and nut brown. The sound in these recordings is good for its time. These may have been amongst the first to be recorded straight onto tape....possibly.

There is a great deal of lieder. The Winterreise is from 1961 with Erik Werba, it moves along and is perhaps not as grief laden as his recording with Gerald Moore.

If you want to dip your toes into some Wolf, then there is a good handful of his songs, Richard Strauss, Loewe, Brahms. In the latter composer especially, he manages a conversational style in some songs, fully sung, but emulating speech, but the voice is dry and being husbanded carefully, late recordings from 1975.

In opera, you get just over half a disc and in addition to the Meistersingers, you get some surprises, Iago, Tonio from Pagliacci, Escamillo, Amonastro....in German as was then customary. In that latter role, he makes especially good use of the words in the Nile Scene. But it is not in the least an Italianate vocal production, how would it be, so it is a curio really. By 1961 the wobble was noticeable when he put pressure on the voice. The Iago is much earlier, the voice has more sap and less wobble. But it is interesting that these non-Wagner roles are really baritone ones, rather than bass territory.

If you want this set, then buy it for the lieder. He was superb and not at all operatic in approach.

A bit of a mixed bag then, perhaps too much so, but the good elements are well worth the outlay.

Mike

[mn dave]

Thanks for the detail, Mike. That helps a lot. It turns out I can get it from the library, so we'll see how it goes.

Classics Today gave it an 8/6 and said to snatch it up because it's a limited edition.

[Que]

My wholehearted thanks. It appears you can't really go wrong with Hotter.

Absolutely true, Dave. 
The man was a musical giant and my preferred (bass-)baritone of all times in the Lieder repertoire, and he was terrific in R. Strauss and Wagner operas.

Q

[val]

I love Hotter in Wagner or Richard Strauss.
But to me, his best moments of inspiration were Bach's Cantata BWV 82 and Brahms Lieder opus 121.