Franz Kelch

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Franz Kelch
Born(1915-11-01)1 November 1915
Died5 June 2013(2013-06-05) (aged 97)
OccupationSinger

Franz Kelch (1 November 1915 – 5 June 2013) was a German bass-baritone lied and oratorio singer. His discography includes works of Johann Sebastian Bach, Dieterich Buxtehude, George Frideric Handel, and Claudio Monteverdi.

Biography

Franz Kelch was born in Bayreuth. He started voice training in difficult times in 1937 with Henriette Klink in Nürnberg after mandatory military service. He had to interrupt his studies with the outbreak of World War II. After he returned from a prisoner-of-war-camp, he started teaching and singing for the Bayerischer Rundfunk (Bavarian broadcast) in programs of early music and new works of Munich composers such as Joseph Haas, Hermann Zilcher or Wolfgang Jacobi.[1]

In 1948, Franz Kelch was the soloist for

Bamberger Symphoniker and Joseph Keilberth. When in 1951 Karl Richter took over the Heinrich-Schütz-Kreis (that became the Münchener Bach-Chor in 1954), they entered a collaboration until 1957 with performances of all major works of Bach, especially the Vox Christi, the words of Jesus, in Bach's passions. K.H. Ruppel, the chief critic of the Süddeutsche Zeitung, wrote about the St Matthew Passion in 1956: "Die Gestaltung der Christus-Partie durch Franz Kelch gehört in der geistigen Durchdringung, der Wärme des Ausdrucks und der kultivierten Führung der edlen Baßstimme zum Schönsten, was man sich an sängerischer Bachinterpretation denken kann."[1]

Grand Prix du Disque in 1954 [4] and the Canti guerrieri et amorosi, 8th Book of Madrigals by Claudio Monteverdi
under Marcel Couraud in 1955.

In addition to his extensive concert activities as a lieder and oratorio singer in Germany and Western Europe, Franz Kelch taught from 1953-1978 at the Leopold-Mozart-Konservatorium Augsburg[1] (now the Leopold Mozart Center). Numerous well-known opera and concert singer emerged from his 25 years of voice teaching.

Franz Kelch lived in Munich from 1947. He died on 5 June 2013.[5] He is survived by ten children.

References

  1. ^ a b c "Franz Kelch (Bass-Baritone)". bach-cantatas.com. 16 April 2010. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
  2. ^ "Review of St John Passion". Gramophone. March 1956. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
  3. ^ Quinn, John (2005). "The Passions - Christmas Oratorio - B minor mass - Motets". musicweb.international. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
  4. ^ "L'incoronazione di Poppea (German)". operone.de. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
  5. ^ Death notice vrsmedia-trauerportal.de

External links