Bayreuth Festival mourn the loss of their long-serving former choir director Prof. Norbert Balatsch, honorary member of the Vienna State Opera, who passed away yesterday at the age of 92. Prof. Balatsch was a member of the Vienna Boys’ Choir from 1938 to 1944, took over the direction of the Vienna Men’s Choral Society in 1953, and worked, among others, with the Coro di Santa Cecilia di Roma as well as other international choirs. From 1972 to 1999, he was choir director at the Bayreuth Festival and during this time worked with renowned conductors such as Horst Stein, Eugen Jochum, Silvio Varviso, Heinrich Hollreiser, Carlos Kleiber, Karl Böhm, Pierre Boulez, Sir Colin Davis, Dennis Russell Davies, Peter Schneider, Daniel Barenboim, Sir Georg Solti, Giuseppe Sinopoli and directors such as Götz Friedrich, Wolfgang Wagner, August Everding, Patrice Chéreau, Harry Kupfer, Sir Peter Hall, Jean-Pierre Ponnelle, Dieter Dorn, Alfred Kirchner, Heiner Müller and Keith Warner. We pay tribute to a great artist and will cherish the memory of Prof. Balatsch.
Bayreuth Festival Mourn the Loss of Prof. Norbert Balatsch!
