Gerd Brenneis

Gerd Brenneis (1 March 1930, Nienhagen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern - 13 March 2003, Güstrow) was a German operatic tenor who had an active international career from the late 1950s through the 1990s. Known for his interpretations of the works of Richard Wagner, he worked as a principal artist at many of the world's great opera houses, including the Deutsche Oper Berlin, La Scala, the Metropolitan Opera, and the Vienna State Opera.

Brenneis was trained in the opera studio of the Berlin State Opera (BSO) where he began his performance career in the opera chorus during the 1950s. In 1958 he performed in the world premiere of Darius Milhaud's Fiesta at the BSO. In 1959 he began his career as a principal tenor at the Essen Opera House where he first appeared as Don Curzio in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro. His first major critical success came soon after at that house in the title role of Britten's Albert Herring.

From 1961-1972 Brenneis was a leading tenor at Theater Augsburg. Here he achieved a reputation as a gifted Wagnerian tenor in roles like Walther von Stolzing in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, and the title heroes in Lohengrin and Parsifal. While still committed to Theater Augsburg, Brenneis was a principal artist at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein from 1970-1972. He was later under contract as a leading tenor at the Hamburg State Opera (1972-1977), the Staatsoper Stuttgart (1975-1977), and the Vienna State Opera (1976-1985). He made his debut at the Deutsche Oper Berlin in 1974 as Max in Der Freischütz, and was thereafter a resident artist at that house until 1996. One of his last great successes at that house was as Erik in Der fliegende Holländer in 1994.

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