Legendary as a Wagnerian tenor from the 1970s on, René Kollos career spanned over four decades and included ground breaking interpretations of a wide range of repertoire. Kollo's signature performances include difficult, inwardly torn characters; his embodyment of Laca in Janacek's opera Jenufa, which he sang in Harry Kupfer's 1981 production in Cologne, remains unforgotten to this day. Another outstanding example is his portrayal of Siegfried as a shady and broken figure in Patrice Chéreau's legendary 1976 Ring in Bayreuth. Kollos versatility as a performer led him to seek out the challenge of classical operetta repertoire, including works by Willi and Walter Kollo, his father and grandfather. They stood for a type of operetta that embraced the revue and cabaret genres at an early stage. In performing the works of his ancestors, René Kollo undoubtedly saw himself as the heir to a family tradition. With this 2-CD album, Kollo embraces this operetta repertoire with a personal connection that is as nuanced and challenging as the Wagnerian roles of his earlier days.

Artists

René Kollo (tenor), René Kollo (Fritz), Marianne Larsen (Ottilie), Michael Lerchenberg (Cicero), Gisela Ehrensperger (Mechthilde), Gunter Sonneson (Stanislaus), April Hailer (Angostura), Christina-Agnes Weiske (Juliette), Hans Schulze-Bargin (Oberst)

RIAS Tanzorchester, Jankowski Singers, Streichergruppe Hans Georg Arlt, Rundfunkorchester des Südwestfunks Kaiserslautern, Horst Jankowski, Peter Falk