Domgraf-Fassbänder, Willi

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Domgraf-Fassbänder, Willi

Domgraf-Fassbänder, Willi, German baritone, father of Brigitte Fassbänder; b. Aachen, Feb. 9,1897; d. Nuremberg, Feb. 13, 1978. He first studied in Aachen, where he made his operatic debut (1922), then with Jacques Stuckgold and Paul Bruns in Berlin and with Giuseppe Borgatti in Milan. He sang in Berlin, Düsseldorf, and Stuttgart, and was a leading member of the Berlin State Opera from 1928 until the end of World War II; he also appeared at the Glyndebourne Festivals (1934–35; 1937). After the war, he sang in Hannover, Vienna, Munich, and Nuremberg, serving as chief producer at the latter opera house (1953–62). He also taught at the Nuremberg Cons, (from 1954). Among his finest roles were Figaro, Papageno, and Guglielmo.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

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