Bernd Weikl


Bernd Weikl is an Austrian operatic baritone, particularly known for his performances in the stage works by Richard Wagner. He also has written books and directed operas.

Career

Born in Vienna, he moved with his family to Mainz when he was ten years old. Weikl studied first in Mainz, national economics, and from 1962 to 1965 at the conservatory. He then studied voice at the Musikhochschule Hannover with Naan Pöld und William Reimer). He made his stage debut as Ottokar in Weber's Der Freischütz and the Staatsoper Hannover. From 1970 to 1973 he was a member of the company at the Düsseldorf Opera.
Weikl made his debut at the Salzburg Festival in 1971 as Melot in Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, at the Bayreuth Festival in 1972 as Wolfram in Tannhäuser, at the Royal Opera House in London in 1975 as Figaro in Rossini's The Barber of Seville, at the Metropolitan Opera in 1977 as Wolfram, and at La Scala in Milan in 1980 as Ford in Verdi's Falstaff.

Roles

Weikl has performed around 120 roles during his career, in five languages. He is known for Hans Sachs in Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, which he has sung in major opera houses of the world. Other roles include:

Weikl has published books about German music, including Swastikas on Stage and Freispruch für Richard Wagner?.