24 Facts About Peter Schreier

Peter Schreier was a German tenor in opera, concert and lied, and a conductor.

Peter Schreier was regarded as one of the leading lyric tenors of the 20th century.

Peter Schreier became a tenor, focused on concert and lieder singing, well known internationally for the Evangelist parts in Bach's Christmas Oratorio and Passion.

Peter Schreier appeared at the Vienna State Opera and the Metropolitan Opera, among others, as one of few singers from the German Democratic Republic to perform internationally.

Peter Schreier made many recordings, especially of Bach's works as both a singer and a conductor, even simultaneously.

Peter Schreier recorded many lieder including the song cycles by Schubert and Schumann.

Peter Schreier was known for intelligent understanding of texts and their musical expression with intensity.

Peter Schreier received awards including the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize, Leonie Sonning Music Prize.

Peter Schreier was born in Meissen, Saxony, and grew up in the village of Gauernitz, near Meissen, where his father was a teacher, cantor and organist.

In June 1945, when Peter Schreier was almost ten years old, and just a few months after the destruction of Dresden, he entered the boarding school of the Dresdner Kreuzchor boys' choir.

Peter Schreier let him sing many solo alto parts and created compositions with his voice in mind.

Peter Schreier made his professional debut at the Dresdner Staatsoper in 1957, as the First Prisoner in Beethoven's Fidelio.

Peter Schreier's breakthrough came in 1962 as Belmonte in Mozart's Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail, and he appeared as Tamino in The Magic Flute.

Peter Schreier was one of few singers from the German Democratic Republic to perform internationally, including at the Metropolitan Opera.

Peter Schreier appeared regularly at the Vienna State Opera, where he sang 200 performances, beginning as Tamino in 1967, as Belmonte, Don Ottavio in Mozart's Don Giovanni, the title role of Idomeneo, Flamand in Capriccio by Richard Strauss, Lenski in Tchaikovsky's Eugen Onegin, Count Almaviva in Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia and Loge in Wagner's Das Rheingold.

Peter Schreier was the Evangelist in Bach's St Matthew Passion in recordings conducted by both Rudolf and Erhard Mauersberger, Karl Richter, Claudio Abbado and Herbert von Karajan.

Peter Schreier recorded Bach's St John Passion and Christmas Oratorio with Helmuth Rilling.

Peter Schreier ended his singing career on 22 December 2005, combining the functions of Evangelist and conductor in a performance of Bach's Christmas Oratorio in Prague.

Peter Schreier kept singing lieder, a genre he had pursued throughout his career, including the song cycles by Schubert and Schumann.

Peter Schreier conducted orchestras such as the Vienna Philharmonic and the New York Philharmonic.

Peter Schreier was married and lived in Dresden from 1945 until his death, in the district of Loschwitz.

Peter Schreier died in Dresden on Christmas Day, 25 December 2019, after a long illness.

Peter Schreier was survived by his wife, Renate, and two sons, Torsten and Ralf.

Peter Schreier was an extremely intelligent singer, with sympathetic feeling for the text.