Spas Wenkoff was a Bulgarian-Austrian operatic tenor.
19 Facts About Spas Wenkoff
1.
2.
Spas Wenkoff was known internationally for mastering the heldentenor roles by Wagner, such as Tristan and Tannhauser.
3.
Spas Wenkoff appeared in his signature role Tristan first in 1975 at the Staatsoper Dresden, followed by the centenary Bayreuth Festival in 1976, and the Metropolitan Opera in 1981, among many others.
4.
Spas Wenkoff was a member of the Berlin State Opera from 1976 to 1984, and then appeared freelance at major opera houses.
5.
Spas Wenkoff was awarded the title Kammersanger in both Berlin and Vienna.
6.
Spas Wenkoff studied singing, first in Tarnovo and Ruse, later in Dresden with Johannes Kemter.
7.
Spas Wenkoff worked as legal advisor, and was second concertmaster in an amateur operetta theatre in his hometown.
Related searches
Carlos Kleiber 8.
Spas Wenkoff then moved to Ruse, Bulgaria's second largest opera house.
9.
Spas Wenkoff moved in 1968 to the Theater Magdeburg, and appeared from 1971 to 1976 at the Halle Opera House.
10.
Spas Wenkoff appeared as Tristan a total of 226 times during his career.
11.
Spas Wenkoff appeared as Tristan at the Bayreuth Festival in the centenary year 1976, alongside Catarina Ligendza as Isolde, staged by August Everding and conducted by Carlos Kleiber.
12.
Spas Wenkoff performed there the title role in Gotz Friedrich's new staging of Tannhauser in 1978, alongside Gwyneth Jones as both Venus and Elisabeth, conducted by Colin Davis, and filmed live.
13.
In 1981, Spas Wenkoff made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera, again as Tristan.
14.
In March 1982, Spas Wenkoff appeared at the Frankfurt Opera as Otello.
15.
On 16 October 1982, at the Vienna State Opera, Spas Wenkoff stepped in for the suddenly indisposed Reiner Goldberg in the middle of the first act of Tannhauser.
16.
Spas Wenkoff appeared in other Wagner roles such as Stolzing, Parsifal, Siegmund and Siegfried.
17.
Spas Wenkoff received Austrian citizenship in 1984 and spent his retirement in Bad Ischl where he died after a long illness at the age of 84.
18.
Spas Wenkoff was a Kammersanger of both the Berlin State Opera and the Vienna State Opera.
19.
Spas Wenkoff was an honorary citizen of his hometown Veliko Tarnovo and honorary member of several Wagner associations.