Image of the Day - Hans Hotter (19 January 1909 – 6 December 2003)

Hans Hotter - Wotan

Forever associated with the role of Wotan, Hans Hotter's dark bass-baritone reigned supreme at Bayreuth and the recording studio for most of the 50's and into the 60's.  I have three of his complete Wotan's in Ring Cycles - Keilberth, Krauss, Solti - and a fourth - Knappertsbuch '57-on the way, plus he features in a number of other recordings in my collection, namely Wagnerian roles and as The Speaker in Bohm's recording of  Mozart's Die Zauberflote.

His voice was one of complete authority, capable of much vocal nuance, more so in his live recordings than in the studio.  Below is a video of a filmed studio performance of Wotan's Abscheid, but beyond the date 1965 there are few details.  It's a treat to be able to see him perform Wotan, even if he is really lip-synching to a pre-recording.  Even so, great for nostalgic value of one of the greatest Wagnerian voices of the Twentieth Century.