Kozub or Thomas

[B. Korstvedt]

John Culshaw famously reported the Solti Siegfried was originally to
feature a big-voiced but dull-witted tenor as the hero who had to be
replaced late in the game by Windgassen. Culshaw does not name the singer
in question. I have read several places that the unfortunate tenor was was
Ernst Kozub, yet Holman's recent book on the Ring identifies Solti's
would-be Siegfried as Jess Thomas.

Can anyone clear up this not-so-burning question?

Thanks, BK

[Tony Movshon]

Holman is incorrect -- it was Kozub.

Tony Movshon
Center for Neural Science New York University
http://www.cns.nyu.edu mov...@nyu.edu

[Jon A Conrad]

>"B. Korstvedt" <kors...@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu> writes:
>> John Culshaw famously reported the Solti Siegfried was originally to
>>feature a big-voiced but dull-witted tenor as the hero who had to be
>>replaced late in the game by Windgassen. Culshaw does not name the singer
>>in question. I have read several places that the unfortunate tenor was was
>>Ernst Kozub, yet Holman's recent book on the Ring identifies Solti's
>>would-be Siegfried as Jess Thomas.

The description doesn't remotely fit Jess Thomas, who was an intelligent
and disciplined man (originally training for and practicing a medical
profession if I recall right -- or was it law? anyway he entered into a
singing career relatively late) with a quite good but moderate-sized
voice. It fits Kozub to a T: reviews of his live performances repeatedly
asked why a man with such a vocal gift wasn't the leading Heldentenor of
the day. The RING saga reveals why.

Jon Alan Conrad

[Frank Drake]

On Wed, 26 Nov 1997, B. Korstvedt wrote:

>
> John Culshaw famously reported the Solti Siegfried was originally to
> feature a big-voiced but dull-witted tenor as the hero who had to be
> replaced late in the game by Windgassen. Culshaw does not name the singer
> in question. I have read several places that the unfortunate tenor was was
> Ernst Kozub, yet Holman's recent book on the Ring identifies Solti's
> would-be Siegfried as Jess Thomas.

This question comes up every now and then.

Culshaw on lecture tour a few years before his death (and after Kozub's)
said it was Kozub.

FRANK DRAKE
CHICAGO

[William D. Kasimer]

Jon A Conrad wrote:

> The description doesn't remotely fit Jess Thomas, who was an intelligent
> and disciplined man (originally training for and practicing a medical
> profession if I recall right -- or was it law?

Psychology, according to the brief bio I have handy. It certainly
couldn't be law, give your description of his attributes.

Bill
--
William D. Kasimer
wk...@mindspring.com
wk...@juno.com

[Jan Arell]

The Kozub/Solti/Culshaw story is also mentioned in Birgit Nilsson´s book.
She does not name Kozub either.

Jan Arell

[g.f.]

Sort of a shame it wasn't Thomas instead of Windgassen. A
much more attractive voice, no?

[James Jorden]

g.f. wrote:
>
> Sort of a shame it wasn't Thomas instead of Windgassen. A
> much more attractive voice, no?

Perhaps. On the other hand, Windgassen was by far the more sensitive
and poetic interpreter. He also had the humility to accept the
recording project after first having been passed over for a relatively
untried performer.

==========

james jorden
jjo...@ix.netcom.com
www.anaserve.com/~parterre

"Maenner! Lieber Gott, wenn du wirklich wolltest, dass wir ihnen
widerstehen sollten, warum hast du sie so verschieden geschaffen?"

[Falparsi]

James Jorden wrote:
>
> g.f. wrote:
> >
> > Sort of a shame it wasn't Thomas instead of Windgassen. A
> > much more attractive voice, no?
>
> Perhaps. On the other hand, Windgassen was by far the more sensitive
> and poetic interpreter. He also had the humility to accept the
> recording project after first having been passed over for a relatively
> untried performer.

He had more than "humility"; he also had the wit to make it a condition
of his taking on Siegfried that he would be given Götterdämmerung as
well.

Jim Dunphy

[Henry Strouss]

I have it from a good sorce it was Kozub who came down from Hamburg,

I would hate to tik what Windgassen was paid to step in at the last
moment when he knew he was passed over.1q

[Polyp...@circe.isl]

pitt...@webtv.net (Henry Strouss) wrote:

As I remember, Culshaw's self-congratulatory book "Ring Resounding"
has it that Windgassen not only knew of Culshaw/Solti's shameful
behaviour, but had to witness a haggling session over his fee. WW
became disgusted and just walked out onto the studio floor saying,
"I'm going out there to sing!" I hope he added a little invective
along with it.

[Tony Movshon]

In article <3484a2fe...@news.dorsai.org>, Polyp...@circe.isl writes:
>As I remember, Culshaw's self-congratulatory book "Ring Resounding"
>has it that Windgassen not only knew of Culshaw/Solti's shameful
>behaviour, but had to witness a haggling session over his fee.

"self-congratulatory"? "shameful"?

You don't have a clue what you're talking about. Or perhaps we read a
different book with the title "Ring Resounding".

[Alexander Ross]

Polyp...@circe.isl wrote:
> =

> pitt...@webtv.net (Henry Strouss) wrote:
> =

> >I have it from a good sorce it was Kozub who came down from Hamburg,
> >

That's what I heard from Frankfurt opera buffs (both Solti and Kozub
worked in Frankfurt). In the recent issue of the Frankfurt Opera
magazine Solti's former assistant Hans Drewanz has published an obituary
titled "Solti, the berserker". Well, he knew the screaming skull long
enough to judge it.

Alexander Ross
Berlin
-- =

------------------------------------------------------------
F=FCr Antworten bitte das "s" in der Adresse weglassen. Danke.
For answers please delete the "s" in the adress. Thank you.

[spark...@gmail.com]

On Wednesday, November 26, 1997 12:00:00 AM UTC-8, B. Korstvedt wrote:
> John Culshaw famously reported the Solti Siegfried was originally to
> feature a big-voiced but dull-witted tenor as the hero who had to be
> replaced late in the game by Windgassen. Culshaw does not name the singer
> in question. I have read several places that the unfortunate tenor was was
> Ernst Kozub, yet Holman's recent book on the Ring identifies Solti's
> would-be Siegfried as Jess Thomas.
>

> Can anyone clear up this not-so-burning question?
>

> Thanks, BK

Jess Thomas was anything but dull-witted. Although Thomas may well have been considered for the role (and probably was, given his career at the time) I'm sure the famously unsuccessful tenor was Kozub.

[furrybear57]

C'mon, Tony. How would you feel if you were passed over for a position you knew you were the best qualified for, only to have them call you six weeks later saying the person they hired over you didn't work out? Sure you'd feel vindicated but I too would consider it shameful they couldn't see the obvious and hired you in the first place.

and I while I don't find Culshaw's book "too congratulatory", I do find the text a little "juvenile". all that stuff about "buy drum wobisch". that's just padding. Honestly, I don't know why London Records didn't revise and update this book when they issued that $200 RING set. it needs to be, especially with the info on Kozub. Plus a final chapter on "Where are the artists and engineers now?". And several small discographies on Solti, Nilsson, Windgassen, etc. I would have bought the set for the book alone.

[CHSIII]

I had always heard Kozub described as being intellectually unable to learn
Siegfried in time, but it seems his health - he was in a serious car
accident in 1967 - may have contributed to the situation. He died just a
few years later in 1971, his last performance, Tannhauser, 3 weeks before
his death.



"furrybear57" wrote in message
news:be2027a7-53df-49a6...@googlegroups.com...

--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: ne...@netfront.net ---

[Willem]

Yes but the Siegfried was recorded in 1962 - Culshaw goes into so much detail regarding Kozubs inability to learn the role and the effects the repeated takes had on Hotter that it doesn't seem that he made it up. For whatever reason Kozub was unable to learn the role for the sessions.

[Willem]

Kozub had already been used by Decca before the Siegfried recording -he has a small role in the Solti Tristan - interestingly and perhaps prophetically Conrad L Osborne wondered, when reviewing that recording, why Kozub hadn't been used for Tristan rather than the miscast Uhl.

[CHSIII]

Of course - I had the dates for Siegfried and Walkure switched.

[anabel...@gmail.com]

On Wednesday, November 26, 1997 at 1:00:00 AM UTC-7, B. Korstvedt wrote:
> John Culshaw famously reported the Solti Siegfried was originally to
> feature a big-voiced but dull-witted tenor as the hero who had to be
> replaced late in the game by Windgassen. Culshaw does not name the singer
> in question. I have read several places that the unfortunate tenor was was
> Ernst Kozub, yet Holman's recent book on the Ring identifies Solti's
> would-be Siegfried as Jess Thomas.
>
> Can anyone clear up this not-so-burning question?
>
> Thanks, BK

Does anyone know if Ernst Kozub became intellectually slow as a result of his severe car accident and if was also the cause of his untimely death? I can't find anything about him. All I know is that he had a marvelous voice, and tragically, he was not with us long.

[Juan I. Cahis]

Dear friends:

I don't believe it could be Jess Thomas because shortly after, he was
selected by von Karajan as Siegfried for his Ring recording, and he did it
quite well.

--
Enviado desde mi iPad usando NewsTap, Juan I. Cahis, Santiago de Chile.

[patric...@gmail.com]

I knew Jess Thomas. I studied with his teacher in San Francisco Otto Schulmann. My lesson was right after his. I heard him sing many performances live in San Francisco and Vienna. His best role was Lohengrin. I had tickets to his debut as Lohengrin, he had had a big success in Europe. He was coming home but my boss told me I had to work late that night. I quit on the spot. I was a fan.

He sang Siegfried of course but I never heard him do it live. I got the flu and gave away my Ring tickets when he was to appear. I did hear him as Sigmund. But I liked Vickers more. Thomas was also one of three tenors who sang Tosca at SF Opera in 1968 I think. Corelli, Thomas and Konya. That was also the order of my ranking.

Thomas had a voice sort of like Ben Heppner.

I had been in the opera workshop at San Francisco State where he was something of a legend. I was about five years behind him. He had a Masters In Psychology. Jess certainly wasn't a dummy.

I'm listening to the Solti Walkure while I write this little note. Kozub is the Siegmund. He sounds nothing at all like Thomas or almost anyone else. Kozub has darker penetrating Germanic dramatic tenor sound sort of like Hans Hopf - but better. Vickers and Thomas were more Italianate and poetic. Kozub had a darker, more vibrant but less sweet sound. He reminds me a little of Rudy Park. Very baritonal. I wonder if the reason he was dropped as Siegfried was actually tessitura. He sounds real good as Siegmund but Vickers never sang Siegfried - too high.

I heard Windgassen with Nilsson at SF Opera in Tristan. She was great - everything everyone said about her singing live was true but Windgassen was nearly inaudible. He had too small a voice for the giant American opera houses. SF War memorial Opera house is just about twice the size of Bayreuth.

I know Kozub was "our Siegfried" because Ross told me so, and Ross knows everything about every tenor who ever lived.

Kozub has a full length video of Freischuetz singing Max. The best version of this opera anywhere. Available on YouTube.

[Juan I. Cahis]

Dear friends:

Kozub singing in Solti's Walkure recording? Isn't James King?