Theodor Wachtel by Sarony

Theodor Wachtel (1823-1893); German tenor.
He made his debut in 1849 as Arturo in “Lucia di Lammermoor”. The first decade of his carreer was not very successful, performing in a number of small town German operahouses. From 1863 till 1868 he was associated with the “Berliner Hofoper” where he made his debut also in “Lucia di Lammermoor” but this time in the rôle of Edgardo. In 1865 he sang at Covent Garden in the English première of “L’Africaine” the rôle of Vasco da Gama with Pauline Lucca as Selika. In the 1870s he made several America-tours. His most famous rôle was Chapelou in Adam’s “Le postillon de Lonjumeau” ; his high tenor voice and brillant high C from the chest made him the perfect interpretor for this rôle. In Germany he performed “Le postillon de Lonjumeau” over a 1000 times.