Fritz Friedrichs by Hoffert

Fritz Friedrichs
Fritz Cristofes
31/1/1849-15/5/1911
German Baritone

Started as a chorister and performer in small acting roles in Braunschweig, He was later engaged in Potsdam, Stettin, Elbing, St. Gallen and Dusseldorf. In 1880 he arrived at the Municipal Theatre of Nuremberg, - he began his career as an opera singer without any proper training . He remained until 1884 in Nuremberg, 1884-90 in Bremen. In 1888 he sang at the Bayreuth Festival as Beckmesser in the 'Meistersinger' .and sang the role again at the Bayreuth Festival in 1889 and 1899; 1897-1902 he also sang at Bayreuth as Alberich in " the Nibelung Ring", and in 1902 as Klingsor 'Parsifal'.In the years 1890-93 he made limited appearances in concerts due to a nervous disorder . From 1896, he worked again at the Municipal Theatre of Bremen, but also made extensive guest performances 1899-1902 he was engaged at the New York Metropolitan Opera, where sang Alberich, Beckmesser and Falstaff in the "Merry Wives of Windsor ' by Nicolai .. Guest performances have taken him to the Kroll Opera in Berlin (1887, 1888), at the Court Opera in Vienna (1888), Berlin (1896, 1899), Dresden (1897) and Munich (1898), to the opera houses of Frankfurt (1896 ) and Hamburg (1902), Court Theatre of Stuttgart (1898) , Karlsruhe (1899-1902) and at the German Theatre in Prague (1899, 1902). In 1902 he made guest appearances at the Royal Opera Stockholm as Alberich and Beckmesser. his other Wagner roles were Baculus ,and van Bett in 'Zar und Zimmermann' and Stadinger in 'Waffenschmied ' by Lortzing, also Bombardon in 'Goldenen Kreuz' by Ignaz Brüll and Bartolo in Rossini's' Barber of Seville '