Spas Wenkoff

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'''Spas Wenkoff''' (Спас Венков) (23 September 1928 – 12 August 2013) was a Bulgarian-Austrian [[opera]] singer ([[tenor]]).

== Life ==
=== Training and beginnings as a singer ===
Born in [[Veliko Tarnovo]], Wenkoff initially studied law in his Bulgarian home country and worked for several years as a [[lawyer]]. He also studied singing - first in Tarnovo and [[Ruse, Bulgaria|Ruse]], later in [[Dresden]]. First he worked as [[legal advisor]] and [[concertmaster]] on a private operetta theatre in his hometown.

In 1954 he made his debut as a singer in the [[operette]] ''[[Keto and Kote]]'' by the Georgian composer [[Victor Dolidze (composer)|Viktor Dolidze]]. In 1959 the operetta theatre was nationalised. In the same year Wenkoff gave up his legal profession and devoted himself entirely to singing. Until 1962 he was full-time operetta tenor at the theater of his hometown. In 1962 he moved to Ruse; his inaugural role there was the singing teacher Alfred in the operetta ''[[Die Fledermaus]]'' by [[Johann Strauss (son)|Johann Strauß]]. He sang there until 1965.

=== Career as Heldentenor ===
From 1965 to 1968 Wenkoff sang at the Freiberg and Döbeln/Saxony, later then from 1968 to 1971 at the and finally from 1971 to 1976 in [[Halle (Saale)|Halle]].

On October 12, 1975, after a successful audition with [[Harry Kupfer]] in Dresden, he sang the title role in ''[[Tristan und Isolde]]'' for the first time, a role he interpreted a total of 226 times during his career. From 1976 to 1984 he was a permanent member of the Berlin ensemble [[Staatsoper Unter den Linden]]. From 1984 he worked exclusively as a freelance artist. Beside Tristan he sang [[Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg|Stolzing]], [[Parsifal]], [[Tannhäuser (opera)|Tannhäuser]], [[Die Walküre|Siegmund]] and [[Der Ring des Nibelungen|Siegfried]], but also the title role in Verdi's ''[[Otello]]''.

He sang Tristan at the [[Bayreuth Festival]] in 1976, 1977, 1982 and 1983 and the title role in [[Götz Friedrich]]'s production of ''Tannhäuser'' in 1978. In 1981 he made his debut at the [[Metropolitan Opera]], again as Tristan. In March 1982 he made a guest appearance at [[Oper Frankfurt]] in the title role of Verdi's ''Otello''. In the following years he sang mainly at the [[Deutsche Oper Berlin]], the [[Wiener Staatsoper]], the [[Bayerische Staatsoper]] Munich and the [[Cologne Opera]]. In June 1988 he sang at the Deutsche Oper Berlin the role of Siegfried in Wagner's ''[[Götterdämmerung]]'' in a performance on the occasion of the conductor [[Heinrich Hollreiser]]'s 75th birthday. He said goodbye to the stage in 1993.

Wenkoff also celebrated special successes at the Vienna State Opera, where on 16 October 1982 he stood in for the indisposed [[Reiner Goldberg]] in the middle of the first act of ''Tannhäuser''.<ref>[[Fritz Walden]]: </ref> His appearance there on 28 October 1982 was also acclaimed. November 1985: After singing a ''Tristan'' rehearsal in Berlin in the morning, he stood in for his ill colleague [[Gerd Brenneis]] as Siegmund in the opera ''[[Die Walküre]]'' in the evening.

=== Awards and Private ===
Wenkoff was a double [[Kammersänger]] ([[GDR]]/[[Austria]]), [[honorary citizen]] of his hometown Veliko Tarnovo and since 1988 honorary member of the [[International Association of Wagner Societies]] [[Linz]]. In the GDR he was awarded the [[Star of People's Friendship]] in silver in 1981.<ref>''[[Berliner Zeitung]]'', 2/3 May 1981, </ref> Wenkoff received Austrian citizenship in 1984 and spent his retirement in [[Bad Ischl]]. He died after a long, serious illness at the age of almost 85 years.<ref>[http://bit.ly/2WDtGFz ''On August 12, 2013 Kammersänger Wenkoff died after a long, serious illness in [[Bad Ischl]] (Austria) im 85.Lebensjahr.''] in ''Der Neue Merker'' 13 August 2013</ref>

Wenkoff's older brother Wenko was also a successful opera singer (tenor).

== Recordings ==
* Ein Opernabend mit Spas Wenkoff. Richard Wagner: Arien und Szenen. CD bei Ars Vivendi, früher als LP bei Eterna 1977.
* Richard Wagner: Tristan und Isolde. Gesamtaufnahme. CD bei Myto mit [[Carlos Kleiber]].
* Richard Wagner: Tristan und Isolde. Auszüge. CD bei Bella Voce mit [[Otmar Suitner]].
* Richard Wagner: Tannhäuser. Mitschnitt der Bayreuther Festspiele 1978. DVD bei Deutsche Grammophon.
* Richard Wagner: Tannhäuser. Gesamtaufnahme (Berlin, 1982). Gala 3 CDs GL100621.

== Bibliography ==
* [[Karl-Josef Kutsch]], [[Leo Riemens]]: ''[[Großes Sängerlexikon]]''. Third, extended edition. Munich 1999 Volume 5, p. 3695 f.
* Peter M. Schneider: ''Heldentenor Spas Wenkoff. Alles war Zufall.'' BS-Verlag, Rostock 2008, (Biography)

== References ==


== External links ==
* [http://bit.ly/2RDhEso Spas Wenkoff] on (BMLO)
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[[Category:1928 births]]
[[Category:2013 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Veliko Tarnovo]]
[[Category:Austrian operatic tenors]]
[[Category:Heldentenors]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Star of People's Friendship]]

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