A major operatic loss: Kurt Moll dies at 78

The death has been announced of Kurt Moll, one of the finest German singers of the late 20th century. He joined Cologne Opera in 1958 and made the city his home. Soon he was appearing in the major international houses. His US debut was in San Francisco in 1974, followed fours years later by the Met. He sang Baron Ochs in seven commercial recordings of Der Rosenkavalier, practically owning the role. He gave his final stage performance at Bayreuth on July 31, 2006 and died in Cologne yesterday, March 6. - See more at: http://slippedisc.com/2017/03/a-great-german-bass-has-died-at-78/#sthash.hgc9qtq0.QqB2muD2.dpuf

  Kurt Moll (11 April 1938 – 5 March 2017)...
was a German operatic bass singer who enjoyed an international career and was widely recorded.His voice was notable for its range, a true infra-bass (or oktavist bass, lower than basso profondo), including full, resonant low and very-low notes with relaxed vibrato; also for its unusual combination of extreme range and a purring, contrabassoon-like timbre. Although he had a powerful voice he never performed Wagner's parts Hagen, Hans Sachs, nor Wotan. His interpretations tended to be restrained and intelligent, even in roles like Osmin in Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail and Baron Ochs in Der Rosenkavalier. WIKIPEDIA