Kremer, Martin

Opera singer (tenor)

born: 23.03.1898 in Geisenheim

died: 19.02.1971 in Prien am Chiemsee

Kremer was born in Geisenheim, the son of a winegrower, and studied singing in Wiesbaden, Milan and Oslo. In 1922, he took up his first engagement as a feature tenor in Stettin, then spent four years in Kassel, from where director Paul Bekker took him to Wiesbaden. He remained there for two years before being called to the Dresden State Opera. He worked there for eleven years under conductors such as Fritz Busch (1890-1951) and Karl Böhm (1894-1981).

He was a member of the Bayreuth Festival six times between 1933 and 1938, and guest appearances took him to all the world's major opera houses.

After rejoining the ensemble of the Wiesbaden State Theater in 1947, he sang Tannhäuser, Othello and Manrico, among others. He took his leave of the stage in 1957 with Manrico, having sung the famous Stretta a total of four times with a brilliant high C and unflagging power. Kremer was also an esteemed concert and oratorio singer, particularly as the Evangelist in Bach's oratorios and passions.

He spent the rest of his life in Reit im Winkl.