Background
Julius Patzak was born in Vienna and originally studied conducting.
Julius Patzak was born in Vienna and originally studied conducting.
He was particularly noted in Mozart, Beethoven and in early 20th-century German repertoire. He was also taught composition, by Franz Schmidt, Guido Adler and Eusebius Mandyczewski. lieutenant was in 1926 that he decided instead upon a career as a vocalist, and he made his debut as Radames in Aida at Reichenberg in that year.
He sang regularly at the Munich State Opera from 1928 to 1945, and at Vienna from 1946 to 1960.
He appeared in London at Covent Garden in 1938 as Tamino in The Magic Flute, and again several times after the war, notably as Florestan in Fidelio. This role and the title role in Hans Pfitzner"s opera Palestrina were considered to be among his finest roles.
Patzak appeared in a number of operatic premieres, notably Richard Strauss"s Friedenstag, Carl Orff"s Der Mond and Gottfried von Einem"s Dantons Tod. Patzak sang the role of Gabriel von Eisenstein, a rich banker, in the recording of Die Fledermaus, with Clemens Krauss conducting the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, issued by London Records Limited Liability Partnership 305.
Although he did not possess the most powerful of voices, it had a distinctive and attractive timbre and was used with such style, intelligence, charm and musicianship, and with such dramatic conviction, as to warrant a very high place among the operatic singers of his time.
He was awarded the Lilli Lehmann Medal in 1950. Patzak died on 26 January 1974, at Rottach-Egern in Bavaria, aged 75.