Tenor Hans Hopf is not one of the famed Wagnerians of the 20^th century, but he certainly was one of the most reliable.

Born on August 2, 1916, Hopf studied in Munich and Oslo in his formative years and made his formal stage debut in 1936 as Pinkerton in “Madama Butterfly.” Between 1939 and 1943, he would only appear with German companies and between 1944 and 1945 he appeared in Oslo.

His next big break came a decade later when he debuted in Berlin, followed by performances in Munich. He appeared in Bayreuth in a number of Wagner roles and was also featured in Wilhelm Furtwängler’s Beethoven Symphony No. 9 performance there. He would perform around the world and would appear at the Met Opera 36 times, singing only Wagner operas.

He passed away at the age of 76 on June 25, 1993.

Signature Roles

While he sang some roles not related to Wagner, Hopf was a strict Wagnerian and his greatest triumphs were in the repertoire of the German master. He famously sang both Siegfried roles at Bayreuth, though most remember his interpretation of Walter von Stolzing at Bayreuth in the early 1950s as his greatest achievement.

Watch and Listen

Here is one of those performances of “Die Meistersinger” from Bayreuth that features Hopf.