- published: 07 Jan 2016
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Kurt Böhme (May 5, 1908 – December 20, 1989) was a German bass.
He was born in Dresden, Germany, where he studied with Adolf Kluge at the Dresden Conservatory. He made his debut in 1930 in Bautzen as Kaspar, one of his most important roles further on. From 1930 till 1950 he was member of the Dresden State Opera, 1949 he became member of the Munich State Opera an in 1955 member of the Vienna State Opera. In the 1950s and 1960s he gets known worldwide because of his acting talents, as Bass-Buffo Baron Ochs and also as "Bösewicht" (Kaspar 1954 with Wilhelm Furtwängler, Fafner 1958-1964 with Georg Solti). "Matteo" in Fra Diavolo; Dresden Nov. 1944.
He was known for his interpretations of Wagnerian roles and Baron Ochs von Lerchenau in Richard Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier.
Horst Jankowski (January 30, 1936 – June 29, 1998) was a classically trained German pianist, most famous for his internationally successful easy listening music.
Born in Berlin, Jankowski studied at the Berlin Music Conservatory and played jazz in Germany in the 1950s, serving as bandleader for singer Caterina Valente. Jankowski's fame as a composer of easy listening pop peaked in 1965 with his tune "Eine Schwarzwaldfahrt", released in English as "A Walk in the Black Forest". The tune became a pop hit, reaching #1 on the US easy listening chart, #12 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and #3 on the UK Singles Chart. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. The track was featured on the BBC's review of the 1960s music scene, Pop Go The Sixties, broadcast on BBC One and ZDF, on January 1, 1970. The Genius of Jankowski album, released in 1965, was also a million seller.
The instrumental tune was covered by many artists including Herb Alpert and Peter Nero.
Jankowski went on to score a string of successful albums, but moved on in the 1970s to concentrate more on jazz, including covers of pop and rock hits. Between 1989 and 1994 Jankowski composed and performed easy listening music for Sonoton, Germany.