100 Singers - KURT MOLL

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• published: 29 Jun 2012
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Kurt Moll, Bass (*1938) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart DIE ENTFÜHRUNG AUS DEM SERAIL (The Abduction from the Seraglio) Osmin's aria, Act 1: Solche hergelauf'ne Laffen! (These young men who go a-spying) Conducted by Kurt Eichhorn Recorded 1981 My personal opinion: When he was asked, then Kurt Moll often said that he was a 'Seriöser Bass', the german term for a 'Basso profondo' - It's a bass-subtype with the lowest vocal range, and usually the quality of the voice is determined by the degree of blackness. A first prominent representative was the Italian Luigi Lablache (1794-1858), who sang at Beethoven's funeral. Especially Russia produced some of the lowest bass-voices, the so-called 'octavists', whose vocal range was one octave below the normal bass-range. A true 'Basso profondo' is rare. The russian opera singer Vladimir Miller once estimated: "One million people, one Basso profondo". Accordingly poor also the situation in Germany after the war. Only a few true 'Basso profondo' made an outstanding career. Among them we find Gottlob Frick (1906-1994), described by Furtwängler as "the blackest bass in germany", and Kurt Moll, who always did more than just presenting an impressive deep voice. After the singer's farewell, a critic wrote: "Suppose God can sing. If so, we have to imagine his voice like that of Kurt Moll!" And for another reviewer, Kurt Moll was just "The King of Basses". His voice possessed a paternal, almost good-natured tone. With this, Moll stood in contrast to Frick, whose voice was recognizable by its "dark, evil-sounding, almost reptilian timbre" (Wikipedia). Maybe Moll's voice did not have this characteristic feature, but it was compensated by his musical exactness of vocal expression and technical virtuosity of singing. One of Moll's most famous characters on stage was Osmin in Mozart's DIE ENTFÜHRUNG AUS DEM SERAIL. He performed the Pasha's overseer as a victim of his own fear, the fear of losing his master's favor. Moll's Osmin is intelligent enough, to realize that paradoxically his intelligence is not enough to win the game, whose rules are determined by the palace intruders. Osmin may have his funny moments, but he is a tragic figure and not a comedian. Mozart wrote the part for the bass virtuoso Karl Ludwig Fischer. Moll's Osmin (in the 1973 Böhm recording with Auger, Grist and Schreier) is one of, if not the best on disc. Frick was superb, but he had some troubles with the vocal ornaments (for example, he avoided the trill in "Solche hergelauf'ne Laffen"). Kurt Moll performed all vocal ornaments written by Mozart for "my wonderful bass" Karl Ludwig Fischer. With his dignified and human expression (and his impressive low D), Kurt Moll was also a sought after Sarastro in DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE, a role he recorded four times. A little bit disappointing (for me) his appearance as 'Il Commendatore' in Solti's DON GIOVANNI recording (with the rough Don of Bernd Weikl). Although Moll had the vocal weight for the stone statue, I miss a little bit the uncanny sepulchral voice of Antonio Zerbini, Ludwig Weber or Matti Salminen. In the late 1960s, Kurt Moll came to the Bayreuth Festival with the part of the nightwatchman in Wagner's DIE MEISTERSINGER VON NÜRNBERG, later Karajan wanted him to sing Sachs. But Moll refused: "It is a role for a Bass-Baritone, overlong and very demanding. Although I can easily reach the baritone register, I can't get through the high 'tessitura' for more than two hours! With Sachs I would have shortened my career!" Moll also refused to sing Hagen and Wotan. In the 1970s, Moll became a household name for roles such as Fafner, Pogner, King Marke and Hunding. With his noble and sonorous 'infra-bass' he was the ideal candidate to perform the veteran Grail Knight Gurnemanz in PARSIFAL; for critic Kai Kaiser "Karajan's PARSIFAL was a milestone only because of Kurt Moll!" Moll stepped again in Frick's footprints in some recordings he made in the 1980s. He took the role of the burgomaster Van Bett in Lortzing's ZAR UND ZIMMERMANN as seriously as the character takes itself seriously. In the famous 'O Sancta Justitia', Moll disclaimed any antics, there is no extramusical overacting. Moll: "It's a mistake to portray this character as a comedian! His humor is unintentional, Van Bett actually thinks he is serious!" Jürgen Kesting remarked, that "hardly any other bass of the post-war period in Germany comes as close to the ideals of the 'Belcanto' as Kurt Moll." After more than 45 years on stage, Kurt Moll retires in 2006 with a last Munich performance - again as the nightwatchman in MEISTERSINGER. The other day, a reviewer assumed in a newspaper: "A successor is not in sight!" The prophecy was fulfilled...