Heinz Hoppe (26 January 1924 – 7 April 1993) was a German lyric tenor in opera, lied and operetta, who performed internationally. A long-time member of the Hamburg State Opera, he appeared in world premieres. A regular guest also on radio and television, he was one of the most popular tenors of his time.
Early life and education
Born in Saerbeck, Westphalia,[1] Hoppe grew up in rural Middendorf in the Münsterland. During the Second World War he fought on the Eastern Front and did not return from Soviet captivity to his home country until 1948. He studied voice at the Detmold Conservatory on a scholarship, where Gerd Husler converted him from baritone to tenor.[2]
Hoppe participated in numerous opera and operetta recordings as well as over 200 radio recordings.[4] His operetta recordings were mainly made at the NDR in Hamburg and Hanover; later Hoppe also worked with the conductor Franz Marszalek, who coupled him with the soprano Ingeborg Hallstein for Polydor Records. He appeared as a regular guest on Heinz Schenk's television show Zum Blauen Bock [de].[5]
Hoppe was awarded the title Kammersänger in Hamburg.[6] He was a professor of voice at the Musikhochschule Heidelberg-Mannheim from 1977 to 1989.[1]
Death
On 7 April 1993, he died at age 69 in a clinic in Mannheim following surgery.[1]
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