Peter Schreier

Peter Schreier earned widespread admiration during the twentieth century as a leading lyric tenor, celebrated above all for his command of German art song, oratorio, and cantata repertoire alongside a distinguished opera career. He also established a parallel reputation as a conductor with particular authority in the works of Bach and Mozart.

Born in Meissen on 29 July 1935, Schreier received his earliest musical instruction from his father, a church Kantor. At eight he entered the preparatory division of the Dresdner Kreuzchor; four years later he was accepted as a boy soprano and soon advanced to principal soloist. In that capacity he participated in some of the earliest German long-playing recordings of Bach cantatas issued by Deutsche Grammophon on its Das alte Werk label. While still with the Kreuzchor he toured extensively, visiting France, Scandinavia, Luxembourg, and other countries, and remained with the ensemble as a tenor once his voice changed. In 1954 he began private vocal studies with Fritz Polster and joined the Leipzig Radio Chorus. Two years later he enrolled at the Dresden Musikhochschule under Herbert Winkler, pursuing training in both voice and conducting; he also attended the Dresden State Opera’s opera studio. His first stage appearance there occurred in 1957 when he sang Paolino in Cimarosa’s Il Matrimonio Segreto. After graduating in 1959 he entered the Dresden State Opera as a lyric tenor, making his professional debut in the minor role of the First Prisoner in Beethoven’s Fidelio. During this period he undertook a notable concert tour to India and Mali.

A guest engagement at the Berlin State Opera led to a permanent contract in 1963, establishing him as that company’s principal lyric tenor. He appeared frequently throughout the former Eastern Bloc and made regular visits to Western centers, including the Salzburg Festival, the Bayreuth Festival, London in 1966, the Vienna State Opera in 1967, La Scala in 1969, and the Teatro Colón the same year. Audiences and critics especially admired his Mozart portrayals and his recital work; his Schubert interpretations were singled out for their expressive diction and phrasing. Other notable roles included Alfred in Die Fledermaus, Loge in Das Rheingold, the Physicist in the premiere of Dessau’s Einstein, Almaviva in Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia, Fenton in Verdi’s Otello, and Lensky in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin. He remained a frequent performer in Bach’s Passions and cantatas and became one of the most valued lieder singers of his generation.

Schreier withdrew from the opera stage in 2000 yet continued to appear in song recitals and sacred concerts for several more seasons. During the 1970s he had already begun conducting leading orchestras, among them the Vienna and New York Philharmonics, in performances of Bach and Mozart sacred music. His final singing engagement took place in 2005, when he both conducted and sang the Evangelist in Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. Thereafter he devoted himself to teaching and conducting. Following a family Christmas celebration, he was admitted to hospital and died on 25 December 2019.

Most of his recordings originated with East German companies and have since been reissued on the Berlin Classics and Philips labels. In 2019 Rondeau Productions released a live recording, captured the previous year, of Schreier conducting the Sächsischer Kammerchor and Mitteldeutsche Virtuosen in Bach’s Johannes-Passion.