Ernst Wiemann
Ernst Wiemann (21 December 1919 – 17 May 1980) was a German operatic bass. Life and career. Born in Stapelburg, interested in music, Wiemann played accordion and violin as a young boy. At the age of 17 he took singing lessons and got his first engagement as a soloist in the Theater Kiel in 1940, and in 1941 in Stralsund. One year later he had a soloist contract at the Theater des Westens. His singing career was then interrupted by being drafted into the military. After the War, Wiemann took singing lessons again and was engaged at the Gelsenkirchen  Opera in the 1950/51 season. From 1955 to 1957 he sang at the opera in Staatstheater Nürnberg. From 1957 until his death in 1980 he was engaged at the Hamburg State Opera. In 1965 he was awarded the title of Kammersänger by the Senate of the Hanseatic City of Hamburg in recognition of his artistic achievements. Towards the end of the 50s his international career began. From 1961 until 1969 he joined the Metropolitan Opera in New York. There he sang King Heinrich in Wagner's "Lohengrin" as his debut role. He was especially successful there in Wagnerian parts. Wiemann  became known nationwide through numerous recordings. He can be heard in various recordings and radio takes, especially of his Met performances. In the television films produced for the Norddeutscher Rundfunk he can be seen and heard as Rocco in "Fidelio" (1968) and as Veit Pogner in "Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg" (1970). In May 1980 Wiemann died suddenly of heart failure in Munich at the age of 60. His grave is at the Reichelsdorfer Waldfriedhof in Nuremberg.