Bruce Abel (Bass-Baritone)

Born: 1936 - USA

The American bass-baritone, Bruce Abel, was born to a mother, who was a singer herself and gave first musical inspirations to him. At the Juilliard School of Music in New York it was his teacher Hans Heinz, who recognized his talent for the French and German lied. In 1962 a Fulbright fellowship brought him to Stuttgart, Germany, where Hermann Reutter, Lore Fischer and Elinor Junker-Giesen perfected him in lied and oratorio. Bruce Abel participated successfully at several international competitions: Enrico Caruso Competition New York, Concours International Geneve (1^st prize, 1963), ARD Wettbewerb Munich (prize for lied, 1964), Bach Wettbewerb Leipzig (1^st prize, 1964), Mozart Wettbewerb Vienna (2^nd prize, 1963).

Many concerts in Northern America and the whole of Europe as well as many productions on records and CD made Bruce Abel a well renowned singer. He was soloist in the premiere of Fritz Werner’s Whitsun Oratorio in Heilbronn, Germany, 1971. He performed several times at the Baldwin-Wallace College Bach Festival.

Bruce Abel appeared on record with conductors like Fritz Werner (J.S. Bach's cantatas), Hans Grischkat (J.S. Bach's Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248)), Günter Graulich (Dietrich Buxtehude cantatas), Martin Behrmann (Schubert's Mass No. 6), Hans Zanotelli (Franz Liszt, Choral works). He also recorded Lieder by Robert Schumann and Robert Franz.

Since 1974 Bruce Abel is a professor at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Stuttgart. He is married to the well-known pianist Waltraud Poser, his partner in many recitals.

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Sources:
Roland Wörner (October 2002)
Liner notes to the albums '"J.S. Bach: Weltliche Quellen des Weihnachts-Oratoriums I/II" (Corona, Photo 04)
Contributed by Roland Wörner (October 2002)

Recordings of Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works

Conductor

As

Works

Wilfried Fischer

Bass

BWV 213, BWV 214, BWV 215

Heinz Markus Göttsche

Bass

BWV 244

Günter Graulich

Bass

G.P. Telemann: Cantata Machet die Tore weit (I), TWV 1:074

Hans Grischkat

Bass

BWV 248

August Langenbeck

Bass

[CR-57] (Mid 1960's?, Radio recording): BWV 57

György Lehel

Bass

BWV 244

Erhard Mauersberger

Bass

[CR-73] (1964?, Radio recording): BWV 73

Dwight Oltman

Bass

BWV 32 [1^st], BWV 34, BWV 56 [1^st], BWV 56 [2^nd], BWV 58, BWV 61, BWV 82 [2^nd], BWV 82 [3^rd], BWV 180, BWV 187, BWV 201, BWV 213
Baldwin-Wallace College Bach Festival (1985): BWV 158 [1^st recording], BWV 174
BWV 232 [1^st], BWV 232 [3^rd], BWV 232 [4^th], BWV 232 [5^th], BWV 244 [2^nd], BWV 244 [5^th], BWV 244 [6^th], BWV 245 [3^rd], BWV 245 [4^th], BWV 245 [6^th], BWV 249

George Poinar

Bass

BWV 92, BWV 244 [2^nd], BWV 249

Frederik Prausnitz

Bass

[V-3] (1959, Audio): BWV 245 [sung in English]

Fritz Werner

Bass

BWV 30, BWV 39, BWV 72, BWV 92, BWV 102, BWV 137, BWV 150

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