Vaudois opera singer Eric Tappy passes away
Published: Friday, Jun 14th 2024, 16:20
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The Vaud tenor Eric Tappy died on Tuesday at the age of 94. Tappy made a name for himself from around 1960 as an interpreter of Baroque music, particularly Monteverdi. His interpretations of Mozart also brought him international fame.
"Our father passed away peacefully at the end of a full, rich and intense life," his two daughters announced in a press release on Friday.
Tappy was born on May 19, 1931 in Lausanne to a family of musicians. He devoted himself to music from an early age and learned the violin and choral singing from his cousin André Charlet.
After becoming a teacher in 1951, Tappy began studying singing at the conservatory in Geneva. There he won a prize for virtuosity in 1958. This was followed by numerous concerts in Switzerland and abroad, which prompted him to give up teaching in 1959. Tappy's international career began in Paris, where critics immediately rated him as one of the best Mozart interpreters.
In 1981, the 50-year-old surprised his fans by announcing that he would retire from the stage. From then on, he devoted himself to teaching. He founded and directed the "Atelier d'interprétation vocale et dramatique" at the Lyon Opera. From 1984 until 1999, he taught at the Geneva Conservatory.
The tenor was awarded several prizes. Among others, he received the Gold Medal from the Royal Drottningholm Theater in Stockholm in 1966 for his interpretation of Monteverdi's "Orfeo". He received the Edison Prize in 1968 for his interpretation of the same role on record.
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