Semperoper and Thielemann pay tribute to Wagner tenor Gould

The Dresden Semper Opera mourns the death of Wagner tenor Stephen Gould (1962-2023). The international classical music world has "lost one of its most important singing personalities," a statement from the Saxon State Opera said Thursday. "Stephen was always closely associated with Dresden and the Semperoper, we lose with him one of the leading heroic tenors of our time and a particularly endearing person," said Intendant Peter Theiler.

Christian Thielemann, chief conductor of the Saxon Staatskapelle, expressed his "deepest sorrow." He had been joined by Gould since 1997 in a "close artistic collaboration and friendly relationship" in all the major Strauss and Wagner roles on stages around the world. At the Semperoper he was, among others, Siegfried, Othello, Tannhäuser.

Gould made public a few weeks ago a serious cancer illness and had died on Tuesday. Previously, he had already canceled the three major roles planned in the summer at the Richard Wagner Festival Bayreuth. The U.S. singer was among the most important heroic tenors of recent decades and held the honorary title of "Österreichischer Kammersänger."