Radeberg: New York, Vienna, Tokyo, Madrid: Semperoper honors Kammersänger Ketelsen

Wachau/Dresden. It was not easy for the famous opera singer (baritone) Hans-Joachim Ketelsen from Feldschlößchen near Radeberg to be allowed to sing at the Dresden Semperoper at all, he also had to audition several times, six times before it was no longer said: ‘You hear from us.’

Now, on Friday evening after the performance of “La Bohème”, the Semperoper Dresden has appointed Hans-Joachim Ketelsen as an honorary member. In this opera, the Kammersänger can be seen in the role of Benoît.

Ten times New York and seven times Japan

The new honorary member received the certificate of appointment from the director of the Saxon State Opera. “For almost 41 years, Hans-Joachim Ketelsen has had close ties to the Dresden State Opera, and not just artistically. First as a long-standing member of the ensemble at the Dresden State Opera and then as a guest. In many opera houses, this wonderful artist inspires audiences around the world with his singing performance and his acting power,” says Peter Theiler, who held the laudatory speech for the honoree. “It is a particular pleasure for me to offer Mr. Ketelsen the title of honorary member as a sign of appreciation and gratitude of the Semperoper Dresden,” emphasizes the artistic director.

From 1982 to the 2009/10 season, Hans-Joachim Ketelsen was a member of the ensemble at the Semperoper Dresden, where his roles included Jochanaan in “Salome”, Mandryka in “Arabella”, Orest in “Elektra”, Faninal in “Der Rosenkavalier”, Amfortas was brilliant in “Parsifal”, Telramund in “Lohengrin”, Beckmesser in “Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg” and in roles from the Italian repertoire. Guest performances have also taken the singer regularly to the Bayreuth Festival, the State Operas in Berlin, Hamburg and Vienna, as well as to La Scala in Milan and the New York Metropolitan Opera, where the celebrated artist said goodbye to his international stage career in 2013 with a final guest performance.

In 1985 he was appointed Kammersänger, followed in 1996 by the Theo Adam Prize of the Foundation for the Promotion of the Semper Opera. With the appointment as an honorary member of the Dresden Opera House, Hans-Joachim Ketelsen now joins the list of worthy names such as the first title holder from 1867, Josef Tichatschek, as well as Theo Adam, Fritz Busch, Eleonore Elstermann, Christel Goltz, Arno Schellenberg, Senator hc Rudi Häussler, Ilse Ludwig, John Neumeier, Hans-Dieter Pfluger and Jutta Zoff.

On the occasion of his honor, the “Semper Bar” taking place in the Semper Zwei venue on April 8, 2023 is dedicated to the portrait of Hans-Joachim Ketelsen.

Over 1,100 performances in the Dresden Semperoper

In an interview with Sächsische.de, Ketelsen reports that he has sung in over 1,100 performances in the 41 years he has been a member of the Dresden State Opera. In a further 1,400 performances he made guest appearances in more than 80 operas worldwide. But it was always nicest at home at the Semperoper. “But of course there are the Welttheater, the Milan Scala or Bayreuth. They are very illustrious names and one can be proud to have made guest appearances there,” says Hans-Joachim Ketelsen.

He was in New York ten times and in Japan seven times. “People in Japan are wild about European art. Suddenly you’re standing there and 300 people want your autographs, on LPs or tickets,” the Kammersänger remembers.

When the Semperoper sank in the flood

One of the most beautiful and touching experiences for him was the reopening of the Semperoper in 1985. “Arno Schellenberg, my longtime singing teacher, sang the role of Ottokar in ‘Der Freischütz’ as the last one before the war. After that the opera closed in 1944 and I sang the same role at the reopening in 1985. Of course that has an impact,” says Ketelsen.

The Kammersänger also remembers the flood of 2002: “When the Semperoper sank into the floods and the water receded again, there was no request, but many people from the opera reported to clean up. Everything had to go back then. The functional building was 1.5 meters under water and everyone participated. It was such a strong team spirit.”

The Semperoper is Hans-Joachim Ketelsen’s home, he says. Otherwise he lives in Feldschlößchen near Radeberg. He feels very comfortable here, in the “beautiful Rödertal” and the proximity to Radeberg is also advantageous.

“I have a voice, you press a button and it starts”

Incidentally, he was mostly spared the famously feared stage fright. “I know that many colleagues suffer from it. For me it’s only when I have to step in or, of course, before a premiere. It was very exciting for me in New York, because there you perform in front of at least 3,800 spectators,” he says.

In principle, he was always “relaxed and got by without great singing exercises”. “I have a voice, you press a button and it starts,” adds the new honorary member of the Semperoper with a smile.

He is very happy about the award, because the title has only rarely been awarded so far. Hans-Joachim Ketelsen also celebrates his 78th birthday on February 17th.