Anton Van Rooy

Anton Von Rooy
1870 – 1932
Dutch Bass-Baritone

Studied with Julius Stockhausen in Frankfurt. Debut at the Bayreuth Festival in 1897, singing Wotan in “ Ring des Nibelungen”. The year 1898 saw debuts in Berlin and at the Royal Opera House in London; and at the Metropolitan Opera, New York City, as Wotan in “Die Walküre” .Remained with the Met until 1908, during which time he was heard in all the leading baritone Wagnerian roles. Most notably, he created Amfortas in the American premiere of “Parsifal “ in 1903. Four years later, he created the part of John the Baptist in “Salome” in the initial New York production of Richard Strauss..Continued to sing regularly at Bayreuth until 1903, when he was banned by Cosima Wagner from any further performances at the festival, because the Met performances of “Parsifal” that he had participated in breached German copyright law. His appearances in London spanned the years 1898-1913. After leaving the Metropolitan Opera he became the leading Wagnerian baritone of the Frankfurt Opera