American Tenor Stephen Gould Dies at 61
His Performances Were Always A Treat
By: Susan Hall - Sep 20, 2023
Berkshire Fine Arts was fortunate to hear Stephen Gould sing Parsifal in Bayreuth two years ago. He retired from Bayreuth this summer when he was diagnosed with incurable cancer.
At Bayreuth, web wrote: "Gould as Parsifal sang with exceptional clarity and beauty. The whole performance has an uplifting, shimmering quality which is present in the best performances of Wagner's final opera"
The White Lights Festival, now sadly defunct, presented Gould in a great concert performance of the second Act of Tristan (2019). We wrote: "Tristan was Stephen Gould, an American singer whose career has been forged in Europe. He deserves more exposure in the United States. He proved irresistible as the errant knight, with a voice of steel often softened by love. His stamina is remarkable, producing tones as strong at the end of the act as at the beginning."
We were initially struck by his huge voice in his Metropolitan Opera debut as Erik in Flying Dutchman in 2010.
Gould had the voice and the dramatic presence to sing for at least another decade. How sad to lose him.
From our friend Katrin Hilbe, a director at Bayreuth. " So very sad to hear of the passing of the wonderful singer and soul Stephen Gould. He sang the role of Siegfried in the operas Siegfried and Götterdämmerung, in the production of DER RING DES NIBELUNGEN at the Bayreuth Festival, directed by Tankred Dorst. I met Stephen in 2007, when I took over as principal assistant of the remounting of the RING cycle. He was an amazing singer, sweet and generous colleague, and I have many lovely memories and a few funny stories too. RIP, you are missed, Stephen. Here a few rehearsal photos from 2007, the first year. With colleagues Gerhard Siegel (Mime), myself, Tankred Dorst (director). Photos: Jochen Quast. (see above).