#10 Top Bass-Baritones
10.) Theo Adam
Number ten on my list of all time great bass-baritones is Theo Adams. Not quite as well known today, he still is considered one of the greatest. What’s interesting about his career is the types of operas he performed. Yes, it’s not unusual that he did a ton of Wagner and Strauss, but it is interesting that he started off (and continued) singing mostly German repertoire. Most singers start off singing Mozart and Bel Canto repertoire. At twenty-three, he debuted as the Hermit in Der Freschutz and at twenty nine he started his German opera repertoire of Wagner. His first Wotan was at the age of thirty seven. He performed Han Sachs, Amfortas, Wotan, Wozzeck, Ochs, Sarastro, and Sprecher. However, he also did a lot of Handel operas and Oratorio.
On my list, he is probably the least technically accurate and was never the best at covering. However, it was a powerful voice and he had a great range. Probably my favorite recording is his “Schweig, Schweig" and his low C in a recitative in a J.S. Bach piece and a scene from a Strauss piece. Kind of cool when a bass-baritone has a performable low C! Most can sing it, but not necessarily do it in a production after singing in a higher tessitura. Low notes are just like high notes. If your voice is in good shape and warmed-up, it will come out great. If not, it won’t be the best. Most bass-baritones wouldn’t do a Low C unless they really felt good about it. However, he does them and owns them and they’re awesome! Also his “Schweig, schweig" is one of the best recordings of this aria.
He is an incredible singer that had a fantastic career. Theo Adams is a little unknown today, and that just makes all his recordings a rare treat!