Kónya (1923 – 2002) hailed from Hungary, and possessed a robust tenor voice that also was capable of beautiful lyrical shifts. He brought italianite flair to the great Wagner roles, without compromising teutonic fundamentals. He was quite versatile, also successful in a number of Italian and French roles like Don Carlo, Romeo, Edgardo, Radames, Gustavo, Cavaradossi, Des Grieux, Canio, and Calaf.
He debut in Bielefeld (incidentally, I sang in the Bielefeld opera children’s chorus); his immediate success brought him to Berlin, Edinburgh, Paris, San Francisco, and the Met- where he sang for fourteen (!) seasons. He was also popular in Bayreuth, of course the grail of Wagnerian opera.
His recording legacy is highlights include an RCA Lohengrin, and a superb Meistersiger von Nuernberg.
There are also many recordings (mostly non-official) extant from his Bayreuth performances- all testament to his great artistry. Here is audio of the quintet (Thomas Stewart, Gundula Janowitz, Sandor Konya, Brigitte Fassbaender, Gerhard Unger
Conductor: Rafael Kubelik) from Meistersinger:
Konya was also EMI’s tenor of choice for a series of opera recordings that were sung in German. He also had an affinity for German operetta.
His voice was capable of tremendous grace, coupled by an intense dramatic core. He must have liked the beach, as he spent much of his later life on Ibiza.
Listen here to his very involved Des Grieux:
I happen also to have Konya’s autograph.
