367:
142:, sung in English translation. Only a few minutes into the performance, after singing the line "You can only live so long" whilst halfway up a 20-foot (6-meter) ladder, he suffered a heart attack, and fell to the stage. The performance was halted; Joseph Volpe, the General Manager at the time had to pull the fire alarm to clear the audience, who believed this was part of the performance. Versalle was taken to
149:
Versalle was married twice. His first marriage produced four children; Michael, Jeffrey, who preceded his father in death from AIDS in 1991, Jody, and Tim. He and his second wife, Alexis Darden, had a daughter, Tessa. His widow and his four remaining children survive him.
94:, which made him a sought after Tenor, who performed regularly at the Bayreuth Festspiele in 1985, 1986, 1987, and 1989, as well as in Genoa, Tokyo, Vienna, Bonn, Sydney, Pittsburg, Chicago, and the Met.
213:
417:
107:. Primarily performing in Europe, he became a well-known figure in the world wide Operatic community, having made his European debut in 1981 as Verdi's Otello at the
422:
402:
315:
20:
129:
407:
53:
387:
62:
143:
412:
343:
262:
166:
138:
123:(1988). He returned to the Met in 1992 when he sang Tannhäuser. He was at the Met again in 1995 singing Jacob Schmidt in
287:
136:
On 5 January 1996, Versalle was singing the role of Vitek, a law clerk, at the
Metropolitan Opera premiere of Janáček's
200:
237:
161:
90:
25:
397:
392:
60:
singer and did not make his operatic stage debut until the age of 45 when he sang
Augustin Moser in
362:
67:
49:
19:
98:
84:
348:
185:
181:
170:
56:, he worked in business while studying singing. He was initially known as a concert and
119:
108:
381:
146:, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. His death was reported that same evening.
113:
196:
124:
372:
57:
78:
72:
70:. He specialized in the heroic tenor roles such as the title role in
101:
on 8 December 1978, when he sang the minor role of the
Messenger in
316:"Richard Versalle, 63, Met Tenor, Dies After Fall in a Performance"
37:
18:
368:
Performance record from the MetOpera
Database on Richard Versalle
103:
111:
opera house . At SaarbrĂĽcken he also sang the title role in
36:(3 December 1932 – 5 January 1996) was an American operatic
363:
Bayreuth
Festival German-language page on Richard Versalle
214:List of entertainers who died during a performance
8:
263:"Met Tenor Is Stricken Ill Onstage And Dies"
309:
307:
52:on 3 December 1932. After serving in the
418:20th-century American male opera singers
231:
229:
225:
130:Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny
23:Richard Versalle in the title role of
373:Find a Grave page on Richard Versalle
88:, and most notably the title role in
7:
14:
423:Classical musicians from Michigan
288:"Autopsy Awaited in Opera Death"
188:(conductor). Label: Euroarts DVD
314:Lynette Holloway (1996-01-07).
236:Elizabeth Forbes (1996-01-10).
97:Versalle made his debut at the
54:submarine branch of the US Navy
403:People from Muskegon, Michigan
63:Die Meistersinger von NĂĽrnberg
1:
167:London Philharmonic Orchestra
144:St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital
48:Richard Versalle was born in
261:Randy Kennedy (1996-01-06).
238:"Obituary: Richard Versalle"
203:(conductor). Label: Fiori CD
408:Musicians who died on stage
439:
286:Don Gentile (1996-01-07).
173:(conductor). Label: EMI CD
388:American operatic tenors
344:"The Makropulos Curse"
199:Orchestra and Chorus,
184:Orchestra and Chorus,
30:
413:Singers from Michigan
22:
16:American opera singer
34:Richard Lee Versalle
292:New York Daily News
139:The Makropulos Case
68:Chicago Lyric Opera
50:Kalamazoo, Michigan
352:, 29 January 1996.
320:The New York Times
267:The New York Times
197:Teatro Real Madrid
193:Tristan und Isolde
99:Metropolitan Opera
85:Tristan und Isolde
31:
349:New York Magazine
342:Davis, Peter G.,
186:Giuseppe Sinopoli
182:Bayreuth Festival
127:'s production of
117:and Siegmund in
430:
330:
329:
327:
326:
311:
302:
301:
299:
298:
283:
277:
276:
274:
273:
258:
252:
251:
249:
248:
233:
29:, Bayreuth, 1985
438:
437:
433:
432:
431:
429:
428:
427:
378:
377:
359:
339:
334:
333:
324:
322:
313:
312:
305:
296:
294:
285:
284:
280:
271:
269:
260:
259:
255:
246:
244:
242:The Independent
235:
234:
227:
222:
210:
201:Peter Schneider
171:Klaus Tennstedt
156:
76:, Florestan in
46:
44:Life and career
17:
12:
11:
5:
436:
434:
426:
425:
420:
415:
410:
405:
400:
395:
390:
380:
379:
376:
375:
370:
365:
358:
357:External links
355:
354:
353:
338:
335:
332:
331:
303:
278:
253:
224:
223:
221:
218:
217:
216:
209:
206:
205:
204:
189:
174:
155:
152:
45:
42:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
435:
424:
421:
419:
416:
414:
411:
409:
406:
404:
401:
399:
396:
394:
391:
389:
386:
385:
383:
374:
371:
369:
366:
364:
361:
360:
356:
351:
350:
345:
341:
340:
336:
321:
317:
310:
308:
304:
293:
289:
282:
279:
268:
264:
257:
254:
243:
239:
232:
230:
226:
219:
215:
212:
211:
207:
202:
198:
194:
190:
187:
183:
179:
175:
172:
168:
164:
163:
162:Symphony No.8
158:
157:
153:
151:
147:
145:
141:
140:
134:
132:
131:
126:
122:
121:
116:
115:
110:
106:
105:
100:
95:
93:
92:
87:
86:
82:, Tristan in
81:
80:
75:
74:
69:
65:
64:
59:
55:
51:
43:
41:
39:
35:
28:
27:
21:
347:
323:. Retrieved
319:
295:. Retrieved
291:
281:
270:. Retrieved
266:
256:
245:. Retrieved
241:
192:
177:
160:
148:
137:
135:
128:
118:
114:Peter Grimes
112:
102:
96:
89:
83:
77:
71:
61:
47:
33:
32:
24:
398:1996 deaths
393:1932 births
169:and Choir,
125:John Dexter
120:Die WalkĂĽre
109:SaarbrĂĽcken
382:Categories
325:2016-12-04
297:2016-12-04
272:2016-12-04
247:2016-12-04
220:References
178:Tannhäuser
154:Recordings
91:Tannhäuser
26:Tannhäuser
208:See also
191:Wagner:
176:Wagner:
159:Mahler:
58:oratorio
337:Sources
79:Fidelio
73:Otello
38:tenor
104:Aida
133:.
66:at
384::
346:,
318:.
306:^
290:.
265:.
240:.
228:^
195:–
180:–
165:–
40:.
328:.
300:.
275:.
250:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
