Who could forget charismatic operetta star Rudolf Schock? As an opera singer he was celebrated on stages of the world in repertoire from Puccini to Wagner, becoming one of the first German singers to appear at Covent Garden in 1949 (Rodolfo, Pinkerton and Tamino among other roles). However, it was as a dazzling operetta hero that he won the hearts of a wider audience.
Schock, who was born on 4 September, 1915, was also one of the first German tenors to appreciate the importance of the silver screen. The seductive sound of his voice and his unsurpassable charisma gave him a head start in the new medium and turned him into a film and TV star almost overnight. He is beloved for his 1953 portrayal of the tenor Richard Tauber in the film Du bist die Welt für mich. He passed away in 1986 at the age of 71.
A new collection from Warner Classics' Inspiration series celebrates his incredible operetta legacy.
