Trivia

Opera singer (tenor) and teacher at the Vienna Academy.

He also sang in Paul Abraham's Operetta: "Die Blume von Hawaii" (Fleur d'Hawai)

He appeared regularly at the Salzburg Festival, including world premieres such as Rolf Liebermann's Penelope in 1954.

He was a member of the Vienna State Opera as a tenor buffo from 1957 until 1983, remembered for roles such as Pedrillo in Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail.

In 2000, he performed Schubert's Winterreise at the Vienna Musikvereinsaal to mark the beginning of his retirement.

On the 17th of October 2016 a recital was planned at the "Gebäude der Gesellschaft für Musiktheater in Wien (Vienna)" with works by Benedict Randhartinger, Franz Liszt, Josef Marx, Hugo Wolf and Franz Salmhofer, with Margit Fussi on the piano. The 87-year-old Equiluz stepped in at short notice for an ill singer who had only canceled in the morning of the same day.

Kurt Equiluz was married twice and had four children, two of whom also became singers.

Equiluz was a member of the chorus of the Wiener Staatsoper from 1950.

He recorded sacred music of the classical period with the Wiener Sängerknaben, such as Mozart's Missa solemnis in C minor, K. 139 "Waisenhausmesse", his Coronation Mass, Haydn's Theresienmesse and Schubert's Mass No. 6 in E-flat major, D 950 (1976).

He will be remembered for his clarity of voice, precise diction and flexible interpretation ("die Klarheit seiner Stimme, die Deutlichkeit seiner Diktion und die Flexibilität seiner Gestaltung").

Equiluz started teaching in 1964, was appointed professor of the Musikhochschule of Graz in 1971, and of the Wiener Musikakademie in 1982.

He took part in around 2000 performances, also as Monostatos in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, Trabuco in Verdi's La forza del destino, Goro in Puccini's Madama Butterfly, Spoletta in Tosca, and Remendado in Bizet's Carmen, working with conductors such as Karl Böhm, Herbert von Karajan and Georg Solti.

He recorded Bach cantatas also with the Gächinger Kantorei and Helmuth Rilling.

He was a member of the Wiener Akademie Kammerchor from 1945.

He recorded the St John Passion, the St Matthew Passion and the Christmas Oratorio also with Michel Corboz.

From 1944 to 1950, he studied music theory, harp and singing at the Austrian State Academy for Music and Art in Vienna, singing with Adolf Vogel.

With Harnoncourt he recorded works by Monteverdi, such as his operas L'Orfeo, Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria, L'incoronazione di Poppea and the Vespro della Beata Vergine.

In 1977 he was the Evangelist in a recording of the St Matthew Passion with the Netherlands Bach Society, conducted by Charles de Wolff, with Max van Egmond as the vox Christi.

He was honoured by the title Kammersänger in 1980.

He was a member of the Wiener Sängerknaben, performing as an alto soloist.

He regularly appeared at the Salzburg Festival operas and concerts, including the world premieres of Rolf Liebermann's Penelope (1954), Frank Martin's Mystère de la Nativité (1960), and Rudolf Wagner-Régeny's Das Bergwerk zu Falun (1961).

From 1957 he appeared as a soloist at the Wiener Staatsoper, with Pedrillo in Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail as his first major role. He remained with the company until 1983, performing 69 different roles of the Spieltenor repertory, such as Jaquino in Beethoven's Fidelio and Scaramuccio in Ariadne auf Naxos by Richard Strauss.

He recorded works by Johann Sebastian Bach with conductors such as Michel Corboz, Helmuth Rilling and Charles de Wolff, and prominently as the Evangelist in the first recording of Bach's St John Passion on period instruments with the Concentus Musicus Wien in 1965, conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt.

He was the Evangelist in the first recording of Bach's St John Passion on period instruments with the Concentus Musicus Wien in 1965 and in 1970 the Evangelist in the St Matthew Passion in its first recording with period instruments.

Kurt Equiluz became known for his interpretation of Bach cantatas and oratorios when was engaged in the recordings of Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Gustav Leonhardt covering the complete vocal works with historical instruments.