A farewell

His warm, colorfully nuanced and voluminous voice coupled with his intense, energized renditions have enchanted audiences for years. At age 52, Quasthoff recently announced his retirement from the stage.

"After almost forty years of concert life, I've decided to withdraw because my health no longer permits me to meet the expectations I place in myself and my art," the singer said in a short press release.

The statement leaves room for speculation. Was the larynx infection he struggled with in the past year the health reason? Or was it his severe thalidomide handicap? The latter seems plausible. A life shuttling from concert stage to recording studio, hotel and airport subjected his disabled body to enormous stress.

Thanks to fans and colleagues

Music critic Wolfram Goertz speculated in the "Rheinische Post" that Thomas Quasthoff suffered from the star cult in classical music. The singer himself hinted at that, declaring that the business had grown too superficial.

"You get the impression that apart from David Garrett, nobody else is left," he once said.

That displeasure was absent, however, from his statement of departure.

"I have much in the profession to be grateful for and leave without bitterness. I thank all the musicians with whom I have had the privilege to share the stage, as well as the event managers and my public for their loyalty."

A fighting spirit

Thomas Quasthoff often went on the offense when it came to his birth defect.

"Many people think a handicapped person must suffer and be sad and desperate. But not me at all," he said. "I've left the desperation behind and have a very affirmative view of life. I've learned to laugh at myself."

And he learned how to succeed. An initial disqualification from music studies due to a piano playing requirement only provoked the young singer's defiance. He knew he could sing. And it soon became clear that his voice was unique.

The baritone made a name for himself as a gifted interpretor of the German "Lied." His recording of Schubert's "A Winter's Journey" is considered legendary. Quasthoff's many discinctions include several Echo and three Grammy Awards.

"Thomas Quasthoff has one of the most intelligent and captivating voices in classical music," declared Graham Sheffield, Chairman of the Royal Philharmonic Society in London, at an award ceremony in 2011.

Jazz lover

Apart from appearances on the opera stage and Lied recitals, Thomas Quasthoff surprised his audiences in recent years with excursions in jazz.

"It began in my school days," he said. "Several in my class liked listening to jazz or playing the blues, and we made music every chance we got."

Many of his colleagues cannot shake their classical training, but Quasthoff's two jazz albums reveal a love for the genre in every note.

"The phrasing is jazzier, and I leave the vibrato out here and there," he said, adding, "And I learned early on not to sing at full voice but to use the microphone as an aural tool, to get in close to the mic and employ a tone close to breathing."

Quasthoff's take on the biting satire of Randy Newman's "Short People" is a revelation.

"Four and a half feet tall, I can sing about 'short people' with some authority. So there's a bit of irony in it," the singer remarked.

No farewell to the Lied

As an instructor at the "Hanns Eisler" Music Conservatory in Berlin and in master classes internationally, Quasthoff will continue to dedicate himself to the Lied. He considers the genre one of the most beautiful things in existence, and would deplore its demise.

Having founded "Das Lied," a biennial international vocal competition in Berlin, in 2009, it's a personal priority for the artist to maintain a platform for younger talent.

"We want to encourage and to strengthen morale and artistry. And if we succeed, we've done a lot," he said.

The competition offers one more way in which Thomas Quasthoff's talent remains preserved, even if indirectly, for his fans.

Author: Marita Berg / rf
Editor: Greg Wiser