The great American heldentenor Gary Lakes (above, as Siegmund) has passed away at the age of 75. An Oklahoma native, he studied at Southern Methodist University with tenor Thomas Hayward, and made his operatic debut as Froh in RHEINGOLD at Seattle in 1981.
The 6’4″ tall Mr. Lakes made his Metropolitan Opera debut in 1986 as the High Priest in IDOMENEO. Over the next ten years, a gave over 100 performances at The Met. During that time, I was frequently trekking from Hartford to The Met for long weekends, and so I saw his Erik in FLIEGENDE HOLLLANDER, Emperor in FRAU OHNE SCHATTEN, Samson, Don Jose, and Siegmund. His other Met roles included Parsifal (his Kundrys were Jessye Norman and Deborah Polaski), Laka in JENUFA, Berlioz’s Aeneas, Beethoven’s Florestan, and Jimmy Mahoney in RISE AND ALL OF THE CITY OF MAHAGONNY.
Elsewhere, he sang Tannhauser, Tristan, Siegfried, Lohengrin, Admete in ALCESTE, and Bacchus in ARIADNE AUF NAXOS.
Gary Lakes sings Siegmund in the final scene of Act I of DIE WALKURE from a concert given at the Cincinnati May Festival in 1986. Lorna Haywood is Sieglinde and Artur Korn is Hunding; James Conlon conducts. Listen here.
Oberon's Glade 