The opera world is mourning the loss of José van Dam, a celebrated Belgian bass-baritone who passed away at 85 years old, according to an announcement Thursday from a Belgian conservatory.
The renowned vocalist died Tuesday while in Croatia, confirmed Natsumi Krischer from Belgium’s Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel. Van Dam had established the institution’s voice department in 2004 and served as a master in residence.
The singer was born Joseph van Damme in Brussels on August 25, 1940, and studied at the Brussels Royal Conservatory. He chose José van Dam as his professional name when he first stepped onto the opera stage in 1960, performing Don Basilio in Rossini’s ‘Il Barbiere di Siviglia’ at Belgium’s Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège.
Two years later, van Dam made his Paris Opera debut as Priam and the Voice of Mercury in Berlioz’s ‘Les Troyens.’ His reputation grew significantly during the late 1960s and early 1970s while performing at Berlin’s Deutsche Oper under chief conductor Lorin Maazel, and through his 1971 Salzburg Easter Festival appearance as Don Pizarro in Beethoven’s ‘Fidelio’ alongside conductor Herbert von Karajan.
The bass-baritone made his mark at the world’s most prestigious venues by performing Escamillo in Bizet’s ‘Carmen’ – first at Milan’s Teatro alla Scala in 1972, followed by London’s Royal Opera in 1973, and New York’s Metropolitan Opera in 1975. He later performed the title character in Mozart’s ‘Le Nozze di Figaro’ during a 1976 Paris Opera tour at the Met.
Van Dam earned particular recognition for his portrayals of leading characters in Verdi’s ‘Falstaff’ and ‘Simon Boccanegra,’ Mozart’s ‘Don Giovanni,’ Berg’s ‘Wozzeck,’ and Mussorgsky’s ‘Boris Godunov.’ He was also highly praised for his performances as Philipp II in Verdi’s ‘Don Carlo,’ Hans Sachs in Wagner’s ‘Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg,’ and Amfortas in Wagner’s ‘Parsifal.’
In a 2010 Opera magazine interview, van Dam reflected on his approach to selecting roles. ‘Before taking on a new role that has interested me, I always looked carefully at the tessitura,’ he explained. ‘At age 20, I was more of a bass; with the help of careful exercises, the voice stretched further at both ends, and especially at the top, I’ve never had any particular vocal difficulties with a role, but I’ve always been careful.’
The singer, recognized for his sophisticated interpretations, revealed his artistic preferences during a 1981 interview, expressing that he favored concert performances over staged operas.
‘When I’m on the stage and I’m acting, I’m singing Figaro or Giovanni or Amfortas,’ he stated. ‘I’m not José van Dam!’
Van Dam originated the demanding title role in Messiaen’s ‘Saint François’ during its 1983 Paris premiere and reprised it at the 1988 Salzburg Festival.
New York Times critic John Rockwell praised his performance during the original production, writing that van Dam was ‘technically and interpretively impressive in his extremely long role.’
The Belgian artist’s final operatic performance came in 2010 when he appeared in Massenet’s ‘Don Quichotte’ at Brussels’ La Monnaie theater.
Throughout his career, van Dam received 10 Grammy nominations and claimed three victories. He won the vocal solo category for his Ravel songs recording with conductor Pierre Boulez in 1984, and earned best opera recording honors for Strauss’ ‘Die Frau ohne Schatten’ in 1992 and ‘Meistersinger’ in 1997, both conducted by Georg Solti.
Beyond the opera stage, van Dam appeared in films, including a 1979 adaptation of Mozart’s ‘Don Giovanni’ directed by Joseph Losey, where he played Leporello. He also starred as opera singer Joachim Dallayrac in 1988’s ‘The Music Teacher,’ which received an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film.
