Reiner Goldberg

Reiner Goldberg
Blond, clean-shaven man, in Wagnerian stage costume
Goldberg in Die Walküre, 1986
Born(1939-10-17)17 October 1939
Crostau, Gau Saxony, German Reich
Died7 October 2023(2023-10-07) (aged 83)
Berlin, Germany
EducationHochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber
OccupationHeldentenor
Organizations

Reiner Goldberg (17 October 1939 – 7 October 2023) was a German operatic heldentenor who made an international career performing and recording. He appeared at the Berlin State Opera from 1972, and was a member of the ensemble from 1981. Goldberg achieved attention when he sang the role of Wagner's Parsifal for a 1982 opera film directed by Hans-Jürgen Syberberg. He then became known for performing the tenor roles of Wagner's stage works in leading opera houses in Europe and worldwide, such as the Bayreuth Festival where he appeared from 1986 as Tannhäuser, Stolzing in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Siegfried in both Siegfried and Götterdämmerung, and Erik in Der fliegende Holländer. He performed at the Metropolitan Opera as Siegfried, conducted by James Levine and alongside Hildegard Behrens as Brünnhilde, resulting in a recording that won a Grammy Award.

Goldberg worked in contemporary opera, such as the iconic production of Schoenberg's Moses und Aron at the Dresden State Opera in 1975, directed by Harry Kupfer and conducted by Herbert Kegel.