Johann Michael Wächter
Birthplace: Rappersdorf, Austria
Johann Michael Wächter was an Austrian baritone who sang in three Wagner premieres at Dresden. He came up through the Vienna church choirs, made his stage debut at Graz in 1819 as Don Giovanni, and joined the Dresden Court Opera in 1827, where he stayed for the rest of his career. Alongside Figaro and Sherasmin in Oberon, he created Orsini in Rienzi, the Dutchman in 1843 and Biterolf in Tannhäuser. Berlioz thought his baritone one of the finest he had ever heard. His wife, the mezzo Thérèse Wächter-Wittman, created Mary in the same Fliegende Holländer.
Creations
- Biterolf — Tannhäuser und der Sängerkrieg auf Wartburg (Dresden, 1845)
Written from
- Forbes, E. (1992) 'Wächter, Johann Michael', in Sadie, S. (ed.) The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. London: Macmillan Reference, vol. 4, p. 1051.
- Wikipedia (2026) Johann Michael Wächter. (Accessed: 31 August 2026).