Norbert Balatsch

1928 - 2020

We are greatly saddened to hear of the death at 92 of Norbert Balatsch. While chorus master at both the Vienna State Opera and the Bayreuth Festival, he was appointed to the Chorus in 1975. Over the next five years he prepared the Chorus for over 50 concerts and recordings with some of the most outstanding conductors of the time. During this period the Chorus appeared in concerts and performances of staged opera at the Roman Théâtre Antique in Orange, and the 1979 recording of Mozart's Requiem conducted by Guilini won the 1981 Grammy award for best choral performance. The Chorus flourished under him, and we are both grateful and fortunate to have benefited from his leadership.