Opera Singer. He was a Grammy-Award-Winning opera singer. A basso, he sang in many of the principal venues of Europe. Raised in Budapest, he studied privately and at his native city's Franz Liszt Academy prior to his 1971 bow with the Hungarian State Opera as Count Ceprano in Verdi's "Rigoletto." He was to assume a number of more significant parts at the house, including several by Mozart, among them Osmin in "The Abduction from the Seraglio," Sarastro from "The Magic Flute," and the title Don Giovanni's valet Leoprello, as well as Don Basilio in Rossini's "The Barber of Seville," and Gurnemanz of Wagner's "Parsifal." Polgar made his Covent Garden, London, debut in 1981 as Rololfo from Vincenzo Bellini's "La Sonnambula" and for the rest of his career was to be heard in such prestigious theatres as La Scala Milano, the Vienna State Opera, the Munich Opera, the Paris Opera, and Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires. Among his more noted characters were Walter in Verdi's "Luisa Miller," Orveso of Bellini's "Norma," Giorgio from the same composer's "I Puritini," and King Philip II in Verdi's "Don Carlos." His signature piece, however, was the title lead of Hungarian composer Bela Bartok's "Duke Bluebeard's Castle," his recording of which with Pierre Boulez and the Chicago Symphony won a 1999 Grammy Award. Polgar received Hungary's Kossuth Prize in 1990 and from 1992 thru 2008 was principal bass of the Zurich Opera, having left Budapest either for money of for increased 'respect' depending on when the tale was being told, while teaching in Switzerland and at the Franz Liszt Academy. At his death much of his recorded legacy remained in print. Of his professional motivation, he said simply: "I wanted to become an artist. I was always attracted by the stage."
Opera Singer. He was a Grammy-Award-Winning opera singer. A basso, he sang in many of the principal venues of Europe. Raised in Budapest, he studied privately and at his native city's Franz Liszt Academy prior to his 1971 bow with the Hungarian State Opera as Count Ceprano in Verdi's "Rigoletto." He was to assume a number of more significant parts at the house, including several by Mozart, among them Osmin in "The Abduction from the Seraglio," Sarastro from "The Magic Flute," and the title Don Giovanni's valet Leoprello, as well as Don Basilio in Rossini's "The Barber of Seville," and Gurnemanz of Wagner's "Parsifal." Polgar made his Covent Garden, London, debut in 1981 as Rololfo from Vincenzo Bellini's "La Sonnambula" and for the rest of his career was to be heard in such prestigious theatres as La Scala Milano, the Vienna State Opera, the Munich Opera, the Paris Opera, and Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires. Among his more noted characters were Walter in Verdi's "Luisa Miller," Orveso of Bellini's "Norma," Giorgio from the same composer's "I Puritini," and King Philip II in Verdi's "Don Carlos." His signature piece, however, was the title lead of Hungarian composer Bela Bartok's "Duke Bluebeard's Castle," his recording of which with Pierre Boulez and the Chicago Symphony won a 1999 Grammy Award. Polgar received Hungary's Kossuth Prize in 1990 and from 1992 thru 2008 was principal bass of the Zurich Opera, having left Budapest either for money of for increased 'respect' depending on when the tale was being told, while teaching in Switzerland and at the Franz Liszt Academy. At his death much of his recorded legacy remained in print. Of his professional motivation, he said simply: "I wanted to become an artist. I was always attracted by the stage."
Bio by: Bob Hufford
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Hebrew Name on stone: Yitzchak, son of Eliezer, the Levite
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