Opera Singer. A baritone, he shall be remembered for his more than half-century career which took him to major venues on both sides of the Atlantic. Raised in the small village of Vanju Mare, he studied theater at Isau, made his 1949 professional bow in Florin Comisel's operetta "Victory Life", and spent four years at the Bucharest Conservatory. Joining the company of Bucharest's Romanian National Opera, he instantly became a star, his roles there and elsewhere over the years including Rodrigo of Verdi's "Don Carlos", Wolfram in Wagner's "Tannhauser", Renato from Verdi's "Un Ballo in Maschera", the two incarnations of Figaro in Rossini's "The Barber of Saville" and Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro", Count Tomsky from Tchaikovsky's "The Queen of Spades", the elder Germont of Verdi's "La Traviata", the bullfighter Escamillo from Bizet's Carmen, and the title leads of Donizetti's "Don Pasquale" and Mozart's "Don Giovanni". Though based in Bucharest, he gave acclaimed performances at numerous festivals, notably at the Salzburg Mozarteum, and was heard at the Paris Opera, the Bavarian State Opera of Munich, the Vienna State Opera, Moscow's Bolshoi Opera, La Scala Milano, the Seattle Opera, the San Francisco Opera, and at other major opera houses; also a noted recitalist, Mr. Iordachescu gave upwards of 1,600 concerts featuring oratorio, operatic areas, song cycles, and even Romanian folk music, in later years frequently joined by his daughters soprano Irina and mezzo soprano Cristina. While continuing his performing, he held a professorship at the Bucharest Conservatory while presenting master classes in America, England, France, and smaller countries, and being much in demand as a competition judge. His honors were many, among them the 1956 Mozart Grand Prize, 1963 designation as Honored Artist of Romania, and in 2005 the George Enescu Prize and the bestowal of the rank of Commander of the Order of the Star of Romania. More-or-less retired after 2005, he continued occasional recitals and sang in public as late as 2011. Mr. Iordachescu died following a protracted illness leaving a quite significant recorded legacy.
Opera Singer. A baritone, he shall be remembered for his more than half-century career which took him to major venues on both sides of the Atlantic. Raised in the small village of Vanju Mare, he studied theater at Isau, made his 1949 professional bow in Florin Comisel's operetta "Victory Life", and spent four years at the Bucharest Conservatory. Joining the company of Bucharest's Romanian National Opera, he instantly became a star, his roles there and elsewhere over the years including Rodrigo of Verdi's "Don Carlos", Wolfram in Wagner's "Tannhauser", Renato from Verdi's "Un Ballo in Maschera", the two incarnations of Figaro in Rossini's "The Barber of Saville" and Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro", Count Tomsky from Tchaikovsky's "The Queen of Spades", the elder Germont of Verdi's "La Traviata", the bullfighter Escamillo from Bizet's Carmen, and the title leads of Donizetti's "Don Pasquale" and Mozart's "Don Giovanni". Though based in Bucharest, he gave acclaimed performances at numerous festivals, notably at the Salzburg Mozarteum, and was heard at the Paris Opera, the Bavarian State Opera of Munich, the Vienna State Opera, Moscow's Bolshoi Opera, La Scala Milano, the Seattle Opera, the San Francisco Opera, and at other major opera houses; also a noted recitalist, Mr. Iordachescu gave upwards of 1,600 concerts featuring oratorio, operatic areas, song cycles, and even Romanian folk music, in later years frequently joined by his daughters soprano Irina and mezzo soprano Cristina. While continuing his performing, he held a professorship at the Bucharest Conservatory while presenting master classes in America, England, France, and smaller countries, and being much in demand as a competition judge. His honors were many, among them the 1956 Mozart Grand Prize, 1963 designation as Honored Artist of Romania, and in 2005 the George Enescu Prize and the bestowal of the rank of Commander of the Order of the Star of Romania. More-or-less retired after 2005, he continued occasional recitals and sang in public as late as 2011. Mr. Iordachescu died following a protracted illness leaving a quite significant recorded legacy.
Bio by: Bob Hufford
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