Julius Patzak (1898-1974) was an Austrian tenor, one of the most distinctive German-language singers of the twentieth century. He was admired in Mozart, operetta, Lieder and character repertory.

In the Pristine catalogue he appears in Haydn, Johann Strauss and Wagner, including Fritz Busch’s Copenhagen recordings and Furtwängler’s Rome Ring cycle.

Patzak’s singing combined verbal acuity, musical intelligence and a uniquely personal tone. He could make text flicker with life inside the musical line.

His page is essential. Patzak’s tenor may not be conventionally golden, but it is alert, human and lit from within.