A few months before bringing his long career to a close in Massenet's Don Quichotte in 2010, José van Dam gave an in-depth interview to Opernwelt magazine. On this occasion, the great Belgian bass-baritone fondly recalled his time at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and talked enthusiastically about the period he spent with the ensemble there: about colleagues such as Pilar Lorengar, Giacomo Aragall and Ingvar Wixell, with whom he shared the stage, but also of the spirit of optimism under the young General Music Director Lorin Maazel, who had brought the young singer to Berlin in 1967. According to van Dam, the Deutsche Oper Berlin was the greatest thing a singer could hope for at that time. For the 27-year-old, it was first and foremost a great opportunity to develop his hitherto undiscovered talents and mature into one of the great singing personalities of his generation. Initially with smaller roles such as Monterone in RIGOLETTO or Paolo Albiani in SIMON BOCCANEGRA, but then also with roles that would help establish his international reputation, such as Mozart's Figaro, which he would sing here 49 times, or Leporello, whom he portrayed not only at the Deutsche Oper, but also in Joseph Losey's famous film adaptation of DON GIOVANNI. José van Dam remained a permanent member of the ensemble until 1974, laying the foundations here for his spectacular career, which really took off in the early 1970s, particularly through his collaboration with Herbert von Karajan. Nevertheless, he remained loyal to his home theatre and continued to return to Berlin regularly: By 1992, he had made 432 appearances in 32 roles, demonstrating not only his artistic curiosity and flexibility in terms of stylistic range, but also the quality of his voice, whose range included high bass roles such as Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov, Berlioz's Méphistophélès and Verdi's King Philip, as well as Wagner's dramatic baritone roles. Now, at the age of 85, José van Dam has passed away after a long and fulfilling singing career. The Deutsche Oper Berlin mourns the loss of a great artist and will honour his memory.