German baritone with disability to perform in Seoul

By Park Jin-hai

Thomas Quasthoff, 59, was born as a “Thalidomide baby.” Due to the drug his mother took in her pregnancy, he is only 1.34 meter tall, with small arms attached close to his trunk.

But the tiny man has a mighty voice that can transcend all prejudices.

The German bass-baritone is coming to Seoul for his debut performance here. After his Daejeon concert at Daejeon Arts Center on Saturday, he will perform at LG Arts Center in southern Seoul, on March 19, as a jazz singer.

His concerts are part of an Asian tour for his latest jazz album “Nice 'N' Easy” released in May, last year.

He started taking singing lessons at 13 as a hobby. After his entry into the conservatory in Hanover was denied due to his physical limitations, he studied voice privately.

His music career was launched in 1988 when he won the ARD International Music Competition in Munich. In 2003, he finally hit the opera stage and he has become a three-time Grammy award-winner for Best Classical Vocal Performance in 2000, 2004, and 2006.

Following the death of his brother from cancer in 2012, Quasthoff struck by grief and illness, announced his retirement. But he is currently living a second life as a jazz singer, the genre that his brother first introduced him to when he was young.

Quasthoff says the charm of jazz lies in the fact that it enables close communication between the artist and audience. “I feel great joy and excitement performing jazz and interacting with audiences, which I hadn't felt before as a classical singer,” he said in an interview with local media prior to his concert. “My album title is also my life motto. I selected songs for my concert that audiences can listen to nice and easy, as if they are taking a rest. And then at one moment, they can exclaim 'wow! It's cool.' Particularly, if you listen to the song 'Cry Me a River,' you would know what comfort a low-lying baritone voice can give.”

His concerts will include many repertoires familiar to Korean Jazz fans, including a favorite piece, George Gershwin's “Summertime.”

Describing himself as an optimist, he refuses to be categorized as “disabled.” Instead of his background, he asks fans to focus on his musical performances. “I don't like to speak about disabilities. I don't particularly feel that I'm living the life of a disabled person. I've never blamed my mother for her taking the drug. She was the one who has given me the full support and love so that I could become who I am today.”