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Gran Teatre del Liceu
Employees and trustees of the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona pay tribute to the victims of the Airbus A320, which crashed flying from Barcelona to Düsseldorf. Photograph: David Ramos/Getty Images
Employees and trustees of the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona pay tribute to the victims of the Airbus A320, which crashed flying from Barcelona to Düsseldorf. Photograph: David Ramos/Getty Images

Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu pays tribute to opera singer Alps victims

This article is more than 9 years old

Theatre holds two minutes’ silence for Oleg Bryjak and Maria Radner, victims of flight 4U9525, who had performed in Wagner’s Siegfried earlier this week

The flags at Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu flew at half mast and employees gathered in the principal entrance of the theatre to hold two minutes of silence for two opera singers who were among the 150 people who died when a Germanwings flight crashed in the southern Alps on Tuesday.

Oleg Bryjak, 54 and Maria Radner, 34, had performed in Wagner’s Siegfried at Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu on a series of dates that ended on Monday. Bryjak had performed as Alberich while Radner, who was an alto, played the role of Erda.

“It’s been an emotionally tough blow for all of us at the theatre,” director Roger Guasch told Cadena Ser. “A production like this means you practically live together for two months.”

He said Wednesday night’s recital by Philippe Jaroussky would be dedicated to all the victims of the Germanwings flight, and in particular Bryjak and Radner.

Today flags at half-mast at the Liceu. Thank you for all your condolences received. #GermanWingsCrash pic.twitter.com/4nppj5eAoI

— Gran Teatre Liceu (@Liceu_cat) March 25, 2015

Radner died in the crash along with her husband and baby. Born in Düsseldorf, she made her debut in January 2012 at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. She subsequently performed in Buenos Aires, Bonn, Rome, Geneva and Milan as well as at the Royal Opera House in London. She performed in a broadcast of Wagner’s Das Rheingold on BBC radio in 2012.

Bryjak was born in Kazakhstan when it was part of the former Soviet Union and performed on opera stages including in Paris, Zurich, London, Los Angeles, Chicago, Vienna, Berlin, Munich, Sao Paolo and Tokyo, according to his website. His repertoire was said to include more than 30 operas.

Tributes were paid to Bryjak and Radner from all corners of the music world. Violinist Karina Canellakis, assistant conductor of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, tweeted: “My heart goes out to her friends and family. And all those lost today. Devastating.”

Alexander Neef, the general director of the Canadian Opera Company, said Radner had been expected to sing there in the next season. “Our deepest sympathies to family, friends & colleagues of Maria Radner, Oleg Bryjak & all who lost loved ones today,” he wrote.

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