Rudolf Watzke (5 April 1892 in Niemes, now Mimoň, Bohemia – 18 December 1972 in Wuppertal) was an operatic and concert bass singer. He sang from 1924 to 1928 at the Berliner Staatsoper|Berlin State Opera, and later sang and taught voice in Dortmund. He was a prominent singer in German oratorios, operas and concerts. Some of his performances were recorded, and are still available on vinyl records and CDs. He sang live in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with the Berlin Philharmonic on March 22, 1942, under Wilhelm Furtwängler, with Tilla Briem, Elisabeth Höngen, Peter Anders and the Bruno Kittel Choir (issued on labels Vox Turnabout, Classica d'Oro, Music and Arts, Opus Kura, Tahra, SWF). Video footage of this concert survived, and is still available to the public. It was performed in anticipation of Adolf Hitler's 53rd birthday the following April 20. Biography In 2007, a memorial plaque was unveiled to a native of Mimona, opera singer Rudolf Watzke. Who was that? Rudolf Watzke was a personality who undoubtedly belonged to the prominent personalities of the cultural world, he was indeed a child of fortune. His childhood and background did not suggest that he would be what he became famous for. His father, Josef Watzke, was a room painter and painter who married in Mimona of Jablonné v Podještědí (then Deutsch Gabel) to see a certain Johanna Teifelová of Mimona. The young Rudolf Watzke was born on April 5, 1892, in Mimona at No. 13 / I in today's Pražská Street. After graduating from national and burgher school, he learned his father's craft, which he also practiced. He went through the First World War and then continued his craft. He liked to sing at work and there was no sign that he would stand on the boards that signify the world. It is now known that Emil Kühnel, the music director of the church choir, was responsible for his discovery, who recommended him for further singing training with the prominent Croatian singer Drage Kreißl - Hauptfeld in Liberec. This is where his distinguished singing career began. The young Rudolf Watzke very quickly understood his mission, which he decided to undertake. He was a very diligent student who had war experience and 2.5 years of Russian captivity in World War I. He then studied in Bayreuth, where he was supported by the wealthy family of Siegfried Wagner, then studied singing with Professor Karel