• ...thatThomas Johannes Mayer portrayedWotan andWozzeck, with a voice filling large opera houses but flexible enough for the finest nuances?Source:[1]
  • Reviewed:Michael Menzinger
  • Comment: Due to Christmas, I'm some hours late. Both roles are pinnacles, not "doing his job". Wozzeck just turned 100 (OTD). The voice is described per the source (which calls him "an ideal Wotan" for that quality, but other critics said similar things. Other ideas welcome.

Gerda Arendt (talk) 07:06, 25 December 2025 (UTC).

• The wording in ALT0 is not likely to be interesting to a broad audience, and every opera singer I know has a voice that fills a large house. A stronger hook would involve the first part of the quote, an ideal Wotan: "a giant of a man, but capable of tender emotions". Hope this helps a bit. Will be happy to review with a revised hook.Flibirigit (talk) 03:29, 5 February 2026 (UTC)

  Thank you. As you will know, many voices, when going for the vocal power to fill the "large houses", loose finesse and flexibilty, and it's unusual that he didn't. I don't know why you'd think that it's not interesting what singles him out. What I don't like so much about the other part of the quote - which I considered - are a few things:

  • "giant of a man" is pure physics, no achievement
  • it says nothing about vocal qualities, would work for only the action part
  • "tender emotions": almost all opera singers I know are able to expresstender emotions but he was outstanding inalso portraying the complex other emotional aspects of one man who has to kill his son because his wife demands that it's done (to preserve the sacredsness of marriage, of all reasons) and his daughter refuses , and the other who kills the woman he loves, the mother of their little child. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 07:34, 5 February 2026 (UTC)

The wording too niche for a broad audience to understand what are the "finest nuances" of Opera. Unfortunately, I found nothing else interesting in this biography.Flibirigit (talk) 14:34, 5 February 2026 (UTC)

Sorry, I don't see any "finest nuances" of opera involved. Can you perhaps help to clarify in the wording that "large opera houses" means the perhaps five largest in the world, and implies that he appeared there? I tried to stay concise, not mentioning individual ones. You are also welcome to phrase an ALT about the tender emotions, but it's normally the less tender emotions that seem to interest more, no? - Please compareJubilant Sykes. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:15, 5 February 2026 (UTC)

General eligibility:

• New enough: - ?
• Long enough:

Hook eligibility:

• Cited: - ?
• Interesting: - ?

Overall: Article was created on December 16 and nominated for DYK on December 25. Nine days difference can be ignored for good faith. Length and sourcing are adequate. The article is neutral in tone and no plagiarism was detected. The image of Mayer is appropriately licensed under fair use. The QPQ requirement is complete. I will revisit the hooks later. I am busy and reminders and not necessary.Flibirigit (talk) 15:59, 7 February 2026 (UTC)

I have struck ALT0. I doubt that "Wotan" and "Wozzeck" will not be interesting to a broad audience, and that only opera fanatics will recognize them. A variant of ALT0 without those names could work, but the second part of the hook is also problematic. The cited source states "einer raumfüllenden Stimme", which is literally translated as "a room-filling voice". The proposed wording, "a voice filling large opera houses" is misleading and fails verification. As I stated previously, every opera singer has a voice that fills a room. A better hook will focus on something else. The source reads, "ein Hüne von Gestalt" (translation: "a giant of stature"), and "die über die feinsten Zwischentöne verfügte" (translation: "who possessed the finest nuances"). This contrast between a large man with a voice for the finest nuances is more likely to hook an average reader. The only other aspect I find interesting in the article is his education in relation to the "intellectual approach to his later opera characters". Best wishes.Flibirigit (talk) 23:27, 9 February 2026 (UTC)

Thank you for looking closer. I disagree, of course. Wotan and Wozzeck don't have to berecognized but are unusual names inviting to be explored, - I strongly believe that DYK? should normally be answered by "no" and be an invitation to learn something new. Wotan is a key character in a work that spans four nights, which is unusual and should be interesting to know, and Wozzeck is the title role of an opera which just turned 100 (which was mentioned on the main page, pictured), a key work of the 20th century based on a key play of the 19th century, which is unusual and should be interesting to know. Both names are short, so don't take much room for those who don't care, but are extremely unique and recognizable for those who do know, telling that he was able to portrait highly complex characters, - why skip that? I dropped a hint at opera, knowing of the aversion to a complete field of culture that I find fascinating and diverse. I'd have trouble to get his stature connected to his voice which is needed to indicate indirectly that we talk about vocal music. Again: you are free to word a hook that you would like. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 15:26, 11 February 2026 (UTC)

Gerda Arendt,Flibirigit has rejected ALT0 and there are no other hooks in this nomination for reviewers to consider. I'm not marking the nomination for closure at the moment, but unless new hooks are proposed there is nothing here that would allow any reviewer to take action.Dclemens1971 (talk) 22:31, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

Flibirigit has not responded to my last explanation. But let's see.

ALT0a: ... thatThomas Johannes Mayer portrayedWotan andWozzeck?

ALT0b: ... thatThomas Johannes Mayer was described as an idealWotan?

ALT0c: ... thatThomas Johannes Mayer was described as an "idealWotan", "a giant of a man, but capable of tender emotions, with a voice that filled the house, but flexible for the finest nuances"?

ALT0d: ... thatThomas Johannes Mayer's international career began when he portrayedWozzeck atLa Scala in Milan?

ALT2 is too long but take your pick.Viriditas, what do you think? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:55, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

@Gerda Arendt: Consider the unusual (readinteresting) contrast between his background in the humanities and liberal arts that informed his characters, such as Wotan, and his baritone voice that projected the authority of those roles? Maybe something like

• ALT0e: ... that informed by his knowledge of the humanities,Thomas Johannes Mayer brought the idealWotan to life?

  Thank you Viriditas! --Gerda Arendt (talk) 23:39, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

  Will revisit this tomorrow.Flibirigit (talk) 23:56, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

  @Flibirigit: I just found the mother lode of potential hooks on Mayer. Please allow this to stay open for a few days, as the hook candidates I've found are great. I will need to add them to the article, of course.Viriditas (talk) 09:27, 13 February 2026 (UTC)

@Flibirigit: I will begin adding potential new hooks based on newly added content here:

• ALT1 ... that after a tonsillectomy left him unable to sing,Thomas Johannes Mayer retrained his voice to become an operatic baritone?

• Pending DYK nominations
• Pending DYK biographies