Sir Donald was especially celebrated for his “Wagnerian” performances – being a singer with the powerful voice needed to master the demanding music dramas written by German composer Richard Wagner.
He became “one of the leading stars at the annual Bayreuth Festival from the 1960s“, a German festival celebrating Wagner, the Te Ara Encyclopedia of NZ said.
New Zealand opera singer Sir Donald McIntyre, pictured in 1991, was famous for his roles in composer Richard Wagner’s music dramas. Photo / NZ Herald
His performances also led to him being knighted in 1992 and to the Arts Foundation Te Tumi Toi naming him an icon in 2004.
O’Neill said Sir Donald lit a path that other opera singers like him were able to follow, calling him a “mentor, teacher, and dear friend”.
“It is impossible to overstate what Sir Don meant to me,” he said.
“I was privileged to begin at his side as his pianist, playing for his coaching sessions and absorbing every ounce of his wisdom, generosity, and fierce artistry.”
Later Sir Donald helped O’Neill step into singing roles in the “immense Wagnerian worlds of Lohengrin, Parsifal, and Siegmund”.
“To follow in his footsteps on the stages of the Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, and the Bayreuth Festival was an honour I could never have imagined.”
The Arts Foundation said he grew up far from the centre of operatic traditions but his five decades as a singer helped “redefine what New Zealand artists could achieve on the world stage”.
One of his most celebrated performances was as Wotan, king of the gods reimagined in the Industrial Revolution, in Wagner’s Jahrhundertring (Centenary Ring), the foundation said.
It said Sir Donald at first wanted to be an All Black.
But “once he recognised the extraordinary power of his voice, he devoted himself to opera”.
“His Grammy-winning recordings, his commanding presence, and his unwavering commitment to excellence earned him admiration across continents,” it said.
Sir Donald’s guidance changed the trajectory of my life”, O’Neill said.
“Rest in peace, Sir Don. Thank you for everything. Your legacy lives in all of us who were fortunate enough to learn from you, and in every note we continue to sing.”
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