Gustav Neidlinger (21 March 1910 – 26 December 1991) was a German bass-baritone, who was most famous as the preeminent leading performer of Wagner's "howling-and-spitting" villains, especially Alberich and Klingsor, throughout the 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s. Born in Mainz, Neidlinger studied at the conservatory in Frankfurt, where he was trained by Otto Rottsieper. He debuted in 1931 at the Stadttheater in Mainz, where he sang until 1934. From 1934 to 1935, he was engaged at the Stadttheater in Plauen, Sachsen, and, from 1935 to 1950, he was a member of the opera in Hamburg. In 1937, he took part in the world premiere of the opera Schwarzer Peter by Norbert Schultze at this opera house. In 1950, he became a member of the Staatsoper Stuttgart, where he grew to be very popular and was, in 1977, named an honorary member of the ensemble. In Stuttgart, he sang in Igor Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress. In 1956, he also became a member of the Staa...