Christian Gerhaher

Christian Gerhaher (born 24 July 1969, in Straubing) is a German baritone and bass singer in opera and concert, particularly known as a Lieder singer.[1]

Christian Gerhaher
The baritone in 2004, receiving the Echo award
Born (1969-07-24) 24 July 1969
Straubing, Germany
EducationHochschule für Musik und Theater München
Occupations
  • Classical baritone singer
  • Professor
Awards

Career

Christian Gerhaher studied with Paul Kuën and Raimund Grumbach at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München, and Lied with Friedemann Berger, already together with his accompanist for decades to come, Gerold Huber. He took master classes with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (whose voice Gerhaher's remarkably resembles), Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Inge Borkh.[2]

He was a member of the opera in Würzburg from 1998 to 2000, performing in Thomas Hengelbrock's production of Così fan tutte, in Weber's Der Freischütz with the Cappella Coloniensis, and Papageno in Achim Freyer's staging of The Magic Flute. a role that he sang as his debut at the Salzburg Festival in 2006. In 2005 he portrayed the title role of Monteverdi's L'Orfeo at the Opern- und Schauspielhaus Frankfurt[2] where he appeared as Wolfram in Wagner's Tannhäuser in 2007.

In concert he has collaborated with Helmuth Rilling, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Neville Marriner, Philippe Herreweghe, Heinz Holliger and Trevor Pinnock, among others.[2]

Christian Gerhaher has performed and recorded Lieder with pianist Gerold Huber, such as Schubert's Winterreise, Die schöne Müllerin, Schwanengesang and Gesänge des Harfners. His Schubert album Abendbilder with Gerold Huber won a Gramophone Award for Solo vocal in 2006. More songs with piano or chamber ensemble have included Brahms' Vier ernste Gesänge and Martin's Jedermann Monologues, Mahler's Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen and Kindertotenlieder.[2] He participated in the project Terezín / Theresienstadt of Anne Sofie von Otter to record songs written in the concentration camp of Terezín.[3] Supported by her pianist Bengt Forsberg (also accordion, guitar and double bass) and his, Gerold Huber, Bebe Risenfors (accordion, guitar), Ib Hausmann (clarinet), Philip Dukes (viola), Josephine Knight (cello) and Daniel Hope (violin) they perform music written in the concentration camp by the artists Ilse Weber, Karel Švenk, Adolf Strauss, Martin Roman, Hans Krása, Carlo S. Taube, Viktor Ullmann and Pavel Haas.[4]

With Rilling and his Gächinger Kantorei he appeared at the 70th birthday concert in 2003[5] and recorded Bach's Mass in B minor and Christmas Oratorio and Britten's War Requiem, among others.[6]

In 2009, he was awarded the Rheingau Musikpreis of the Rheingau Musik Festival.[7][8][9] He appeared at the festival in 2010 with Gerold Huber to celebrate Gustav Mahler's 150th birthday, singing Sieben Lieder aus letzter Zeit (Seven Songs of Latter Days) and from Das Lied von der Erde the movements Der Einsame im Herbst (The lonely one in Autumn) and Der Abschied (The Farewell). In 2011 they performed the composer's Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, Des Knaben Wunderhorn and Kindertotenlieder.[10]

In 2010, he was awarded the Midem special prize "male vocalist".[11]

He had his debut at Covent Garden London in 2010 in Richard Wagner's opera Tannhäuser and received the Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera for his performance as Wolfram in March 2011.[12]

He is a professor in the Hochschule für Musik und Theater, München.[8]

Selected recordings

Recent Albums
Year Title Label
2017 Brahms: Die Schöne Magelone[18] Sony Classical
2017 Debussy: Pelléas et Melisand[19] Sony Classical
2017 Schubert: Die schöne Müllerin, D.795 Sony Classical
2018 Schumann: Frage[20] Sony Classical
2021 Schumann: Alle Lieder[21] Sony Classical
2022 Othmar Schoeck: Elegie, Op. 36[17] Sony Classical

References
  1. Christian Gerhaher mit Rheingau Musikpreis ausgezeichnet Deutscher Kulturrat, 5 December 2009
  2. Christian Gerhaher on Bach Cantatas website
  3. Terezin/Theresienstadt CD review of Tim Ashley in The Guardian, 14 September 2007
  4. Terezin/Theresienstadt review of Steve Arloff in MusicWeb International
  5. 29. mai 2003 • 70. geburtstag Archived 19 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine Helmuth Rilling
  6. Discography Christian Gerhaher Gasteig Munich
  7. "Christian Gerhaher awarded Rheingau Musikpreis 2009". European Festivals Association. 6 October 2009. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 5 August 2010.
  8. Christian Gerhaher mit Rheingau Musikpreis 2009 ausgezeichnet Archived 19 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine Hochschule für Musik und Theater München (in German)
  9. Christian Gerhaher Rheingau Musik Festival 2009
  10. Ein "Star für Kenner" / RMF I Der Bariton Christian Gerhaher im Gespräch und bei einem Liederabend Archived 30 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine Axel Zibulski, Wiesbadener Kurier 23 July 2011 (in German)
  11. Biographie / Christian Gerhaher – Bariton SONY (in German)
  12. Gerhaher wins outstanding achievement in opera Archived 11 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine olivierawards.com 2011
  13. Schumann: Dichterliebe review by Dan Davis in "Classics Today", 2005
  14. Melancholie – Lieder von Robert Schumann review of Jens F. Laurson, June 2008
  15. Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde review of Hugo Shirley, 2 July 2009
  16. Gustav Mahler Lieder review of Bernhard Neuhoff, Bayerischer Rundfunk, 4 November 2009 (in German)
  17. "Christian Gerhaher – Othmar Schoeck: Elegie, Op. 36 | CD". www.sonyclassical.de. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  18. "Brahms: Die Schöne Magelone CD review – shows how it should be done". TheGuardian.com. 18 May 2017.
  19. "Pelléas et Mélisande review – Rattle's moving statement of intent". TheGuardian.com. 10 January 2016.
  20. "Schumann: Frage CD review – Gerhaher launches epic project with verve". TheGuardian.com. 29 November 2018.
  21. "Christian Gerhaher – Schumann: Alle Lieder | CD". www.sonyclassical.de (in German). Retrieved 18 June 2023.
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