Christian Gerhaher (born 24 July 1969, in

Straubing Straubing (; Central Bavarian: ''Strauwing'') is an independent city in Lower Bavaria, southern Germany. It is seat of the Districts of Germany, district of Straubing-Bogen. Annually in August the Gäubodenvolksfest, the second largest fair in Ba ...

) is a German

baritone A baritone is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the bass (voice type), bass and the tenor voice type, voice-types. It is the most common male voice. The term originates from the ...

and

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

singer in opera and concert, particularly known as a Lieder singer.

Career

Christian Gerhaher studied with Paul Kuën and Raimund Grumbach at the

Hochschule für Musik und Theater München The University of Music and Theatre Munich (), also known as the Munich Conservatory, is a performing arts music school, conservatory in Munich, Germany. The main building it currently occupies is the former ''Führerbau'' of the NSDAP, locate ...

, 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.Christian Gerhaher
on Bach Cantatas website He was a member of the opera in

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is, after Nuremberg and Fürth, the Franconia#Towns and cities, third-largest city in Franconia located in the north of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. It sp ...

from 1998 to 2000, performing in Thomas Hengelbrock's production of ''

Così fan tutte (''Women are like that, or The School for Lovers''), Köchel catalogue, K. 588, is an opera buffa in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was first performed on 26 January 1790 at the Burgtheater in Vienna, Austria. The libretto was written ...

'', 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 The Salzburg Festival () is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer, for five weeks starting in late July, in Salzburg, Austria, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart's operas are a focus of ...

in 2006. In 2005 he portrayed the title role of Monteverdi's ''

L'Orfeo ''L'Orfeo'' (Stattkus-Verzeichnis, SV 318) (), or ''La favola d'Orfeo'' , is a late Renaissance music, Renaissance/early Baroque music, Baroque ''favola in musica'', or List of operas by Claudio Monteverdi, opera, by Claudio Monteverdi, with a li ...

'' at the Opern- und Schauspielhaus Frankfurt 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. Gerhaher has performed and recorded Lieder with pianist Gerold Huber, such as Schubert's ''

Winterreise ''Winterreise'' (, ''Winter Journey'') is a song cycle for voice and piano by Franz Schubert (Schubert Thematic Catalogue, D. 911, published as Opus number, Op. 89 in 1828), a setting of 24 Poetry, poems by German poet Wilhelm Müller. It is the ...

'', '' 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 (''Songs on the Death of Children'') is a song cycle (1904) for voice and orchestra by Gustav Mahler. The words of the songs are poems by Friedrich Rückert. Poems and setting The original were a group of 428 poems written by Rückert in 1833 ...

''. He participated in the project '' Terezín / Theresienstadt'' of Anne Sofie von Otter to record songs written in the concentration camp of Terezín. 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.Terezin/Theresienstadt
review of Steve Arloff in MusicWeb International With Rilling and his Gächinger Kantorei he appeared at the 70th birthday concert in 2003 and recorded Bach's '' Mass in B minor'' and '' Christmas Oratorio'' and Britten's '' War Requiem'', among others. In 2009, he was awarded the Rheingau Musik Preis of the Rheingau Musik Festival.Christian Gerhaher mit Rheingau Musikpreis 2009 ausgezeichnet
Hochschule für Musik und Theater München (in German) He appeared at the festival in 2010 with Gerold Huber to celebrate

Gustav Mahler Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic music, Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and ...

'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 ''

''.Ein "Star für Kenner" / RMF I Der Bariton Christian Gerhaher im Gespräch und bei einem Liederabend
Axel Zibulski, Wiesbadener Kurier 23 July 2011 In 2010, he was awarded the Midem special prize "male vocalist".Biographie / Christian Gerhaher – Bariton
SONY He had his debut at Covent Garden London in 2010 in

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

's opera '' Tannhäuser'' and received the Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera for his performance as Wolfram in March 2011. He is a professor in the Hochschule für Musik und Theater, München.

Selected recordings

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; ; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. Despite his short life, Schubert left behind a List of compositions ...

: ''

'', piano: Gerold Huber, RCA Sony BMG, January 2001 *

Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period (music), Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, oft ...

: ''Vier ernste Gesänge'',

: ''Gesänge des Harfners'' and various Lieder, Frank Martin: ''Sechs Monologe aus Jedermann'', piano: Gerold Huber, Arte Nova, August 2002 *

: ''

'', piano: Gerold Huber, '' Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen'', Hyperion Ensemble, Arte Nova, February 2003 *

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( ; ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

: '' Die Schöpfung'', Concentus Musicus Wien, Arnold Schoenberg Chor, Dorothea Röschmann, Michael Schade, conductor Nikolaus Harnoncourt, harmonia mundi, February 2004 *

Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; ; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic music, Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber ...

: '' Dichterliebe und gemischte Lieder'', piano: Gerold Huber, RCA, October 2004 * Carl Orff: '' Carmina Burana'', Berliner Philharmoniker, conductor Simon Rattle, EMI, 2005 *

Felix Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions inc ...

: ''Elias'', Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, conductor Herbert Blomstedt, RCA, Juli 2005 * Schubert: ''Abendbilder'' (various Lieder), piano: Gerold Huber, RCA, January 2006 * Mendelssohn: '' Die Heimkehr aus der Fremde'', part of Kauz, Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, conductor Helmuth Rilling, hänssler classic, 2006 * Haydn: '' Orlando paladino'', part of Rodomonte, Concentus musicus, conductor Nikolaus Harnoncourt, harmonia mundi, May 2006 *

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

: '' Die Zauberflöte'', part of Papageno, Wiener Philharmoniker, conductor Riccardo Muti, Decca, 2006 *

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...

: '' Mass in B minor'', Gächinger Kantorei, Bach-Collegium Stuttgart, conductor Helmuth Rilling, hänssler classic, 2007 * Bach: '' Christmas Oratorio'', Concentus Musicus Wien, Arnold Schoenberg Chor, conductor Nikolaus Harnoncourt, harmonia mundi, November 2007 * '' Terezín / Theresienstadt'', Lieder by Victor Ullmann and others, Anne Sofie von Otter, Deutsche Grammophon, 2007 * Schumann: ''Melancholie – Liederkreis op. 39 und gemischte Lieder'', piano: Gerold Huber, RCA, March 2008 * Schumann: '' Das Paradies und die Peri'', Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, conductor Nikolaus Harnoncourt, RCA, March 2008 * Benjamin Britten: '' War Requiem'',

Annette Dasch Annette Dasch (born 24 March 1976) is a German soprano. She has performed in opera and concerts internationally, often portraying List of operas by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Mozart characters such as Elvira in ''Don Giovanni'' at La Scala, Aminta ...

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. Taylor achieved his breakthrough in 1970 with the single "Fi ...

, conductor Helmuth Rilling, hänssler classic, September 2008 * Mahler: '' Das Lied von der Erde'',

Montreal Symphony Orchestra The Montreal Symphony Orchestra () is a Canadian symphony orchestra based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The orchestra’s home is the Montreal Symphony House at Place des Arts. History Several orchestras were precursor ensembles to the curren ...

, Klaus Florian Vogt, conductor Kent Nagano, Sony Music, April 2009 * Karl Amadeus Hartmann, ''Des Simplicius Simplicissimus Jugend'', Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, conductor: Ulf Schirmer, September 2009 * Haydn: '' Die Jahreszeiten'', Concentus Musicus Wien, Arnold Schoenberg Chor, conductor Nikolaus Harnoncourt, harmonia mundi, March 2009 * Schumann: '' Szenen aus Goethes Faust'', Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, conductor Nikolaus Harnoncourt, RCO live, July 2009 * Othmar Schoeck: '' Notturno'', Rosamunde Quartett, ECM, September 2009 * Mahler: Lieder, piano: Gerold Huber, Sony Music, October 2009Gustav Mahler Lieder
review of Bernhard Neuhoff,

Bayerischer Rundfunk (; "Bavarian Broadcasting"), shortened to BR (), is a public broadcasting, public-service radio and television broadcaster, based in Munich, capital city of the Bavaria, Free State of Bavaria in Germany. BR is a member organization of the ARD (b ...

, 4 November 2009 (in German) * Othmar Schoeck: Elegie, Op. 36, Sony Music, April 2022 * Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde, Sony Classical, May 2023

Recent albums

References

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

, 14 January 2010
Christian Gerhaher »Ein bisschen Qual gehört dazu«
(pictured), interview of Christian Gerhaher in '' Frankfurter Neue Presse of 28 January 2010 (in German)
Mahler: Lieder – Christian Gerhaher (baritone), Gerold Huber (piano)
review in ''The Sunday Times'', 31 January 2010 {{DEFAULTSORT:Gerhaher, Christian 1969 births Living people University of Music and Theatre Munich alumni Academic staff of the University of Music and Theatre Munich Members of the Academy of Arts, Berlin German operatic baritones 20th-century German male opera singers 21st-century German male opera singers

Career

Selected recordings

Recent albums

References

External links