Gabriele Fontana
Encyclopedia
Gabriele Fontana is an Austrian operatic soprano
.
debut in 1980 as Pamina in Die Zauberflöte
with Oper Frankfurt. She joined the Hamburg State Opera
in 1982 where she sang Pamina, Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail
, Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier
and the role of Sophie Scholl
in the world premiere of Udo Zimmermann
's Weisse Rose
; the latter of which she reprised and recorded two years later at the Vienna State Opera
. Since then Fontana has been a regular presence at the world's best opera houses making appearances in Hannover, Amsterdam, Berlin, Cologne, Munich, Düsseldorf, Stuttgart, Barcelona, Trieste, Geneva, Tokyo, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, and New York. She has also been a regular performer at the Salzburg Festival
and has made appearances at the Glyndebourne Festival, Vienna Festival
, the Bregenzer Festspiele
, the London Proms
, Carinthischer Sommer Ossiach, Festival di Carpi, Prague Spring Festival, and at festivals in Berlin, Dresden, Israel, the USA and Japan. Fontana is married to baritone
Peter Weber.
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
.
Biography
Fontana made her professional operaOpera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
debut in 1980 as Pamina in Die Zauberflöte
The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute is an opera in two acts composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a Singspiel, a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue....
with Oper Frankfurt. She joined the Hamburg State Opera
Hamburg State Opera
The Hamburg State Opera is one of the leading opera companies in Germany.Opera in Hamburg dates back to 2 January 1678 when the "Opern-Theatrum" was inaugurated with a performance of a biblical Singspiel by Johann Theile...
in 1982 where she sang Pamina, Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail
Die Entführung aus dem Serail
Die Entführung aus dem Serail is an opera Singspiel in three acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The German libretto is by Christoph Friedrich Bretzner with adaptations by Gottlieb Stephanie...
, Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier
Der Rosenkavalier
Der Rosenkavalier is a comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss to an original German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It is loosely adapted from the novel Les amours du chevalier de Faublas by Louvet de Couvrai and Molière’s comedy Monsieur de Pourceaugnac...
and the role of Sophie Scholl
Sophie Scholl
Sophia Magdalena Scholl was a German student, active within the White Rose non-violent resistance group in Nazi Germany. She was convicted of high treason after having been found distributing anti-war leaflets at the University of Munich with her brother Hans...
in the world premiere of Udo Zimmermann
Udo Zimmermann
Udo Zimmermann was born in Dresden on October 6, 1943. He is a German composer, music director, and conductor.- Biography :Zimmermann was a member of the Dresdner Kreuzchor from 1954 to 1962. He then continued his music education at the Dresden Music School. He studied composition with Johannes...
's Weisse Rose
Weiße Rose (opera)
Weiße Rose The title of the opera is often shown as Die Weiße Rose; however, the publisher, Breitkopf & Härtel, shows both versions as .is a chamber opera in one act by composer Udo Zimmermann...
; the latter of which she reprised and recorded two years later at the Vienna State Opera
Vienna State Opera
The Vienna State Opera is an opera house – and opera company – with a history dating back to the mid-19th century. It is located in the centre of Vienna, Austria. It was originally called the Vienna Court Opera . In 1920, with the replacement of the Habsburg Monarchy by the First Austrian...
. Since then Fontana has been a regular presence at the world's best opera houses making appearances in Hannover, Amsterdam, Berlin, Cologne, Munich, Düsseldorf, Stuttgart, Barcelona, Trieste, Geneva, Tokyo, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, and New York. She has also been a regular performer at the Salzburg Festival
Salzburg Festival
The Salzburg Festival is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer within the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart...
and has made appearances at the Glyndebourne Festival, Vienna Festival
Vienna Festival
The Wiener Festwochen is a cultural festival in Vienna that takes place every year for five or six weeks in May and June.The Wiener Festwochen was established in 1951, when Vienna was still occupied by the four Allies...
, the Bregenzer Festspiele
Bregenzer Festspiele
Bregenzer Festspiele is a performing arts festival which is held every July and August in Bregenz, Austria.Founded in 1946, the festival presents a wide variety of musical and theatrical events in several venues:...
, the London Proms
The Proms
The Proms, more formally known as The BBC Proms, or The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in London...
, Carinthischer Sommer Ossiach, Festival di Carpi, Prague Spring Festival, and at festivals in Berlin, Dresden, Israel, the USA and Japan. Fontana is married to baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
Peter Weber.