Marlis Petersen
Encyclopedia
Marlis Petersen is a German coloratura soprano
, particularly known for her performances in the title role of Alban Berg's opera Lulu
, and as Konstanze in The Abduction from the Seraglio and Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos
.
Born in Sindelfingen
, Marlis Petersen won six important piano competitions before eventually going to the Stuttgart Conservatory where she studied music education, flute and dance as well as voice. She made her operatic debut at the Staatstheater in Nuremberg
as Ännchen in Der Freischütz
which led to a contract with the Deutsche Oper am Rhein
, where she primarily sang in operas by Mozart and Strauss
. On 6 September 2007, she sang the role of Aphrodite in the world premiere of Hans Werner Henze
's Phaedra
at the Berlin State Opera
. Another world premiere came in May 2008, when she sang the role of Marta in Manfred Trojahn
's La Grande Magia at the Dresden Semperoper
. She has also appeared on the stages of Vienna
, Salzburg
, Munich
, London
and Paris, Geneva, and Monte Carlo. In addition to her operatic roles, she is known for her performances in works by Johann Sebastian Bach
with conductors Ton Koopman
and Helmuth Rilling
and for her Lieder recitals with pianist Jendrik Springer. She sang the title rôle in the premiere of the opera Medea by Aribert Reimann
at the Vienna State Opera in 2010.
She made an exceptionally strong impression in her unexpected assumption of the role of Ophélie in Ambroise Thomas
's Hamlet
at the New York Metropolitan Opera
in March of 2010. She spent less than four days preparing for the rôle, for which a reviewer remarked, "that, to judge from her beautiful and emotionally vulnerable singing, she clearly relishes."
Coloratura soprano
A coloratura soprano is a type of operatic soprano who specializes in music that is distinguished by agile runs and leaps. The term coloratura refers to the elaborate ornamentation of a melody, which is a typical component of the music written for this voice...
, particularly known for her performances in the title role of Alban Berg's opera Lulu
Lulu (opera)
Lulu is an opera by the composer Alban Berg. The libretto was adapted by Berg himself from Frank Wedekind's plays Erdgeist and Die Büchse der Pandora .-Composition history:...
, and as Konstanze in The Abduction from the Seraglio and Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos
Ariadne auf Naxos
Ariadne auf Naxos is an opera by Richard Strauss with a German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. Bringing together slapstick comedy and consuming beautiful music, the opera's theme is the competition between high and low art for the public's attention.- First version :The opera was originally...
.
Born in Sindelfingen
Sindelfingen
Sindelfingen is a German town near Stuttgart at the headwaters of the Schwippe that is the site of a Mercedes-Benz assembly plant.-History:* 1155 First documented mention of Sindelfingen...
, Marlis Petersen won six important piano competitions before eventually going to the Stuttgart Conservatory where she studied music education, flute and dance as well as voice. She made her operatic debut at the Staatstheater in Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
as Ännchen in Der Freischütz
Der Freischütz
Der Freischütz is an opera in three acts by Carl Maria von Weber with a libretto by Friedrich Kind. It premiered on 18 June 1821 at the Schauspielhaus Berlin...
which led to a contract with the Deutsche Oper am Rhein
Deutsche Oper am Rhein
The Deutsche Oper am Rhein is an opera company based in Düsseldorf and Duisburg. The opera also has an associated classical ballet company....
, where she primarily sang in operas by Mozart and Strauss
Richard Strauss
Richard Georg Strauss was a leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. He is known for his operas, which include Der Rosenkavalier and Salome; his Lieder, especially his Four Last Songs; and his tone poems and orchestral works, such as Death and Transfiguration, Till...
. On 6 September 2007, she sang the role of Aphrodite in the world premiere of Hans Werner Henze
Hans Werner Henze
Hans Werner Henze is a German composer of prodigious output best known for "his consistent cultivation of music for the theatre throughout his life"...
's Phaedra
Phaedra (opera)
Phaedra is a 'concert opera' in two-acts by Hans Werner Henze. Its first performance was given at the Berlin State Opera on 6 September 2007...
at the Berlin State Opera
Berlin State Opera
The Staatsoper Unter den Linden is a German opera company. Its permanent home is the opera house on the Unter den Linden boulevard in the Mitte district of Berlin, which also hosts the Staatskapelle Berlin orchestra.-Early years:...
. Another world premiere came in May 2008, when she sang the role of Marta in Manfred Trojahn
Manfred Trojahn
-Professional career:Manfred Trojahn was born in Cremlingen in Lower Saxony and began his musical studies in 1966 in orchestra music at the music school of the city of Braunschweig. After graduating in 1970 he concluded his studies as a flutist at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg with...
's La Grande Magia at the Dresden Semperoper
Semperoper
The Semperoper is the opera house of the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden and the concert hall of the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden . It is located near the Elbe River in the historic center of Dresden, Germany.The opera house was originally built by the architect Gottfried Semper in 1841...
. She has also appeared on the stages of Vienna
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...
, Salzburg
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...
, Munich
Bavarian State Opera
The Bavarian State Opera is an opera company based in Munich, Germany.Its orchestra is the Bavarian State Orchestra.- History:The opera company which was founded under Princess Henriette Adelaide of Savoy has been in existence since 1653...
, London
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
and Paris, Geneva, and Monte Carlo. In addition to her operatic roles, she is known for her performances in works by Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
with conductors Ton Koopman
Ton Koopman
Ton Koopman is a conductor, organist and harpsichordist.Koopman had a "classical education" and then studied the organ , harpsichord and musicology in Amsterdam...
and Helmuth Rilling
Helmuth Rilling
Helmuth Rilling is an internationally known German choral conductor, founder of the Gächinger Kantorei , the Bach-Collegium Stuttgart , the Oregon Bach Festival , the Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart and other Bach Academies worldwide, and the "Festival Ensemble Stuttgart"...
and for her Lieder recitals with pianist Jendrik Springer. She sang the title rôle in the premiere of the opera Medea by Aribert Reimann
Aribert Reimann
Aribert Reimann is a German opera composer, pianist and accompanist, known especially for his literary operas. His version of King Lear was written at the suggestion of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau who sang the title role....
at the Vienna State Opera in 2010.
She made an exceptionally strong impression in her unexpected assumption of the role of Ophélie in Ambroise Thomas
Ambroise Thomas
Charles Louis Ambroise Thomas was a French composer, best known for his operas Mignon and Hamlet and as Director of the Conservatoire de Paris from 1871 till his death.-Biography:"There is good music, there is bad music, and then there is Ambroise Thomas."- Emmanuel Chabrier-Early life...
's Hamlet
Hamlet (opera)
Hamlet is an opéra in five acts by the French composer Ambroise Thomas, with a libretto by Michel Carré and Jules Barbier based on a French adaptation by Alexandre Dumas, père and Paul Meurice of Shakespeare's play Hamlet.- Ophelia mania in Paris:...
at the New York Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
in March of 2010. She spent less than four days preparing for the rôle, for which a reviewer remarked, "that, to judge from her beautiful and emotionally vulnerable singing, she clearly relishes."
Recordings
- George Frideric HandelGeorge Frideric HandelGeorge Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...
: Der Messias (MessiahMessiah (Handel)Messiah is an English-language oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel, with a scriptural text compiled by Charles Jennens from the King James Bible and the Book of Common Prayer. It was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742, and received its London premiere nearly a year later...
) (Marlis Petersen (Soprano), Margot Oitzinger (Alto), Markus Schäfer (Tenor), Marek Rzepka (Bass); Hanoverian Court Orchestra (on period instrumentsHistorically informed performanceHistorically informed performance is an approach in the performance of music and theater. Within this approach, the performance adheres to state-of-the-art knowledge of the aesthetic criteria of the period in which the music or theatre work was conceived...
), Maulbronn Chamber ChoirMaulbronn Chamber ChoirThe Maulbronn Chamber Choir was founded in 1983 and is directed by Jürgen Budday.First place at the Baden-Württemberg Choir Competition in 1989 and 1997, second place at the 3rd German Choir Competition in Stuttgart in 1990, first prize at the 5th German Choir Competition in Regensburg in 1998 and...
; Jürgen BuddayJürgen BuddayJürgen Budday is a German conductor, director of church music and music teacher. He is artistic director of the concert series at the UNESCO World Heritage Site Maulbronn Abbey, of the choir 'Maulbronner Kantorei' and of the Maulbronn Chamber Choir.- Biography :Jürgen Budday studied music...
, conductor. (2006 concert recording, sung in German). Label: Maulbronn Monastery Edition. - Mozart: Il rè pastoreIl re pastoreIl re pastore is an opera, K. 208, written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Metastasio, edited by Gianbattista Varesco. It is an opera seria...
(Annette DaschAnnette DaschAnnette Dasch is a German soprano. She performs in operas and concerts.- Biography :Annette Dasch studied voice at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München with Josef Loibl....
, Kresimir Spicer, Marlis Petersen, Arpiné Rahdjian, Andreas KarasiakAndreas Karasiak- Biography :Andreas Karasiak studied voice at the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz with Claudia Eder. He studied Baroque music at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis with René Jacobs in Basel....
; Balthasar-Neumann Ensemble; Thomas HengelbrockThomas HengelbrockThomas Hengelbrock is a German violinist, musicologist, stage director and conductor.- Biography :Thomas Hengelbrock studied the violin with Rainer Kussmaul and started his career in Würzburg and Freiburg im Breisgau...
, conductor). Label: Deutsche GrammophonDeutsche GrammophonDeutsche Grammophon is a German classical record label which was the foundation of the future corporation to be known as PolyGram. It is now part of Universal Music Group since its acquisition and absorption of PolyGram in 1999, and it is also UMG's oldest active label...
(DVD). - Haydn: The SeasonsThe Seasons (Haydn)The Seasons is an oratorio by Joseph Haydn .-Composition, premiere, and reception:Haydn was led to write The Seasons by the great success of his previous oratorio The Creation , which had become very popular and was in the course of being performed all over Europe...
(Marlis Petersen, Werner GüraWerner GüraWerner Güra is a German classical tenor in opera, concert and Lied, also an academic teacher in Zurich.- Professional career :...
, Dietrich Henschel; RIAS KammerchorRIAS KammerchorThe RIAS Kammerchor is a professional chamber choir of the RIAS in Berlin, founded originally for contemporary music, with an international reputation.-History:...
, Freiburg Baroque Orchestra; René Jacobs, conductor). Label: Harmonia MundiHarmonia MundiHarmonia Mundi is an independent music record label founded in 1958 by Bernard Coutaz in Arles . The Latin phrase means "world harmony"....
. - Bach: Cantatas Vol 19 (Marlis Petersen, Klaus MertensKlaus MertensKlaus Mertens is a German bass and bass-baritone singer who is known especially for his interpretation of the complete works of Johann Sebastian Bach.-Professional career:Klaus Mertens took singing lessons while attending school...
, Sandrine PiauSandrine PiauSandrine Piau is an opera soprano. Trained as a harpist, she studied voice at the Collège Lamartine and the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique du Paris....
, Bogna BartoszBogna BartoszBogna Bartosz is a Polish classical mezzo-soprano and alto.- Biography :Bogna Bartosz studied voice at the Academy of Music in Gdansk and graduated with distinction...
, Johannette ZomerJohannette Zomer- Biography :Johannette Zomer studied voice at the Sweelinck Conservatory Amsterdam in Amsterdam with Charles van Tassel and received her Performance Diploma in 1997....
, Christoph PrégardienChristoph PrégardienChristoph Prégardien is a German lyric tenor whose career is closely associated with the roles in Mozart operas, as well as performances of Lieder, oratorio roles, and Baroque music...
, James GilchristJames Gilchrist (tenor)James Gilchrist is a British tenor specialising in recital and oratoria singing. He began his working life as a doctor, turning to a full-time music career in 1996...
, Sibylla RubensSibylla Rubens- Biography :Sibylla Rubens studied voice at the Staatliche Musikhochschule in Trossingen and at the Hochschule für Musik in Frankfurt and in master classes with Edith Mathis....
, Paul AgnewPaul AgnewPaul Agnew is a Scottish operatic tenor.Agnew read music as a Choral Scholar at Magdalen College, Oxford. He became associated with the Consort of Musicke, the Tallis Scholars, the Sixteen and the Gothic Voices, before embarking on a solo career in the early 1990s.Closely associated with William...
, Caroline StamCaroline StamCaroline Stam is a Dutch classical soprano who has an international performing career specializing in baroque repertoire, reinforced by a distinguished presence in modern recordings .- Biography :...
, Michael ChanceMichael ChanceMichael Chance CBE is an English countertenor.Chance was born in Penn, Buckinghamshire, into a musical family. After growing up as a chorister he attended Eton College, Berkshire, and later King's College, Cambridge...
; Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & ChoirAmsterdam Baroque Orchestra & ChoirThe Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir is a Dutch early-music group based in Amsterdam.The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir was created in two stages by the conductor, organist and harpsichordist Ton Koopman. He founded the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra in 1979 and the Amsterdam Baroque Choir in...
; Ton KoopmanTon KoopmanTon Koopman is a conductor, organist and harpsichordist.Koopman had a "classical education" and then studied the organ , harpsichord and musicology in Amsterdam...
, conductor). Label: Challenge. - Bach: Mass in B minor (Stella Doufexis, Marlis Petersen, Anke Vondung, Franz-Joseph Selig, Lothar Odinius, Christian GerhaherChristian GerhaherChristian Gerhaher is a German baritone and bass singer in opera, concert and notably Lied.- Biography :Christian Gerhaher studied with Paul Kuen and Raimund Grumbach at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München, and Lied with Friedemann Berger, already together with his accompanist for decades...
; Bach-Collegium StuttgartBach-Collegium StuttgartBach-Collegium Stuttgart is an internationally known German instrumental ensemble, founded by Helmuth Rilling in 1965 to accompany the Gächinger Kantorei in choral music with orchestra...
, Gächinger KantoreiGächinger KantoreiGächinger Kantorei is an internationally known German mixed choir, founded by Helmuth Rilling in 1954 in Gächingen and still conducted by him. A "Kantorei" is a choir of high standard dedicated mostly, but not exclusively, to sacred music. The ensemble operates in Stuttgart now and is therefore...
; Helmuth RillingHelmuth RillingHelmuth Rilling is an internationally known German choral conductor, founder of the Gächinger Kantorei , the Bach-Collegium Stuttgart , the Oregon Bach Festival , the Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart and other Bach Academies worldwide, and the "Festival Ensemble Stuttgart"...
, conductor). Label: Hänssler Classic. - Haydn: Orlando paladinoOrlando paladinoOrlando paladino , Hob. 28/11, is an opera in three acts by Joseph Haydn which was first performed at Eszterháza on 6 December 1782. The libretto by Nunziano Porta is based on another libretto, Le pazzie d'Orlando, by Carlo Francesco Badini , itself inspired by Ariosto's epic poem Orlando furioso...
(Marlis Petersen, Tom Randle, Pietro Spagnoli, Magnus Staveland, Sunhae Im, Alexandrina PendatchanskaAlexandrina PendatchanskaAlexandrina Pendatchanska is a Bulgarian soprano.-Career:Pendatchanska was born in Sofia, Bulgaria into a family of renowned Bulgarian musicians. Her grandfather Sasha Popov was a violinist and conductor and the founder of the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra...
, Victor Torres, Arttu Kataja; Freiburg Baroque Orchestra; René Jacobs, conductor. Recorded live at Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Berlin, 8 May 2009.) Label: EuroArts (DVD).
External links
- Official web site (in German)
- Biography, Boston Symphony Orchestra, March 20, 2008.