Hanna-Elisabeth Müller
Hanna-Elisabeth Müller (born 3 May 1985 [1] at Mannheim) is a German soprano in opera, concert and recitals.
Biography
Musical education
As a child, Hanna-Elisabeth Müller took violin lessons and later joined a choir. Since the age of 11, she took vocal lessons to sing solo parts. In 1998, she performed the boy soprano in Leonard Bernstein's MASS during the Kultursommer Ludwigshafen.[2] She continued singing as a hobby during her high school education und earned several prizes in the junior musician's competition Jugend musiziert.
Early career
Following her high school degree, she studied vocal arts in the soloist class of former opera singer Rudolf Piernay at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Mannheim. To complete her studies, she attended master classes of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau,[3] Júlia Várady, Edith Wiens, Elly Ameling, Thomas Hampson and Wolfram Rieger.
In the song duo competition 2009 at Enschede, Netherlands, she gained, together with her accompanist Mihaela Tomi, the highest award, the audience award and the award for the best interpretation of a contemporary opus.[4] In 2010 she gained the 1st prize in the competition Ton und Erklärung – Werkvermittlung in Musik und Wort of the Kulturkreis der Deutschen Wirtschaft.[5] This award was given by a jury of nine experts chaired by Francisco Araiza[6] and attests that she is not only able to perform music on the highest level but also to explain it convincingly.[7] In 2011, she obtained awards in the Ada Sari International Vocal Art Competition at Nowy Sącz.[8]
Her first stage debuts in important roles were Euridice in Orfeo ed Euridice (April 2010) at Kammeroper Rheinsberg[9] and Pamina in Die Zauberflöte (November 2011) at Theater & Philharmonie Thüringen, Gera.[10] She also represented this role at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma in March 2012.[11] On 22 December 2013 she was featured by Rolando Villazón in the series Stars de Demain by Arte.[12]
Bavarian State Opera
At the Bavarian State Opera, Munich, Müller was member of the opera studio in the season 2010/11 and member of the company from the season 2012/2013 to 2015/2016.[13] This resulted in a number of successful role debuts, e.g. as Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel (March 2013), Zerlina in Don Giovanni (May 2013), Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro (September 2013), Sophie in Werther[14] (October 2015) und Marzelline in Fidelio[15] (February 2016). Furthermore she presented roles which she already had performed at other opera houses, i.e. Zdenka in Andreas Dresen's new production of Arabella during Munich Opera Festival in July 2015[16] and Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier in July 2016.[17] In 2013 she obtained the "Festspielpreis der Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Münchner Opernfestspiele".[18]
Other opera houses
On 12 April 2014 she debuted as Zdenka in Arabella by Richard Strauss during the Salzburg Easter Festival. She was on stage together with Renée Fleming and Thomas Hampson and convinced the audience as well as the critics.[19][20] This success was crucial for the election as Nachwuchskünstlerin des Jahres (upcoming artist of the year) by the critics of the journal Opernwelt.[21] As Zdenka she also debuted at the Semperoper Dresden in November 2014.[22] On September 5, 2015 she debuted as Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier at De Nederlandse Opera Amsterdam.[23]
Oratorios and recitals
Beside her engagements at opera houses, Hanna-Elisabeth Müller frequently acts as a recital and oratorio singer. Sponsoring by Südwestrundfunk in the SWR2 New Talent Program from 2013 to 2015 [24] gave her the opportunity to reach a broad audience with the audio transmissions of two song recitals. One of them was her debut at Schwetzinger Festspiele, together with the pianist Juliane Ruf, on May 26, 2013.[25]
In October 2014 she sang the soprano solo in Ein deutsches Requiem by Johannes Brahms in a performance transmitted by 3sat together with the WDR Symphony Orchestra and Jukka-Pekka Saraste. In China she was featured by Staatskapelle Dresden during their concert tour in November 2015, singing the soprano part of the Symphony No. 4 by Gustav Mahler.[26] In March 2016 she debuted with Four Last Songs by Richard Strauss in concerts of the Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias at Bilbao (Spain)[27] and with the WDR Symphony Orchestra at Viersen[28] and Duisburg.[29] In the opening concert of Salzburg Festival 2016 she sang the soprano part (Gabriel and Eva) in The Creation by Joseph Haydn.[30]
Repertoire
Müller performed the following roles in well-renowned opera houses:
- Berta (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Bavarian State Opera, Munich
- Donna Clara (Der Zwerg), Bavarian State Opera, Munich
- Eurydice (Orfeo ed Euridice), Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg, Germany
- Gretel (Hänsel und Gretel), Bavarian State Opera, Munich
- Marzelline (Fidelio), Bavarian State Opera, Munich
- Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), Teatro dell'opera di Roma; Bavarian State Opera, Munich; Royal Festival Hall, London (concert staging)[31]
- Prinzessin (L'enfant et les sortilèges), Bavarian State Opera, Munich
- Servilia (La clemenza di Tito), Bavarian State Opera, Munich
- Sophie (Rosenkavalier), De Nederlandse Opera, Amsterdam; Bavarian State Opera, Munich
- Sophie Werther, Bavarian State Opera, Munich
- Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro), Bavarian State Opera, Munich
- Woglinde (Rheingold, Götterdämmerung), Bavarian State Opera, Munich
- Zdenka (Arabella), Großes Festspielhaus, Salzburg; Semperoper, Dresden; Bavarian State Opera, Munich
- Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Bavarian State Opera, Munich
Her concert repertoire includes the soprano parts of numerous oratorios and masses als well as orchestral songs and concert arias from Baroque to Late Romanticism, for example The Creation and the Missa in angustiis (Nelsonmesse) by Joseph Haydn,[32] the Missa Solemnis by Ludwig van Beethoven,[33] the fifth movement "Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit" of A German Requiem by Johannes Brahms, the fourth movement of the 4th Symphony by Gustav Mahler and Four Last Songs by Richard Strauss.
In recitals, which were broadcast by Südwestrundfunk, she performed songs by Benjamin Britten, Francis Poulenc, Robert Schumann, Richard Strauss, William Walton und Hugo Wolf.
Discography
Audio
- Mass No. 3 in f minor by Anton Bruckner, Hanna-Elisabeth Müller, Anke Vondung, Dominik Wortig, Franz-Josef Selig, Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Bamberger Symphoniker, Robin Ticciati. Tudor, April 2014.
DVD
- Richard Strauss: Arabella. Live recording of Salzburg Easter Festival 2014 with Hanna-Elisabeth Müller as Zdenka, Renée Fleming as Arabella, Thomas Hampson as Mandryka, Daniel Behle as Matteo. Stage director: Florentine Klepper. Sächsischer Staatsopernchor and Staatskapelle Dresden under the direction of Christian Thielemann. Unitel Classica, September 2014.
External links
- Website of Hanna-Elisabeth Müller
- Official biography of Hanna-Elisabeth Müller on the website of her agency (KünstlerSekretariat am Gasteig, Munich)
References
- ^ "Portrait on the page of Ada Sari International Vocal Art Competition (in Polish)" (PDF).
- ^ Interview with Hanna-Elisabeth Müller, 15 July 2014, Münchner Merkur
- ^ Video document of participation in the master class of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Mai 2009
- ^ Webseite der Musikhochschule Mannheim: Biografie von Mihaela Tomi
- ^ Preisträgerportrait im Portal des Kulturkreises der deutschen Wirtschaft
- ^ Hanna-Elisabeth Müller erhält Musikpreis des Kulturkreises der deutschen Wirtschaft, Neue Musikzeitung, 20 September 2010]
- ^ Video report of the competition "Ton und Erklärung" 2010 in Kaiserslautern
- ^ University of Music Mannheim, Preise und Auszeichnungen Frühjahrsemster 2011
- ^ Premierenkritik Orpheus und Eurydike in Rheinsberg, Tagesspiegel, 8 April 2010
- ^ Premierenankündigung Zauberflöte in Gera, November 2011
- ^ Audio and photo document of debut of Hanna-Elisabeth Müller at Teatro dell'Opera di Roma
- ^ Video excerpt of Stars de Demain with Rolando Villazon, 22 December 2013
- ^ Biography of Hanna-Elisabeth Müller, Bavarian State Opera]
- ^ Review Werther, Der Neue Merker]
- ^ Review of Fidelio performance on 10 February 10 2016 in Munich (in Spanish)
- ^ Review of Arabella at Bavarian State Opera, Munich, as of Juli 17, 2015, NY Times
- ^ "Short review Munich Opera Festival: "Der Rosenkavalier", Süddeutsche Zeitung, online edition, 15 July 2016".
- ^ Gesellschaft Freunde der Künste: article of 1 August 2013
- ^ Bericht im Salzburger ORF-Portal vom 13. April 2014
- ^ Portrait von Hanna-Elisabeth Müller in den Salzburger Nachrichten vom 17. April 2014
- ^ Kritikerumfrage 2014 der Zeitschrift Opernwelt
- ^ Kritik über die Dresdner Arabella, Nov. 2014 in "Der Neue Merker", Wien
- ^ Announcement of Rosenkavalier for Sep. 2015 by De Nederlandse Opera Amsterdam
- ^ Vorstellung von Hanna-Elisabeth Müller im Portal des SWR
- ^ Rezension in www.lokalmatador.de
- ^ Review of concert by Staatskapelle Dresden at Shanghai, Nov. 9, 2015; CRI online in German language
- ^ Gran éxito del trompista Monte de Fez y la OSPA en el festival Musika-Música (Announcement of concert) (in Spanish)
- ^ Müllers makelloser Schöngesang (Review of the concert by WDR Symphony Orchestra at Duisburg on March 11, 2016), in RP online
- ^ Review of the concert by WDR Symphony Orchestra at Duisburg on March 12, 2016, in RP online
- ^ "Review of opening concert of Salzburg Festival, Drehpunkt Kultur, Salzburg, 24,07.2016".
- ^ Review: The Magic Flute @ Royal Festival Hall, London; musicOMH, May 10, 2016
- ^ Augsburger Allgemeine, Review as of Mach 30, 2015
- ^ Review of a performance of Beethoven's Missa Solemnis with the RIAS-Kammerchor, "Der Tagesspiegel" as of Jan. 3, 2012