Gods, Kings & Demons (Opera Arias)

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About Gods, Kings & Demons

Product Description The eagerly awaited DG debut solo disc from René Pape has arrived! The reigning operatic bass of today, Pape has created an international fan base with his moving performances on every major operatic stage. Pape has appeared almost every season with the Metropolitan Opera since his 1995 house debut and continues to receive stellar reviews for every performance. This recital brings together the roles that have made his career as well as a few rarities. Highlights are his moving monologue from Verdi's Don Carlo and King Marke's monologue from Wagner's Tristan und Isolde. Pape is joined by conductor Sebastian Weigle who leads the Staatskapelle Dresden. Review "René Pape is an artist who thrills his audiences with charisma, intelligence and a one-in-a-million voice." -- Opera News (New York) About the Artist Born in Dresden in 1964, René Pape was a member of the city's legendary Kreuzchor from 1974-81. In 1988, while still a student, he made his debut at the Berlin State Opera Unter den Linden and was immediately engaged by the company. Since then on its stage he has sung most of the chief roles of his already illustrious career, the majority of them conducted by music di-rector Daniel Barenboim. Pape is equally at home on the concert platform and has appeared with the world's leading orchestras and renowned conductors in the major concert halls all over the globe. For his recordings, he has already received two Grammy Awards. 1990-1994 First appearances at the Salzburg Easter Festival as Don Fernando (Fidelio ) and in Bach's St. Matthew Passion (1990). Invited by Solti to sing Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte at the Salzburg Festival (1991); repeats the role in La Scala debut under Solti (1991). Debut as King Philip in Verdi's Don Carlo in Basle and with the Met Opera as Don Fernando at the 1992 Seville EXPO. Sings in Haydn's The Seasons with the Orchestre de Paris and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, both under Solti (1992); first guest ap-pearances with the Vienna State Opera as Don Fernando, the Speaker and Sarastro (1992/93 season). Bayreuth debut as Fasolt (Das Rheingold ) in 1994, returning each year in the role to 1997 1995-1997 New York debut as the Night Watchman in Wagner's Meistersinger at the Met (1995); Hunding in Die Walküre at the Vienna State Opera (1996); Rocco in Fidelio at the Salzburg Festival (1996); Covent Garden debuts in Palestrina (Pfitzner) and Lohengrin (1997). Fasolt and King of Egypt (Aida ) at the Met (1997). Met tour to Japan with Verdi's Requiem and as Brander in Berlioz's La Damnation de Faust (1997) 1998 Paris Opéra debut as King Marke (Tristan und Isolde ); Verdi's King Philip at Salz-burg; King Henry (Lohengrin ) and Old Hebrew (Samson et Dalila, Saint-Saëns) at the Met 1999 Highly acclaimed interpretation of King Marke at the Met under Levine; Chicago Lyric Opera debut as Pogner in Die Meistersinger; Mozart's Figaro at the Berlin State Opera 2000 Leporello in Don Giovanni at the Salzburg Festival; Rocco at the Met; King Marke in Tristan at the Berlin State Opera; Escamillo (Carmen ) at the Met 2001 Debut at the San Francisco Opera as Pogner; appears in Japan with the Met (Verdi's Requiem and Old Hebrew) 2002 Role debut as Don Giovanni at the Berlin State Opera; Frère Laurent in Gounod's Roméo et Juliette at the Orange Festival; Rocco at the Bavarian State Opera; Orest in Strauss's Elektra at the Met. Named "Vocalist of the Year" by Musical America 2003 King Henry at Covent Garden; Glyndebourne Festival debut as King Marke; Escamillo at the Verona Arena; debut as Gurnemanz (Parsifal ) at the Met. DVD release: Rocco in the Met Fidelio, conducted by Levine 2004 Leporello at the Met; Gurnemanz with the North German Radio (NDR) Symphony Or-chestra; King Marke at the Lucerne International Festival (TV broadcast); King Philip in Florence. Recording: Mein Herz brennt, a song cycle composed by Torsten Rasch and based on the lyrics of the German industrial rock band Rammstein. On