Michael Volle

Michael Volle is one of the most popular singers around. The baritone is a regular at all major opera houses and festivals worldwide – for example, the Metropolitan Opera New York, the Vienna and Munich State Operas, the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the Royal Opera House in London, Opéra National in Paris and the Berlin opera houses. Michael Volle has a particularly close relationship with the Berlin Unter den Linden, where he recently appeared in his showcase title roles in »The Flying Dutchman« and »Falstaff«. A celebrated Wagner interpreter, he is also a regular guest at the Salzburg and Bayreuth Festivals and Festspielhaus Baden-Baden. Michael Volle is one of the leading interpreters of the German literature for his fach, and his showcase roles include the title role in »The Flying Dutchman«, Wotan/Wanderer in »The Ring of the Nibelung«, Hans Sachs (»The Mastersingers of Nuremberg«) and Amfortas (»Parsifal«), the Strauss roles of Barak (»Die Frau ohne Schatten«), Jochanaan (»Salome«), Orest (»Elektra«) and Mandryka (»Arabella«), and Berg’s Dr. Schön/Jack the Ripper (»Lulu«) and the title role in »Wozzeck«. He is also a leading exponent of in the Italian baritone literature. For example, he has sung Scarpia (»Tosca«), including beside Anna Netrebko as Tosca at the Metropolitan Opera, at the Wiener Staatsoper and Deutsche Oper Berlin, starred as Sir John Falstaff in Berlin and as Jack Rance (»La fanciulla del West«). Michael Volle began the 2019/20 season with five roles at the Unter den Linden in Berlin: Wotan (»Das Rheingold« and »Die Walküre«) and the Wanderer (»Siegfried«) in the »Ring« cycle, debuting in the role of Herr Fluth in Otto Nicolai’s »Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor«, and as the High Priest of Dagon in Camille Saent-Saëns ’ »Samson et Dalila«, all conducted by Daniel Barenboim. He also performs as a concert soloist with leading orchestras in all the world’s most prominent halls. He regularly works with conductors such as Daniel Barenboim, Zubin Mehta, Christian Thielemann, Sir Antonio Pappano, Maris Janssons, Franz Welser-Möst, Valery Gergiev, Thomas Hengelbrock, Sir Simon Rattle, and Frieder Bernius. Michael Volle is a dedicated Lieder interpreter, appearing regularly with Helmut Deutsch at the piano, including at the Heidelberger Frühling and Schwarzenberg Schubertiad.  He has made numerous recordings on CD and DVD, live simulcasts in cinemas worldwide, and in the role of Kaspar in the film production »The Hunter’s Bride« (»Der Freischütz«). Michael Volle won the Deutscher Theaterpreis »Faust and »Singer of the Year award of »Opernwelt magazine (2008 and 2014). At the Wiener Staatsoper his appearances include the Music Master (»Ariadne auf Naxos«), the Dutchman, Amfortas, Don Giovanni, Count Almaviva, Orest, Jochanaan and Scarpia.