René Pape
"René Pape’s bass showed considerable velvet sheen and elegant dynamic play; purely as singing and star presence, he impressed." Born in Dresden, Black Diamond Bass Rene Pape has been a member of the Berlin State Opera since 1988, but considers New York’s Metropolitan Opera his operatic “home away from home.” Since his house debut in 1995, he has appeared every season at the Met, in 18 roles and more than 160 performances, including four major debuts: Méphistophélès in Faust, Gurnemanz in Parsifal, Escamillo in Carmen, and the Old Hebrew in Samson et Dalila. But it was at the famous Unter den Linden – home of the Berlin State Opera – where Pape honed most of the great roles of his career. Music Director Daniel Barenboim was an early supporter, and the Berlin State Opera has played host to Pape’s performances as King Marke in Tristan und Isolde; King Heinrich in Lohengrin; Sarastro in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte; Pogner in DieMeistersinger; Rocco in Beethoven’s Fidelio; Fasolt in Das Rheingold; Hunding in Die Walküre; and the title role in Don Giovanni. The opera house was also the venue for Pape’s appearances as Ramfis in Verdi’s Aida; Figaro in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro; Leporello in Don Giovanni; and Orest in Strauss’s Elektra. Pape’s first CD of solo arias, Gods, Kings & Demons, was released in 2008 on Deutsche Grammophon with his hometown orchestra, the Staatskapelle Dresden conducted by Sebastian Weigle. The disc won a coveted “ECHO” award, the German equivalent of a Grammy. Pape performs regularly in major opera houses, concert halls, and symphony orchestras around the world, as well as opera festivals such as Bayreuth, Glyndebourne, Lucerne, Orange, Saint-Petersburg, Salzburg, Verbier and White Nights. He currently resides in Austria and Berlin.
The Magic Flute
as SarastroDuring World War I, in an unnamed country, a soldier named Tamino is sent by the Queen of the...
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The Magic Flute
as SarastroTamino, a handsome prince, and Papageno, a bird-catcher, are sent by the Queen of Night to...
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Verdi: Macbeth
as BancoStar soprano Anna Netrebko created a sensation in her first Met performances as the malevolent...
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Wagner: Tristan und Isolde
as König MarkeMotivated by the love that bound him to Mathilda Wesendonck, Richard Wagner’s composition of...
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Macbeth
as BanquoStar soprano Anna Netrebko created a sensation with her riveting performance as the malevolent...
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Gounod: Faust
as MephistophélèsTenor Jonas Kaufmann is riveting as the title character of Gounod’s popular opera, seen in this...
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The Magic Flute
as SarastroThe Queen of the Night enlists a handsome prince named Tamino to rescue her beautiful kidnapped...
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Verdi: Simon Boccanegra (Salzburg Festival)
as Jacopo FiescoPower struggles among rival families in 14th-century Genoa, a story of tragic love, a young girl...
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Parsifal
as GurnemanzThe Met assembled an ideal cast for François Girard’s acclaimed new production of Wagner’s final...
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Strauss R: Elektra
as OrestThe Nikolaus Lehnhoff production of Richard Strauss's "Elektra", recorded live at the Salzburger...
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Metropolitan Opera At Home Gala
as uncreditedIn its most ambitious effort yet to bring the joy and artistry of opera to audiences everywhere...
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Ludwig van Beethoven: Fidelio
as RoccoTwo years prior to the opening scene, the nobleman Florestan has exposed or attempted to expose...
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Tristan und Isolde
as King MarkeInspired by Wagner’s own tortured affair with the wife of his patron, this searing masterwork is...
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The Metropolitan Opera: Boris Godunov
as Boris GodunovStephen Wadsworth’s production of Mussorgsky’s epic masterpiece brilliantly captures the...
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Mozart Requiem
as HimselfYou will find this Requiem the finest on video. It certainly outshines Bohm's dated approach,...
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Hunter's Bride
as EremitInspired by Carl Maria von Weber's Der Freischütz, the film opera Hunter's Bride traces the...
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Verdi: Requiem
as uncreditedThis is an exhilarating experience both visually and aurally. How wonderful that Barenboim is...
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Mefistofele
as MefistofeleThe director, Roland Schwab, has created his version of Hell. The set is like a high iron walled...
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The Metropolitan Opera: Tristan und Isolde
as King MarkeMet audiences were fascinated by Mariusz Treliński’s gripping, visionary production of Wagner’s...
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Die Meistersinger Von Nürnberg
as uncreditedJames Morris leads an all-star cast including Karita Mattila, Ben Heppner, Thomas Allen and René...
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The Metropolitan Opera: The Magic Flute
as SarastroJulie Taymor’s kaleidoscopic production returns to select cinemas this holiday season in an...
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Parsifal
as GurnemanzWagner’s mystic masterpiece Parsifal at the Staatsoper Berlin, staged by Dmitri Tcherniakov and...
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Mozart Requiem - Claudio Abbado & Lucerne Festival Orchestra
as Self - BassMozart did not write the Requiem as despairing funeral music for his impending death. Rather,...
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The Metropolitan Opera: Macbeth
as BanquoThe Met Opera’s broadcast of Verdi’s Macbeth will be presented live in select cinemas nationwide...
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Metropolitan Opera: Boris Godunov
as BorisBass René Pape, the world’s reigning Boris, reprises his overwhelming portrayal of the tortured...
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Samson et Dalila
as Un vieillard hébreuElijah Moshinsky's production of Saint-Saëns's "Samson et Dalila", recorded live at the...
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Wagner : Parsifal
as GurnemanzA young man ignorant of everything, including his own name, arrives at the Kingdom of the Holy...
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Wagner: Das Rheingold
as WotanThe La Scala Rheingold in May 2010 inaugurated Guy Cassiers Ring-Cycle and introduces a...
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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Requiem - Claudio Abbado
as uncreditedMozart did not write the Requiem as despairing funeral music for his impending death. Rather,...
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Salzburg Festival Opening Concert
as SelfThis recording features the opening concert of the Salzburg Festival in 2010, in which the...
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Lohengrin: Opera romantica in tre atti
as Heinrich der VoglerThe people of the Duchy of Brabant are divided by quarrels and political infighting; also, a...
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Schumann - Scenes from Goethe's Faust
as MephistophelesThe Berlin State Opera is back at its place of origin: Unter den Linden! After extensive...
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The Metropolitan Opera: Boris Godunow
as uncreditedBass René Pape, the world’s reigning Boris, reprises his overwhelming portrayal of the tortured...
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The Metropolitan Opera: Die Zauberflöte
as SarastroMet Music Director Emeritus James Levine conducts Tony Award winner Julie Taymor’s production...
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Wagner: Tristan und Isolde
as König Marke (bass)Glyndebourne's celebrated production of Nikolaus Lehnhoff's Tristan und Isolde is a supremely...
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Solti Centenary Concert
as bassSolti’s 100th birthday on October 21, 2012, featuring the World Orchestra for Peace. This unique...
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