René Pape

Czech national symphony orchestra, Jonas Alber – conductor

René Pape – Opera News’ “World’s most charismatic bass” will finally make his Prague debut next year. He started his career in the famous boys choir Kreuzchor in his home city of Dresden and later enhanced his career in then-East Germany (Berlin State Opera since 1988). In 1991, Sir Georg Solti chose him to sing Sarastro in his production of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte in Salzburg and later in the same year in La Scala.

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All world’s front opera stages followed soon-after (Bayreuth, London, Paris, etc.). In 1995 he made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York and since then, 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. His first CD of solo arias, Gods, Kings & Demons (Deutsche Grammophon 2008) won a coveted “ECHO” award, the German equivalent of a Grammy.

Program

Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901)

O patria, o cara patria… O tu, Palermo, terra adorata (Procida)
I vespri siciliani, Act II

Ballet music
Aida, Act II

Studia il passo, o mio figlio... Come dal ciel precipita (Banco)
Macbeth,  Act III

Overture
La forza del destino

Ella giammai m’amò! (Filippo II)
Don Carlo,  Act III

Interval

Richard Wagner (1813–1883)

Overture
Tristan und Isolde

Tatest du’s wirklich? Wähnst du das? (Marke)
Tristan und Isolde, Act II

Overture to Act I
Lohengrin

Leb wohl, du kühnes, herrliches Kind! (Wotan)
Die Walküre, Act III