Thomas Quasthoff

About

Official Site: http://www.gopera.com/quasthoff/

Thomas Quasthoff is recognised as one of the most remarkable singers of his generation. His career has taken him to some of the most renowned orchestras worldwide, where he has collaborated with such distinguished conductors as Claudio Abbado, Daniel Barenboim, Sir Colin Davis, Bernard Haitink, Mariss Jansons, Kurt Masur, Seiji Ozawa, Sir Simon Rattle, Helmuth Rilling, Christian Thielemann and Franz Welser-Möst.

In Europe, he has given concerts with the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic, the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Freiburger Barockorchester and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. He regularly performs in prestigious venues such as the Konzerthaus and Musikverein in Vienna, Konzerthaus and Philharmonie in Berlin, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, in Munich, London, Paris, Rome and Madrid and at festivals in Salzburg, Edinburgh, Lucerne, Schleswig-Holstein and the Schubertiade Schwarzenberg.

Thomas Quasthoff's début at the Orgeon Bach Festival in 1995 laid the foundations for his remarkable career in the USA. He regularly gives concerts with the Symphony Orchestras of Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and New York and is a frequent guest at such renowned American festivals as the Ravinia Festival, Tanglewood and Mostly Mozart. His celebrated New York recital début took place in January 1999, with Schubert's Winterreise, and a recital tour took him to Boston, Washington, St. Paul and San Francisco in March 2002. In October 2001, he opened the season at Carnegie Hall with the Berlin Philharmonic and Claudio Abbado.

In Season 2001/02, Thomas Quasthoff was invited to work with the Berlin Philharmonic four times, under Claudio Abbado as well as Sir Simon Rattle, including an engagement at the Salzburg Easter Festival in March 2002. His first appearance on the opera stage in Fidelio with the Berlin Philharmonic and Sir Simon Rattle at the Salzburg Easter Festival a year later was televised all over Europe and recorded for EMI. Future engagements include concerts with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra and other major orchestras as well as recitals in Brussels, Vienna, Paris, Milan, Florence and London. Thomas Quasthoff has also been invited for major projects at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam and the Lucerne Festival and will give a recital at the Salzburg Festival in August 2004. In the spring of 2004, Thomas Quasthoff gives his début at the Vienna State Opera as Amfortas in Parsifal.

Thomas Quasthoff has had an exclusive recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon since 1999. His first recording for Deutsche Grammophon, Mahler’s Des Knaben Wunderhorn with Anne Sofie von Otter and the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Claudio Abbado, received a Grammy Award. A recital disc of Brahms and Liszt songs with the pianist Justus Zeyen, was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2001. His most recent recordings are a CD of Schubert's Schwanengesang and Brahms's Vier letzte Lieder with Justus Zeyen, German opera arias with Christian Thielemann and orchestrated Schubert songs with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and Claudio Abbado. Earlier recordings were produced by Haenssler, EMI-Electrola, Philips and BMG among others. His BMG interpretation of Winterreise (pianist: Charles Spencer) is especially remarkable. Another BMG recording of Mozart arias with the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra was awarded both the DIAPASON D'OR and the ECHO price 1998.

Thomas Quasthoff began his vocal studies with Professor Charlotte Lehmann and Professor Huber-Contwig (musicology) in Hannover, Germany. His national and international awards include First Prize in the 1988 ARD International Music Competition in Munich, the Shostakovich Prize in 1996 (Moscow), and the Hamada Trust/ Scotsman Festival Prize (Edinburgh International Festival, 1996). Since 1996 he has been Professor at the vocal department of the Music Academy in Detmold, Germany where he maintains a vigorous teaching schedule.

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