René Pape Makes Role Debut as Wotan in Die Walküre; Releases New DG CD, 4/17

On this Sunday, April 17, René Pape makes his role debut as Wotan in Wagner's Die Walküre at the Berlin State Opera under Daniel Barenboim. Of the compelling, very human qualities Wotan possesses, Pape says: "There is something about Wotan's plight, wanting control and love, that I think most of us recognize; we see how hard it is, perhaps impossible, to have both." Welcoming the German bass's combination of sensitivity and authority in the role, after his debut in Das Rheingold at La Scala last May, Germany's Die Welt anticipated that his portrayal of Wotan would "change the perception of this Wagner character for decades to come."

Pape's important Walküre debut comes just two days after the European release of his most recent Deutsche Grammophon recording, Wagner. Also featuring Barenboim and the Berlin Staatskapelle, the new disc is a dream release for fans of both Pape and the music of Richard Wagner; it includes excerpts from such signature roles as Gurnemanz and the Rheingold Wotan as well as a terrific teaser of a part that Pape has yet to reveal on stage: his eagerly anticipated Hans Sachs, the noble cobbler of Die Meistersinger. With music from Lohengrin, Tannhäuser, and Die Walküre, the recording also boasts a special guest appearance by Pape's friend and esteemed colleague, tenor Plácido Domingo, who joins him in a scene from Parsifal.

Wagner: track list

Richard Wagner (1813-83)
[1] "Leb' wohl, du kühnes, herrliches Kind!" from Die Walküre
[2] "Der Augen leuchtendes Paar" from Die Walküre
[3] "Loge, hör! Lausche hieher!" from Die Walküre
[4] "Was duftet doch der Flieder" from Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
[5] "Hört, ihr Leut, und lasst euch sagen" from Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
[6] "Verachtet mir die Meister nicht" from Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
[7] "Gott grüss' euch, liebe Männer von Brabant!" from Lohengrin
[8] "Oh Gnade! Höchstes Heil! - Oh Herr! War es ein Fluch" from Parsifal
[9] "Und ich, ich bin's - Nicht doch! Die heilge Quelle selbst" from Parsifal
[10] "Gesegnet sei, du Reiner, durch das Reine!" from Parsifal
[11] "Wie dünkt mich doch die Aue" from Parsifal
[12] "Wie Todesahnung ... O du mein holder Abendstern" from Tannhäuser
EXCLUSIVE DIGITAL TRACK (download only):
[13] "Vollendet das ewige Werk" from Das Rheingold

RENÉ PAPE, bass
Plácido Domingo, tenor
Chor der Staatsoper Berlin / Chorus master: Eberhard Friedrich
Staatskapelle Berlin / Daniel Barenboim

René Pape: engagements, spring/summer 2011

April 15
European release of Deutsche Grammophon recording: Wagner
Featuring Daniel Barenboim and the Berlin Staatskapelle
(U.S. release scheduled for fall 2011)

April 17, 22, & 25: Berlin, Germany
Berlin State Opera
Wagner: Die Walküre (Wotan) / Daniel Barenboim

May 1, 5, 8, 13, 17, & 20: Berlin, Germany
Berlin State Opera
Verdi: Don Carlo (King Philip) / Massimo Zanetti

June 5, 10, 15, & 18: Tokyo, Japan
Bunka Kaikan Theater
Verdi: Don Carlo (King Philip) / Metropolitan Opera Tour

June 29 & 30: Zurich, Switzerland
Tonhalle; Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra
Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 / Kurt Masur

www.renepape.com

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