Among the highlights of Pape's spring 2011 is the March 9-17 Metropolitan Opera reprise of his universally-acclaimed interpretation of the title role in Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov, with Valery Gergiev conducting. Writing after Pape's first Met performance as Boris last October, New York Times critic Anthony Tommasini praised the bass's emotional power in this titanic Russian role: "In every language, Mr. Pape makes words matter... . During the coronation, there is a soul-searching moment when Boris removes his crown and voices his remorse to himself. Some great Borises have conveyed the character as beset with internalized torment. Mr. Pape's anguish is always raw, fitful, and on the surface. But the volatility is balanced by the magisterial power he conveys."
On April 17, 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 of Wotan, Pape has said: "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 Pape's combination of sensitivity and authority in the role, Germany's Die Welt declared his portrayal of Wotan bound to "change the perception of this Wagner character for decades to come."Videos