Christian Gerhaher
Baritone Christian Gerhaher had a meteoric rise after his 1998 victory in the New York/Paris-shared Prix International Pro Musicis. Gerhaher subsequently developed a major career on both the operatic and recital stages. His repertory takes in J.S. Bach cantatas and oratorios; operas by Mozart, von Weber, and Wagner; lieder by Schubert, Brahms, and Mahler; and concert works by Haydn, Mendelssohn, and Mahler. He has hardly restricted himself to the German sphere, though, having performed Orff's Carmina Burana, Britten's War Requiem, Monteverdi's Orfeo, and much else. Gerhaher possesses a very distinct, attractive voice, a bit higher in the baritone range than is usual. He has performed at many of the major recital halls and operatic venues and with an extensive list of conductors that includes Harnoncourt, Rattle, and Muti. Gerhaher's résumé, apart from his considerable musical activity, is impressive: he holds a doctorate degree in medicine and has extensively studied philosophy.
Christian Gerhaher was born in the Bavarian city of Straubing on July 24, 1969. His major educational activity was in Munich: he studied voice with Paul Kuen and Raimund Grumbach and enrolled at the Musikhochschule Opera School there, simultaneously studying medicine and philosophy. Gerhaher later took master classes with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf. For Gerhaher, 1998 was a pivotal year: he obtained his medical degree, won the Prix International Pro Musicis, and joined the Stadttheater Würzburg, remaining a member until 2000. Meanwhile, he began making critically acclaimed appearances in lieder repertory with pianist Gerold Huber, including at Carnegie Hall, the Schubertiade in Feldkirch, and Wigmore Hall in London. Gerhaher quickly built a reputation in opera as well: his 2005 performance at the Frankfurt Opera in the title role of Orfeo drew rave notices. In the following season, Gerhaher appeared in Schubert's opera Alphonso und Estrella in Berlin and Schumann's oratorio Das Paradies und die Peri in Munich. Gerhaher's 2007-2008 schedule included a highly acclaimed North American tour with pianist Gerold Huber.
As Gerhaher entered middle age and his voice deepened somewhat, he took on operatic roles such as Wolfram in Wagner's Tannhäuser, which he performed at London's Covent Garden in 2010 and reprised at the Bavarian State Opera in 2017. Nevertheless, the bulk of Gerhaher's recording energies in the 2010s continued to focus on the lieder repertory. His 2012 album, Ferne Geliebte, featuring not only the Beethoven cycle An die ferne Geliebte, Op. 98, but also songs by Haydn, Schoenberg, and Berg, inaugurated a multi-year relationship with the Sony Classical label that has also produced Nachtviolen (a Schubert song recital) and an album of Mozart arias. His performances of Mahler's Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen and Kindertotenlieder deepened his relationship with Huber, which was displayed to fine effect in their 2017 recording of the unusual Brahms song set Die schöne Magelone, Op. 33. A long-held goal of Gerhaher's was accomplished in 2021 when he issued a much-heralded recording of the complete songs of Schumann. In 2022, Gerhaher and Heinz Holliger teamed up on a pair of recordings: Othmar Schoeck's Elegie with the Kammerorchester Basel and Holliger's opera Lunea, which was written for and dedicated to Gerhaher.
© Robert Cummings & James Manheim /TiVo
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Des Simplicius Simplicissimus Jugend (Intégrale)
Christian Gerhaher, Ulf Schirmer, Munich Radio Orchestra, Camilla Nylund, Will Hartmann, Michael Volle
Opera - Released by BR-Klassik on 17 Nov 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Othmar Schoeck: Notturno
Christian Gerhaher, Rosamunde Quartett
Classical - Released by ECM New Series on 25 Sep 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mahler: Lieder
Classical - Released by RCA Red Seal on 16 Oct 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Schubert: Winterreise, D 911
Classical - Released by RCA Red Seal on 31 Dec 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schumann: Lieder - Melancholie
Classical - Released by RCA Red Seal on 4 May 2007
The Qobuz Essential Discography16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven, Britten & Haydn : FolksLied (Live)
Classical - Released by BR-Klassik on 4 Mar 2016
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms : Die schöne Magelone
Lieder (German) - Released by Sony Music Classical Local on 3 Mar 2017
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ferne Geliebte (Beethoven, Berg, Haydn, Schönberg)
Art Songs, Mélodies & Lieder - Released by Sony Classical on 15 Jun 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wolf: Italienisches Liederbuch
Classical - Released by RCA Red Seal on 25 Mar 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Schwanengesang
Classical - Released by ARTE NOVA Classics on 30 Apr 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Arte Nova Voices - Lieder: Schubert, Brahms, Martin
Classical - Released by ARTE NOVA Classics on 26 Jul 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Die schöne Müllerin
Classical - Released by ARTE NOVA Classics on 26 Jul 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wolf: Italienisches Liederbuch
Classical - Released by RCA Red Seal on 25 Mar 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lunea
Christian Gerhaher, Basle Madrigalists, Philharmonia Zürich, Heinz Holliger
Classical - Released by ECM New Series on 22 Apr 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Die schöne Magelone
Classical - Released by Sony Music Classical Local on 3 Mar 2017
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo