The versatility of mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter, who has an unparalleled and multi-award-winning discography, has led her to work with legendary artists ranging from Carlos Kleiber, Claudio Abbado, and Giuseppe Sinopoli to Elvis Costello, Brad Mehldau, and Rufus Wainwright.
A constantly evolving repertoire has played a key role in maintaining the international profile of the Swedish von Otter, from her early position as the superlative Octavian (Der Rosenkavalier) of her generation, with performances around the world, to her acclaimed creation of Leonora in the world premiere of The Exterminating Angel by Thomas Adès at the Salzburger Festspiele and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. She has recently performed Madame de Croissy (Dialogues des Carmélites) at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Marcellina (Le nozze di Figaro) in Christof Loy’s production at the Bayerische Staatsoper, L’Opinion Publique (Orphée aux Enfers) at the Salzburger Festspiele in Barrie Kosky’s new production, Mérope (Oedipe) at the Opéra National de Paris, and the title role of Charlotte Andergast in the world premiere of Höstsonaten by Sebastian Fagerlund for the Finnish National Opera.
The 2022/2023 season will see von Otter further expand her repertoire with productions of Tchaikovsky’s Pique Dame (Countess) at La Monnaie under the direction of Nathalie Stutzmann and Strauss’s Arabella (Adelaide) at the Teatro Real in Madrid under the direction of David Afkham, in addition to a repeat of Countess Geschwitz in the Theater an der Wien’s new production of Berg’s Lulu, directed by Maxime Pascal.
Following their acclaimed collaboration last season at the Theater Basel in “Eine Winterreise”, an intimate evening of musical theater conceived by Christoph Loy and inspired by the songs of Franz Schubert, von Otter and Kristian Bezuidenhout reunite this season to give recitals in New York, Boston, Minnesota, Rochester, Santa Monica, Montreal, and Warsaw.
Recognized equally as a concert and recital singer of exceptional talent, von Otter’s career has taken her around the world as a regular presence on the world’s most important stages, excelling in a diverse repertoire that includes works by Mahler, Berlioz, Bach, and Kurt Weill, and her extensive recordings of Lieder range from classics by Schubert, Schumann, Wolf, and Mahler, to lesser-known compilations by Cécile Chaminade, Korngold, Peterson-Bergen, and Stenhammar.
Anne Sofie von Otter is one of the most recorded artists of today, with an unparalleled catalog built over a career of more than four decades at the top of her profession. A long and exclusive relationship with Deutsche Grammophon has resulted in a large number of acclaimed recordings, including the Grammy-winning Mahler Des Knaben Wunderhorn with Claudio Abbado, Handel’s Ariodante, Giulio Cesare, and Hercules with Marc Minkowski, and a collaboration with pop legend Elvis Costello on For the Stars. On Naïve Classique, her double CD of Mélodies and Chansons, Douce France, received the 2015 Grammy Award for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album. Von Otter immortalized many of her operatic characters on disc: Octavian with Bernard Haitink and the Staatskapelle Dresden and on DVD with the Wiener Staatsoper under Carlos Kleiber; Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro) with James Levine; La clemenza di Tito and Orfeo ed Euridice with Sir John Eliot Gardiner; and Ariadne auf Naxos with Giuseppe Sinopoli.