RIGOLETTO:
KOMISCHE
OPER
"Die Premiere des Klassikers an der Behrenstraße sollte krönender Abschluss der Verdi-Wochen werden.
Doch ohne DAVID WAKEHAM in der Titelpartie wäre sie zum Flopp geworden. Der Bariton sang sich in Berlin zum Star."
Von Dirk Krampitz
DAVID
WAKEHAM
David Wakeham has established a worldwide reputation with critically acclaimed performances at Teatro alla Scala Milano, Teatro Massimo Palermo, Theatre an der Wien, the Komische Oper Berlin, Oper Leipzig, the Bayerische Staatsoper München, the Staatsoper Stuttgart, Oper Bonn, and Opera Australia, performing major roles in the Czech, German, and Italian repertoire.
From 1993, David was a member of the Zürich Opernstudio, making his debut at the Opernhaus Zürich in roles from Fedora, Rigoletto, Macbeth and Don Carlo under conductors such as Nello Santi, Alun Franci, Manfred Honeck, and Adam Fischer. Amongst his most notable engagements were: Falstaff, Macbeth, and Rigoletto for the Komische Oper Berlin; Il Conte di Luna (Il Trovatore) and Jochanaan (Salome) at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Düsseldorf; Germont (La Traviata) and Archbishop Hidulfus (Genoveva) at Oper Leipzig; Der Vater (Hansel und Gretel), The Doctor (Macbeth) at the Bayerische Staatsoper München; Jochanaan (Salome) at the Staatsoper Stuttgart; Alfio and Tonio (Cavalleria Rusticana and I Pagliacci), Der Graf (Capriccio) and Rodrigo (Don Carlo) at Opera de Nantes; Nabucco in Berne (Switzerland), Western Australia Opera Company, The National Opera Greece; Zurga (Les Pêcheurs de Perles) at Opera Queensland; and Germont (La Traviata) at Opera Australia and Oper Bonn, Germany. He has also performed the role of Kurwenal (Tristan and Isolde) many times both in concert and on the opera stage in Halle Germany, Queensland Music Festival, and West Australian Opera.
At the invitation of Lothar Zagrosek, David sang concert performances of Zemlinsky's Lyric Symphony, in Brussels, Antwerp and Stuttgart. This led to further invitations from Maestro Zagrosek to sing Jochanaan on tour to the Canary Islands Music Festival. David has also sung Amanasro in Aida and performed the Australian premiere of Ich Wandte mich und sah an alles Unrecht… by Bernd Alois Zimmermann coupled with Beethoven's 9th Symphony with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra (QSO). He made his debut with La Scala Milano in the role of Harasta (Forester) in The Cunning Little Vixen (Příhody lišky Bystroušky) which was the first performance of a Czech opera in the original language ever mounted in Milan and it was both recorded live and broadcast nationally. David also performed the role of The Old Doctor (Barber’s Vanessa) at Teatro Massimo, Palermo, an opera which had not been produced in Italy for thirty-five years. Furthermore, he has performed the title role in Nabucco for Opera Holland Park and the National Greek Opera in Athens as well as the title role in Falstaff for the Staatstheater Schwerin.
David’s concert repertoire also includes: Bach's Magnificat, St. Matthew Passion, and B minor Mass; Handel’s Messiah, Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem, In Terra Pax by Gerald Finzi, Carmina Burana by Carl Orff, Dream of Gerontius by Elgar, Verdi’s Requiem, and Mozart’s C minor Mass.
His live recordings and broadcast performances include: The Lyric Symphony by Zemlinsky, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, Dream of Gerontius by Elgar, Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem, Ich Wandte mich und sah an alles Unrecht by Bernd A. Zimmerman (Australian Premiere), Verdi’s Requiem, The Cunning Little Vixen by Janacek, The Trillion Souls by Gordon Hamilton (World Premiere), and Mahler’s 8th Symphony with the Israel Symphony Orchestra. David has also worked with many renowned conductors and directors throughout his career including but not limited to: Sir Andrew Davis, Mikhail Jurowski, Vladimir Jurowski, Carlo Felice Cillario, Sir Mark Elder, Kirill Petrenko (recently named music director for the Berlin Philharmoniker), Gabriele Ferro, Francesco Corti, Yakov Kreizberg, Franz Welser-Möst, Achim Freier, Andreas Homoki, Pet Halmen, Grisha Asagaroff, and Sir David Pountney.
PERFORMANCES OUTSIDE OF EUROPE
David Wakeham has spent part of his career as a singer outside of Europe with engagements including, Nabucco in Athens *, Australia and London, and Tristan and Isolde in Australia. The following seasons have included a concert performances of La Traviata in Australia, Ein Deutsches Requiem in Egypt, Il Trovatore (concert ), Gala Concert with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Aida, Concerts with Beethoven 9 Symphony * and the Australian premiere Ich wandte mich…B.A.Zimmerman *. In 2011 he returned to Australia: a solo concert, a tour with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, *, Beethoven 9 Symphony, Ein Deutsches Requiem, La Traviata * and. 2012 brought concert performances (3 times) of La Traviata in Australia where he also performed Wotan in a Wagner Gala *. In 2013, again in Australia, he sang the Verdi Requiem * and gala concerts of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. In Terra Pax was performed in the US in the same year. In 2014, several gala concerts followed in Australia with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, including performances of The Dream of Gerontius, Bluebeard's Castle, and The Last Night of the Proms. In the same year he performed Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen in the US and Israel * He also performed Mahler's 8th Symphony throughout Israel and Australia. In 2015, he returned to Australia with performances of Beethoven's 9th Symphony and a world premiere, The Trillion Souls * in which the baritone solo was written for David. His performances continued in Australia in 2016 with The Bells by Rachmaninoff *, Fauré's Requiem *, Duruflé Requiem *, and Messiah * (with a regional tour). In 2017 he sang a Wagner Gala * in the USA and, again in Australia, Bach's Mass in B Minor and the Mass in C minor by Mozart). In 2018 David made his debut at Carnegie Hall as baritone soloist in the Fauré Requiem.
* These performances are recorded for later broadcast dates.