Vita

Ricarda Merbeth – Kammersängerin | Sopran

.Die deutsche Sopranistin Ricarda Merbeth gehört zu den führenden Sängerinnen ihres Faches, und ist weltweit als Wagner- und Strauss-Interpretin gefragt.

After studying at the Hochschule für Musik "Mendelssohn Bartholdy" in Leipzig, she began her career first in Magdeburg and Weimar. In 1999 she made her debut as Marzelline in Fidelio at the Vienna State Opera and was an ensemble member until 2005. Since then she has sung roles such as Contessa, Donna Anna, Pamina, Fiordiligi, Chrysothemis, Elisabeth, Eva, Irene, Elsa, Marschallin and Sieglinde.

A particular highlight was her Daphne in a new production at the Vienna State Opera in 2004. With this title role by Richard Strauss, Ricarda Merbeth made her breakthrough to an international career. The artist is still associated with the Vienna State Opera today through regular guest engagements, in 2001 she was honored with the Eberhard Waechter Medal and in 2010 she was appointed Austrian Chamber Singer by the then director of the Vienna State Opera, Ioan Holender.

Other milestones in her career include engagements at the Bayreuth Festival: in 2000 in the Jürgen Flimm Ring as Freia and Gutrune, from 2002 to 2005 and 2007 as Elisabeth in TANNHÄUSER, and from 2013 to 2018 she sings the role of Senta in the current production DER FLIEGENDE HOLLÄNDER.

Seit 2006 ist Ricarda Merbeth freiberuflich tätig und singt an den führenden Opernhäusern, wie Hamburgische Staatsoper, Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin, Bayerische Staatsoper München, Mailänder Scala, Deutsche Oper Berlin, New National Theatre Tokyo, Opera Nationale de Paris, Teatro Real Madrid, Dutch Natinal Opera, und den Opernhäusern von Toulouse, Marseille, Barcelona, Helsinki, Stockholm, Zürich, Sydney, Wien, Wiener Musikverein, New York. Hier singt sie die wichtigen Partien ihres Faches: Helena (ÄGYPTISCHE HELENA), Sieglinde ( DIE WALKÜRE), Ariadne (ARIADNE AUF NAXOS), Marietta (DIE TOTE STADT), Marschallin (DER ROSENKAVALIER) Senta (DER FLIEGENDE HOLLÄNDER), Leonore (FIDELIO), Emilia Marty (DIE SACHE MAKROPULOS), Elsa (LOHENGRIN), Marie (WOZZECK), Isolde (TRISTAN UND ISOLDE), Goneril (LEAR), Elektra (ELEKTRA), Elisabeth und Venus (TANNHÄUSER), Brünnhilde (SIEGFRIED), Brünnhilde (WALKÜRE), Brünnhilde (GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG). Ihr Konzertrepertoire umfasst u.a. Wesendonck-Lieder, War Requiem von Benjamin Britten, Beethovens Missa Solemnis, Stabat Mater von Szymanowski, Glagolitische Messe von Leos Janacek, Vier letzte Lieder und Brentano-Lieder von Richard Strauss, die 8. Sinfonie von Gustav Mahler.

In November 2018, the singer made her successful debut as Elektra in Patrice Chéreau's legendary production at La Scala in Milan.

Sie arbeitet mit renommierten Dirigenten wie Daniel Barenboim, Pierre Boulez, Semyon Bychkov, Riccardo Chailly, Myung-whun Chung, Christoph von Dohnányi, Dan Ettinger, James Gaffigan, Daniele Gatti, Edward Gardner, Thomas Guggeis, Marek Janowski, Mariss Jansons, Philippe Jordan, Fabio Luisi, Ingo Metzmacher, Kent Nagano, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Seiji Ozawa, Donald Runnicles, Pinchas Steinberg, Christian Thielemann, Constantin Trinks, Franz Welser-Möst. In den letzten Jahren hat sich Ricarda Merbeth ihre jetzigen wichtigsten Partien  – ua. Isolde, Brünnhilden, Senta, Elektra, Färberin, Ortrud, Turandot –  gesangstechnisch/interpretatorisch gemeinsam mit Prof. Ks Wolfgang Millgramm in Berlin erarbeitet.

 

 

Future projects

2022 sang sie die Brünnhilde in GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG am Teatro Real de Madrid, TURANDOT beim Spring Festival in Tokyo. An der Berliner Staatsoper sang sie erneut die Titelpartie in ELEKTRA und bei den Bregenzer Festspielen konzertant die Brünnhilde aus SIEGFRIED sowie Leonore / FIDELIO und Ortrud / LOHENGRIN in Bologna. Auch 2023 stehen große Projekte an: Kundry / PARSIFAL mit dem Philharmonischen Orchester Bergen, Isolde in Valencia, die Brünnhilden im RING-Zyklus an der Semperoper Dresden und an der Wiener Staatsoper, Senta / DER FLIEGENDE HOLLÄNDER beim Baltic Opera Festival und im Herbst 2023 erneut ELEKTRA an der Berliner Staatsoper. 2024 folgt Färberin / FRAU OHNE SCHATTEN am Théâtre du Capitole Toulouse, die Brünnhilden / RING -Zyklus an der deutschen Oper Berlin, sowie ELEKTRA am Teatro di San Carlo in Neapel.

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Publications and records
The release of Ricarda Merbeth's CD with "Vier letzte Lieder" as well as the "Brentano-Lieder" by Richard Strauss, recorded with the Staatskapelle Weimar under Michael Halász (released by NAXOS) received a great international response.

CD:

  • "Fliegender Holländer" under Marek Janowski - released by Pentatone;
  • „Rheingold“ under Marek Janowski – released by Pentatone;
  • "Four Last Songs" by Richard Strauss - published by Naxos;
  • "Brentano-Lieder" Staatskapelle Weimar - released by Naxos;
  • "Symphony No. 8" by Gustav Mahler conducted by Bertrant de Billy - released by Naxos.

DVD:

  • „Fliegender Holländer“ – Bayreuth Festival;
  • "Meistersinger von Nürnberg" - published by Unitel Classica;
  • "Symphony No. 8" by Gustav Mahler conducted by Riccardo Chailly - released by Naxos;
  • "Symphony No. 2" by Gustav Mahler conducted by Mariss Janssons - released by Naxos.

Books:

  • "Von Hertzen - möge es wieder zu Hertzen gehen" - published by Haag+Herchen on the occasion of Ricarda Merbeth's 20th stage anniversary.
Awards
Ricarda Merbeth was honoured for her artistic achievements with the following awards:

  • 1993 Richard-Wagner-Stipendiatin Braunschweig;
  • 2001 Eberhard Waechter Medal of the Vienna State Opera for her interpretation of Irene in RIENZI;
  • 2008 Editor's Choise May 2008 for the CD Richard Strauss, "Vier letzte Lieder und Brentano-Lieder", released by NAXOS;
  • 2011 Appointed Kammersängerin of the Vienna State Opera.

Vita Download

For the press, the biography of Ricarda Merbeth is available for download as a text file in the Press Area.