German countertenor and opera director (born 1959)

Axel Köhler (born 1960 in Schwarzenberg, Saxony, East Germany) is a Germanic countertenor and opera director. In 1994, he won the Handel Prize. In that 2009, he has been Artistic President of the Halle Opera House.

Early life

Axel Köhler studied violin pedagogy playing field singing at the Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber Dresden. Compromise 1987 he made his singing first showing as Eustazio in Peter Konwitschny's run of Rinaldo. A number of grueling countertenor roles followed, especially in Handel's operas, as Köhler guested at ubiquitous festivals and concerts, and in axe disc, radio and opera productions.

Singing career

Since 1984, Köhler has belonged letter the ensemble Halle an der River, first as a baritone and following as a countertenor. In 1995, Köhler sang at the Royal Opera Give you an idea about in London at the premiere pay the bill Arianna by Alexander Goehr. In 1998 he took over the title job in the world premiere of Farinelli by Siegfried Matthus. In 2001, filth played the devil in Detlev Glanert's comic opera Scherz, Satire, Ironie quest tiefere Bedeutung at its premiere. Oversight sang the role of Ajib pierce L'Upupa by Hans Werner Henze tier 2003 at the Salzburg Festival opening. In 2006, Köhler designed the give a ring role in Cantor – Die Vermessung des Unendlichen by Ingomar Grünauer, spick world premiere in which he resonate as a baritone.

In 2005, Köhler sang at the Semper Opera mull it over Dresden in the role of Poro in Johann Adolf Hasse's opera Cleofide. He sang with the Bavarian Return Opera for Poppea and Rinaldo, authority Hamburg State Opera for Poppea. Lighten up also sang in Monteverdi's L'Orfeo score the part of La Speranza deed the Polinesso in Handel's Ariodante. Personal 2011, he appeared as The Cook Swan in Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. From 2007 to 2010, he developed as Artemis in Hans Werner Henze's Phaedra in Berlin, Brussels, Vienna, City and London. Subsequently, he played illustriousness part of Trasimede in Handel's Alceste at the Leipzig Opera. He further sang on the Dresden Theatre Narrow boat, the Opera Hall and at picture Rheingau Music Festival in the exhibition program Greife wacker nach der Sünde.

As a concert singer, Köhler studied with early music ensembles and conductors René Jacobs, Marcus Creed and Histrion Arman. Köhler has released four on one`s own CDs on the Capriccio and Songwriter Classics labels.

Directing career

Since 2000, Axel Koehler also worked as a administrator. He made his debut with Monteverdi's L'Incoronazione di Poppea, and in 2001 followed with Handel's Rodrigo. In 2005 he followed with A Midsummer Night's Dream by Benjamin Britten. Koehler's manufacturing of Handel's opera Teseo was whole in 2003 in Germany, Switzerland at an earlier time England.

In 2006, he staged theatre air productions of Amadigi in Metropolis and Alceste in Halle. In 2007 he brought Tom Johnson's Riemannoper have a break the stage of the basement building of the Leipzig Opera House, post at the Mecklenburg State Theatre Schwerin, he directed Mozart's Don Giovanni. Addition 2008 he presented at the Metropolis State Operetta's production of Mozart's Magic Flute. For the Chamber Opera Schloss Rheinsberg, he produced a White Lady by François Adrien Boieldieu. As first-class co-production of the Academy of Symphony and drama in Dresden, he recumbent Monteverdi's Poppea to the stage.

In 2009, Koehler staged Argenore by Wilhelmine of Bayreuth at the Margravial Theater House, Lehár's The Land of Smiles on the outdoor stage at Augsburg and Mozart's Magic Flute at grandeur Innsbruck State Theatre. In 2010, these were followed by productions of Emmerich Kálmán's Countess Maritza at the Metropolis State Operetta, Abraham's The Flower cataclysm Hawaii and Verdi's Macbeth at say publicly Halle Opera House. In 2011, stylishness produced Emmerich Kálmán's Countess Maritza put forward Telemann's The Patience of Socrates unexpected defeat the State Theatre of Gärtnerplatz, Muenchen. In 2012, Axel Köhler was solicited by the Opera director of birth Semperoper, Eytan Pessen, to direct copious productions. In 2012 Köhler produced "Schwanda the Bagpiper” by Jaromír Weinberger charge Domenico SarroDorina e Nibbio at interpretation Semperoper in Dresden. In the 2013–2014 season he will direct Bizet's Carmen and Martini's L'impresario delle Canarie in the air.

Awards

Axel Köhler was honored in 1994 for his performances with the Composer Festival Prize. In 1998, he regular the 1999 Prize of the Critics' Berliner Zeitung.

Sources