Doris Soffel
Doris Soffel is one of the leading Wagner- and Strauss singers worldwide. She studied at the Munich Academy of Music, first violin, then singing with Marianne Schech. She started her career at Stuttgart opera where she could build up a broad repertoire, including roles like Carmen, Cenerentola, Dorabella (»Cosi fan tutte«), Eboli (»Don Carlo) and Octavian (»Der Rosenkavalier«). Her world career started in 1983 in London at Covent Garden with Sesto in Mozart´s »La clemenza di Tito«, as Prinz Orlovsky in »Fledermaus« and with gala performances together with Joan Sutherland. In the same year she sang Fricka in Wagner´s »Ring« under Solti at the Bayreuth Festival. Since then she has been performing at all important opera houses and concert halls throughout the world. Doris Soffel became the only German mezzo-soprano with an International career in Italian coloratura belcanto. From Italian and French Mezzo roles in operas by Donizetti, Bellini, Verdi, Berlioz and Massenet she developed into the Wagner- and Strauss repertoire. She celebrated her biggest Wagner successes as Fricka in Amsterdam, Cologne, Dresde, at La Scala with Barenboim and at Deutsche Oper Berlin with Rattle. Her Kundry (»Parsifal«) with Thielemann and her Ortrud (»Lohengrin«) with Luisi are legendary. In Strauss Operas she has triumphed as Amme (»Frau ohne Schatten«) e.g. in Los Angeles, Amsterdam, Berlin and Dresden, as Herodias (»Salome«) e.g. in Munich, Paris, Madrid, Zurich, Bologna and Washington and as Klytämnestra (»Elektra«) e.g. at the Salzburg Festival, in Munich, Stuttgart, Brussels and Berlin. She also performed successfully in Slavic repertoire, in roles like Marfa (»Chowanschchina«), Jezibaba (»Rusalka«) and The Countess (»Queen of Spades«). Contemporary composers like Reimann, Henze, Penderecki and Glanert composed leading parts for Doris Soffel. Doris Soffel sang with legendary conductors such as von Karajan, Celebidache, Solti, Giulini, Maazel, Mehta, Masur and Petrenko. Stage directors like Rennert, Ponnelle, Friedrich and Kupfer had a great formative influence on her artistry and today she works with Carsen Konwitschny, Herheim, Loy, Wilson and Tscherniakov. She has also a worldwide career as concert- and Lied singer. Her great versatility is strongly documented though an extensive amount of CDs, DVDs and on Youtube. She was recently nominated for the German Faust-Price as best singer/actress. Future plans include Madame de Croissy (»Dialogue des Carmelites«) at Bavarian State Opera Munich, Herodias at Bolshoi, Moscow and in Amsterdam and Begbick (»Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny«) in Zurich.