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In an interview with German music critic Eleonore Büning, Christoph Prégardien muses about empathy and stage fright, talk of a lieder crisis and the sins of concert promoters.
No panic – Christoph Prégardien, one of the leading tenors of our time, is still on tour as a soloist. However, considering the success of his St. John and St. Matthew Passions it is no surprise that the singer will increasingly be seen on the conductor’s podium.
Franz Schubert, Die schöne Müllerin
Christoph Prégardien, tenor
Michael Gees, piano
Franz Schubert, Winterreise Op. 89, D. 911
Franz Schubert, Schwanengesang D 957
Gustav Mahler, Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Paulus op. 36
Dorothee Mields, soprano
Katharina Beckmann, alto
Mirko Roschkowski, tenor
Essener Philharmoniker
Oratorienchor Essen, choir
Collegium Vocale an St. Lambertus, choir
Essener Vocalisten, vocal ensemble
Jörg Nitschke, conductor
Franz Schubert, Drei Gesänge des Harfners, D. 478
Robert Schumann, Liederkreis, Op. 39
Franz Schubert, selected songs after Mayrhofer
Sholto Kynoch, piano
Schiller & Goethe – Settings by Schubert, Beethoven, Grieg, Liszt et al.
Richard Wagner, Wesendonck-Lieder
Henri Duparc, Lieder
Robert Schumann, Dichterliebe Op. 48
Eric Schneider, piano
Georg Friedrich Händel (Arrangement: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart), Der Messias, HWV 56 (K. 572)
Jana Sibera, soprano
Václava Krejčí Housková, alto
Lukáš Bařák, bass-baritone
Slovak Philharmonic Choir
Brno Philharmonic
Dennis Russell Davies, conductor
Robert Schumann, Requiem für Mignon, Op. 98b
Kurt Schwertsik, Fioretti per San Francesco, Op. 88
Joseph Haydn, Symphony No. 102 in B-flat major, Hob.I:102
Mirella Hagen, soprano
MDR-Rundfunkchor
MDR-Sinfonieorchester
His lyric tenor voice had a youthful glow, yet he sang with plaintive beauty and piercing insight. The New York Times
Precise vocal control, clear diction, intelligent musicality, and an ability to get to the heart of everything he sings all ensure Christoph Prégardien’s place among the world’s foremost lyric tenors. Especially revered as a lieder singer, he kicks off the 2024/25 season together with Hartmut Höll at the Schubertiade Schwarzenberg/Hohenems before returning to the stage at the Chopin and his Europe Festival in Warsaw, performing the programme ‘Father and Son’ with his son Julian Prégardien. A particular highlight will be the world premiere of Die Schöne Müllerin/These Fevered Days in Nuremberg with Ensemble Kontraste, for which Johannes Maria Staud has newly orchestrated Schubert’s songs and added seven new songs on texts by Emily Dickinson. Further concerts will take him to the Oxford International Song Festival, SPOT Groningen, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Konzerthaus Blaibach, Alicante, LiedBasel and on tour with Michael Gees to Taiwan and Singapore. He will also appear with Dennis Russell Davies and the Brno Philharmonic in Handel’s Messiah, in Essen in Mendelssohn’s St Paul and return to the MDR Symphony Orchestra in Leipzig.
Christoph Prégardien regularly appears with renowned orchestras the world over. He has worked with the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonics, Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, as well as the Boston and San Francisco Symphonies, alongside conductors such as Barenboim, Metzmacher, and Thielemann. His wide orchestral repertoire includes the great baroque, classical, and Romantic oratorios and passions, as well as works from the 17th and 20th centuries. In opera, his roles have included, among others, Tamino, Almaviva (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Fenton (Falstaff), Don Ottavio, Titus, Ulisse, and Idomeneo.
His extensive experience singing the Evangelist roles, together with his close working relationship with conductors such as Nagano, Chailly, Herreweghe, Harnoncourt, Luisi, and Gardiner, have provided the perfect base for his increasing dedication to conducting the works of Bach. Following the success of his conducting debut in 2012 leading Le Concert Lorrain and the Nederlands Kammerkoor, he now regularly conducts renowned ensembles like the Balthasar Neumann Choir, Dresdner Kammerchor, Collegium Vocale Gent, and RIAS Kammerchor. In the spring of 2024, he took to the podium for Bach’s St Matthew Passion with Vespres d’Arnadí and the Cor de Cambra del Palau in Barcelona.
The singer has recorded much of his repertoire on a discography of over 150 albums, which have received awards such as the Orphée d’Or of the Académie du Disque Lyrique, the Edison Award, the Cannes Classical Award, and the Diapason d’Or. For the label Challenge Classics, he has recorded Schubert’s Schwanengesang with Andreas Staier and Die schöne Müllerin with Michael Gees, which was selected as Editor’s Choice by Gramophone magazine and awarded the MIDEM Record of the Year award. Shortly thereafter followed recordings of Hugo Wolf’s Italienisches Liederbuch with Julia Kleiter, ‘Between Life and Death’, ‘Wanderer’, and the Grammy-nominated Winterreise disc – all with Michael Gees – as well as ‘Father and Son’ with his son Julian Prégardien. His Schubert CD ‘Poetisches Tagebuch’ with Julius Drake was awarded the German Critics’ Award 2016. His most recent releases include one recorded in collaboration with the Warsaw Chopin Institute with pianist Christoph Schnackertz featuring songs by Paderewski, Moniuszko and Duparc, and a new recording of Schubert’s Schwanengesang and Schumann’s Liederkreis, Op. 39 (with Julius Drake). In 2023, the Etcetera label released an album of Bach cantatas recorded with Stephan Schultz and Le Concert Lorrain, featuring Christoph Prégardien as baritone.
Teaching remains an important part of Christoph Prégardien’s musical life. Following many years at the Zurich University of the Arts and a professorship at the Academy of Music in Cologne, he continues to give masterclasses for young singers around the world.
2024/25 season
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Recitals
Schwanengesang with Julius Drake, pianoF. Schubert: Schwanengesang, D. 957 and other songs (Schlegel, Rückert)L. v. Beethoven: Adelaide, Op. 48; An die ferne Geliebte, Op. 98
Song and Lyrics with Julius Drake, pianoGoethe in settings by Schubert, Wolf, Beethoven, Liszt, Schumann et al.
Memory with Stefan Litwin, pianoSongs by F. Schubert, G. Mahler, H. Wolf, Ch. Ives, H. Eisler et al.
Folks song arrangements with the Oberon TrioHenja Semmler, violine; Antoaneta Emanuilova, cello; Jonathan Aner, pianoJ. Haydn: various folk song arrangements; Trio in E-flat major, Hob. XV:29L. v. Beethoven: various folk song arrangements; Trio in B-flat major, Op. 11 “Gassenhauer”
Chamber recital with piano trioFranziska Hölscher, violin; Jens Peter Maintz, cello; Daniel Heide, pianoF. Schubert: Trio in E-flat major, D. 897 “Notturno”; songs by various poets (partly arranged for trio)L. v. Beethoven: various folks song arrangements; Trio in B-flat major, Op. 11 “Gassenhauer”
Details and further programmes on request.
father&son
Duo recitalJulian and Christoph Prégardien, tenorMichael Gees, pianoSongs by Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms et al.The full programme can be downloaded here.
Handel’s Heyday in London
Christoph Prégardien, tenorEnsemble La Centifolia, Leila Schayegh, violin and directionHandel’s heyday in London in one evening: the most beautiful and touching tenor arias from Tamerlano, Rodelinda, Samson and Jephtha, nestled in overtures and concerti grossi. The (earlier) Italian–profane and the (later) English–sacred contrast each other whilst the wide range of Handel’s oeuvre unfurls before the audience. The full programme can be downloaded here.
Die Schöne Müllerin / These Fevered Days
Franz Schubert, text: Wilhelm Müller (1823/24).Ensemble version: Johannes Maria Staud (2023/24) /Johannes Maria Staud, text: Emily Dickinson (2023/24)
Instrumentation of the song cycle with seven new Dickinson songs for tenor and large ensemble (2023/2024)
In this project, Franz Schubert’s song cycle, based on Wilhelm Müller’s poems, is reinterpreted. Composer Johannes Maria Staud has orchestrated the original works for a 19-piece ensemble and added seven new songs after Emily Dickinson. This commissioned composition, realised in collaboration with ensemble KONTRASTE and other renowned partners, combines historical and contemporary styles. The performance with tenor Christoph Prégardien brings Schubert’s melodies into the present and creates a dialogue between the two poets. Dickinson’s laconic lyricism acts as a modern counterpoint and questions the romanticised image of nature in the original. A fascinating interplay that sheds new light on the timeless relevance of the themes.
The full project description can be downloaded here.
“Consummately sung and played […]. Prégardien’s intelligence as an interpreter is as sharply focused as ever, with the ability to make his audience hang on every word, totally immersed in the worlds he evokes.”
The Guardian, Andrew Clements, 4 July 2023
“Prégardien shows an enviable freshness; his voice has lost neither in tone nor in breath nor in the play between the forte and the pianissimi, always a wonderful timbre at the centre.”
Platea Magazine, Javier de Oliva, 25 August 2022 – on the recital with Julius Drake at Schubertiade Schwarzenberg in August 2022
“With Prégardien, one could once again admire the consistent comprehensibility of the text and the always convincing power of interpretation. Even if one has heard the well-known songs many times, he once again succeeded in building up great tension in Erlkönig, in making the Musensohn happily wander through ‘field and forest’ or in turning Ständchen into a touching love song. The quiet songs such as Die Mutter Erde, Wandrers Nachtlied II and Nacht und Träume were particularly impressive in terms of vocal quality.”
Der Opernfreund, Gerhard Eckels, June 2022
“Prégardien retains his essentially mellow sound, comfortable in the lower registers but still capable of the airy phrases and subtle dynamic gradations that have always characterised his singing. […] Above all, he always remains true to the concept of line. His clear diction allows him to narrate and illuminate the two dozen stories the songs here contain, without the self-dramatising fear-mongering that plagues some critically acclaimed representatives of lieder singing today. […] an auspicious start to Eisenlohr’s latest endeavor.”
Opera News Online, David Shengold, June 2022 – on Volume 1 of Brahms’ complete songs with Ulrich Eisenlohr
“The voice sounds almost youthfully fresh, effortlessly supple and lyrical in the intimate Lieder, on the other hand capable of powerful expressivity. […] Without pushing, Prégardien’s always cultivated tenor (which is by no means restrained by its beauty) can hold its own very well. […] He convinces with exemplary diction […]. At the same time, he stretches wonderful, almost endlessly long legato arches from bright tenor spheres into earthy baritonal depths.“
tagblatt.ch, Bettina Kugler, 1 May 2022
“A sublime evening that will be cherished for a long time“
Oregon Artswatch, James Bash, 9 March 2022 – on a Portland recital with Gloria Chien
“Christoph Prégardien […] still possesses a clear and flexible tenor, flawless diction, and an emotional expressiveness that shades from the contemplative to raw outbursts of joy and feeling. His intensity is just overwhelming.“
Crescendo Magazine, Jean Lacroix, 3 January 2020
“The performance was superb. Prégardien is one of today’s greatest Lieder singers, a consummate storyteller whose gestures and facial expressions aid in communicating the meaning and emotional content of the lyrics, and whose voice is fluidly expressive across its entire range, and especially beautiful on both top and bottom notes.“
ClassicalSource, David M. Rice, 22 October 2019
“Prégardien’s easeful articulation, his rich coloring, the diminuendos and light irony: superb!“
Tagesspiegel.de, Christiane Peitz, 17 September 2019 – on his recording of Robert Schumann’s Dichterliebe, Op. 48 with Michael Gees
“How well one can follow the train of thought through the interludes and stanzas, thanks to the wealth of detail with which he relates these little stories through song; art of the highest order.“
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Guido Holze, 8 February 2019 – on songs after Heine from Schwanengesang
“A beautifully imaginative disc […]. Prégardien floats a beautiful line, […] and Katsaris’ piano flows delicately […] his piano accompaniments take a strong character of their own, one which complements the singer and very much creates a discreet whole, even in the songs where the piano’s role is relatively straight forward.“
Planet Hugill, 20 November 2018 – on the CD “Auf den Flügeln des Gesanges. Romantic songs and piano transcriptions”
“This quite a superlative recording that meets the desires and wishes of any Baroquophile on the quest for excellence. […] The music simply washes over you with a purity and quality many seek to match.“
Early Music Review, David Bellinger, 3 June 2018 – on the album “Cantatas for Baritone” with Vox Orchestra (Sony)
“Both artists brought deep insight to their roles, combining beautifully in sound and spirit, and creating no end of poignant moments.“
New York Times, James R. Oestreich, 23 February 2018 – on Winterreise with Julius Drake
“His voice maintains its dark, almost baritone-like lower range, and a top that can float with the utmost delicacy in soft passages.“
Chicago Classical, John Y. Lawrence, 19 February 2018 – on the recital “Poetic Diary” with Julius Drake
“Prégardien’s artistry is streamlined, focused, essential: with beauty of tenor tone absolutely intact – he is 60 – diction impeccable, emotions of text and tone fused and explored to the last degree, he is the consummate Lieder singer. […] He brought splendour, agony and ecstasy to Mahler’s Lieder eines Fahrenden Gesellen first; bitterness, irony and a heady intelligence to Schumann’s Dichterliebe in the second half; and those Schubert Heine settings in between are still alive and reverberating with wonder and horror somewhere in my subconscious several days on. You want it darker? Try Schubert.“
jessicamusic.blogspot.de, Jessica Duchen, 18 November 2016
“The tenor is a storyteller who avoids mannerisms: no reverb, little vibrato, no preoccupation with nice sound. However, he is constantly audible, and he does not avoid the risk. In the highest registers he also has an astonishing resilience, as demonstrated in almost hummed encore Mondnacht. British accompanist Julius Drake showed a sensitive ear for detail. In the perlentränentröpfchen, the death coffin is nailed: they were all audible in the Steinway.“
De Volkskrant, 20 November 2015 – on the album “Poetisches Tagebuch“ (Challenge Classics, November 2015)
“Much of what Prégardien did was a revelation, with such immaculate diction and attention to each musical detail that the audience hung on every word. The four songs of Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, so often presented as expressions of youthful self-pity, became a genuinely dramatic scenario, the tragedy searingly convincing. […] This was Lieder singing of the very highest class“
The Guardian, Andrew Clements, 2 November 2015
Christoph Prégardien & Julius Drake: Schubert Lieder, August 2022
Christoph Prégardien & Trio Hölscher, Heide, Maintz: Beethoven folk song arrangements for piano trio, June 2022
British folk songs, arranged for voice and piano trio
Sunset, Op. 108/2Since Greybeards inform us, WoO 153/4Come, draw we round, WoO 152/8Again, my lyre, Op. 108/24Sally in our alley, Op. 108/25
Christoph Prégardien & Trio Hölscher, Heide, Maintz: Lieder by Schubert, June 2022
Der Musensohn (Goethe), D. 764Im Frühling (Schulze), D. 882Erlkönig (Goethe), D. 328Wandrers Nachtlied II (Goethe), D. 768*Fischerweise (Schlechta), D. 881*Ständchen (Rellstab), D. 957/4Die Mutter Erde (Stolberg), D. 788*Nacht und Träume (M. v. Collin), D. 827*
Christoph Prégardien & Ulrich Eisenlohr: Six Songs from Schubert’s Schwanengesang
Christoph Prégardien with the Oberon Trio @ Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele 2020
Christoph Prégardien, Ulrich Eisenlohr
Naxos 8.574268, 2021
Christoph Prégardien, Julius Drake
The Fryderyk Chopin Institute NIFCCD 076, 2022
Christoph Prégardien, Michael Gees
Challenge Records CC 72788, 2019
Christoph Prégardien, Christoph Schnackertz
The Fryderyk Chopin Institute NIFCCD 070, 2019
Christoph, Prégardien, Kammerorchester Basel, Camerata Vocale Freiburg, Winfried Toll (conductor)
Solo Musica SM 328, 2019
Christoph Prégardien, Vox Orchester, Lorenzo Ghirlanda
deutsche harmonia mundi 19075834122, 2018
Christoph Prégardien, Cyprien Katsaris
Challenge Records CC 72787, 2018
Christoph Prégardien, Olivier Darbellay, Michael Gees
Challenge Records CC 72771, 2017
Challenge Records CC 72670, 2015
Christoph & Julian Prégardien, Michael Gees
Challenge Records CC 72645, 2014
Challenge Records CC 72596, 2013
Christoph Prégardien, Bochumer Symphoniker, Steven Sloane
cpo 777 675-2, 2013
Christoph Prégardien, Julia Kleiter, Hilko Dumno
Challenge Records CC 72378, 2010
Challenge Records CC 72324, 2009
Christoph Prégardien, Andreas Staier
Challenge Records CC 72302, 2008
Challenge Records CC 72292, 2008