At the 20 November 20th concert of the Star Galas with Piano series, the German mezzo-soprano, who became world-famous in Wagner's roles, will make her first appearance at the Budapest Opera House, accompanied by up-and-coming young baritone Samuel Hasselhorn and pianist Joseph Breinl. Their programme will feature 19th-century German songs from Schubert to Mahler.
Waltraud Meier is deservedly famous for her elegance and detailed performance, who has become known for more than four decades as the interpreter of Wagner's emblematic female figures from Buenos Aires, through Bayreuth to Vienna. In the first half of her rectal, the German dramatic soprano and mezzo-soprano compiled her programme from songs by Schubert, Brahms, and Richard Strauss. The second part features songs by Mahler composed after Des Knaben Wunderhorn, a collection of romantic German folk poetry and folk songs. Her partner for the evening is the German baritone Samuel Hasselhorn, who is on the verge of a promising career in opera and singing, who, in addition to the works of the already mentioned composers, will also perform pieces by Schumann. The winner of the 2018 Queen Elizabeth Music Competition in Brussels in recent years played Count Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro) at the Berlin State Opera and Don Giovanni at the Vienna State Opera, as well as Harlequin (Ariadne in Naxos) at La Scala in Milan. He is no stranger to the Budapest audience, as last December he participated in Bach's Christmas Oratorio, presented by the French Insula Orchestra and Accentus Chamber Choir at Müpa.
The musical accompaniment is provided by Joseph Breinl, a sought-after pianist and chamber musician of his generation throughout Europe. He has performed at renowned concert halls such as Carnegie Hall, La Scala, Vienna's Musikverein, and Dresden's Semperoper, but he also gave concerts at the Edinburgh Festival. Raised in a family of musicians, the Bavarian pianist graduated from the Munich Academy of Music, and also completed master classes at the Amsterdam Conservatory. His alma mater employed him as a teacher even before graduation, and since 2010 he has been teaching song interpretation at the Graz University of Arts. The pianist, who has won several prestigious international awards, regularly works with Waltraud Meier in addition to several other well-known opera singers.
The Star Evenings with Piano series will continue on 29 January 2023 with an aria and song recital by Mexican tenor Ramón Vargas. His partner will be the Georgian pianist Mzia Bachtouridze, who also participated in Ildar Abrazakov's recital earlier this season.
