Anne Sofie von Otter
mezzo-soprano
There is hardly a prestigious opera house or concert hall where the mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter has not already performed. Her vast repertoire ranges from the Baroque to the 21st century, and includes Swedish folk music as well as pop songs by Abba, Elvis Costello and Brad Mehldau.
This versatility has played a crucial role in the career of the Swedish artist, who is one of the most frequently immortalised singers of her generation on CD and DVD recordings. She studied at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm and at London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama before joining the opera ensemble of Theater Basel. She has subsequently enjoyed numerous successes on the great opera stages, including as Octavian ([Der Rosenkavalier]) in London, Paris, Chicago, Munich, Stockholm, Vienna and at New York’s Metropolitan Opera, in Gluck’s [Alceste] at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, in Bizet’s [Carmen] at the Glyndebourne Festival and as Didon in Berlioz’s [Les Troyens] at the Grand Théâtre de Genève. Anne Sofie von Otter has also participated in world premieres, including Leonora in Thomas Adès’s [The Exterminating Angel] at the Salzburg Festival and Covent Garden, and Charlotte in Sebastian Fagerlund’s [Höstsonaten] in Helsinki. A much sought-after concert singer, she has appeared at concert halls all over the world. Anne Sofie von Otter has performed with the Berliner Philharmoniker on several occasions since 1988, including in Mahler’s [Lied von der Erde] in a concert conducted by Claudio Abbado.
