Doris Soffel
Doris Soffel ( born May 12, 1948 in Hechingen, Baden- Württemberg ) is a German mezzo-soprano, German opera singer and winner of the Royal Swedish Order of the North Star.
Life
Soffel first studied violin and then singing ( teacher: Marianne Sheikh ) at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich. From 1973 to 1982 she was a member of the Stuttgart Opera Ensemble where she roles like Carmen, Dorabella ( Mozart: Così fan tutte ) and Octavian ( Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier ) took over. The international breakthrough came in 1982 at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, London, as Sesto in Mozart's La Clemenza di Tito, and as Prince Orlofsky in Strauss' operetta Die Fledermaus.
As early as 1983 Soffel as Fricka sang at the Bayreuth Festival. It was then the only German coloratura mezzo-soprano with an international career with engagements in operas such as L' Italiana in Algeri and La Cenerentola by Rossini, Donizetti's Maria Stuarda and Norma by Bellini. She sang premieres of contemporary composers like Aribert Reimann and Krzysztof Penderecki. She performed in concerts with Mahler's works worldwide. Her artistic work has been documented in over 60 CD and DVD recordings.
Since 1994 she played dramatic roles such as Judith in Béla Bartók's Duke Bluebeard's Castle, Princess Eboli in Verdi's Don Carlos and Amneris in Aida.
Since 1999 Soffel is one of the internationally sought-after Wagner and Strauss singers with roles such as Ortrud ( Lohengrin ), Kundry ( Parsifal ), Fricka ( Das Rheingold and Die Walküre ), Herodias ( Salome ), nurse ( The Woman without a Shadow ) and Clytemnestra ( Elektra ). In 2007 she took over the Marfa the female lead role in Mussorgsky 's opera Khovanshchina at the Bavarian State Opera, Munich and 2008 Kabanicha in Janáček's Katia Kabanova at the Cologne Opera and the Jezibaba in Dvorak's Rusalka at the Theatre de la Monnaie, Brussels.
Soffel lives in Berlin and is married to a Swede, they have an adult daughter.
Awards
Soffel was 2006 Kammersängerin the Cologne Opera.
Repertoire
Opera
Concert