Anne Sofie von Otter

Anne Sofie von Otter (born 9 May 1955) is a Swedish mezzo-soprano.

Biography

Von Otter was born in Stockholm, Sweden. Her father was the diplomat Göran von Otter and she grew up in Bonn, London and Stockholm. After studying in Stockholm and Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, she was engaged by the Basel Opera, where she made her operatic début in 1983 as Alcina in Haydn's "Orlando paladino". She made her Royal Opera House, Covent Garden début in 1985 and her Metropolitan Opera début in 1988 as Cherubino. In 1987, she made her La Scala debut. She has had notable success in roles of Mozart, Handel, and Monteverdi. In recitals, she excels in the music of Mahler, Brahms, Grieg, Wolf and Sibelius. In 2001 she released an album with Elvis Costello, for which she won an Edison Award. Among the conductors she has worked with repeatedly are William Christie, Marc Minkowski, Claudio Abbado, John Eliot Gardiner, and Myung-Whun Chung. Most of her recitals and many of her recordings have been collaborations with Swedish pianist Bengt Forsberg. In 2003 Von Otter was awarded a Rolf Schock Prize in the musical arts category.

In 2007, she released a highly-praised album of music written by composers imprisoned in the Nazi "model" ghetto of Theresienstadt concentration camp (also known as Terezin) prior to their transportation to the death camp of Auschwitz. She has explained that the material has special personal meaning for her as her father, a Swedish diplomat, had attempted during the war to spread information that he had received about the Nazi death camps.

She is married to Benny Fredriksson, an actor and theatre director, and has two children.

Lieder and songs

*"Johannes Brahms Lieder" with Bengt Forsberg (1991) Deutsche Grammophon
*"Grieg Songs" with Bengt Forsberg (1993) Deutsche Grammophon
*"Speak Low: Songs by Kurt Weill" conducted by John Eliot Gardiner (1995) Deutsche Grammophon
*"Frauenliebe und –leben" by Schumann with Bengt Forsberg (1996) Deutsche Grammophon
*"Schubert: Lieder, with Bengt Forsberg (1997) Deutsche Grammophon
*"Des Knaben Wunderhorn" (with Thomas Quasthoff) by Mahler conducted by Claudio Abbado (1999) Deutsche Grammophon
*"Mahler: "Kindertotenlieder", conducted by Pierre Boulez (2005) Deutsche Grammophon
*"Chaminade Lieder and other works" with Bengt Forsberg (2002) Deutsche Grammophon
*"Berlioz: Mélodies" and "Les nuits d'ete", with Cord Garben (piano) and conducted by James Levine

Operas

*"Hänsel und Gretel" by Humperdinck conducted by Jeffrey Tate(1989/1990) EMI
*"Idomeneo" by Mozart conducted by John Eliot Gardiner (1991) Deutsche Grammophon
*"Der Rosenkavalier" by Richard Strauss conducted by Bernard Haitink (1991) EMI Classics
*"Le Nozze di Figaro" by Mozart conducted by James Levine (1992) Deutsche Grammophon
*"La Clemenza di Tito" by Mozart conducted by John Eliot Gardiner (1993) Deutsche Grammophon
*"Agrippina" by Handel conducted by John Eliot Gardiner (1997) Philips
*"Werther" by Massenet conducted by Kent Nagano (1997) Elektra
*"Ariodante" by Handel conducted by Marc Minkowski (1999) Archiv
*"Ariadne auf Naxos" by Richard Strauss conducted by Giuseppe Sinopoli (2002)
*"Hercules" by Handel conducted by Marc Minkowski(2002) Archiv
*"Giulio Cesare" by Handel conducted by Marc Minkowski (2003) Archiv
*"Carmen" by Bizet conducted by Philppe Jordan (2003) BBC/Pro Arte
*"Serse" by Handel conducted by William Christie (2004) Virgin Classics

Other recordings

*"For The Stars", a collection of rock and pop songs (by the likes of Brian Wilson and Lennon/McCartney), with Elvis Costello
*"Handel: Messiah", with Arleen Auger, Michael Chance, Howard Crook and John Tomlinson, with Trevor Pinnock and the English Concert
*"Handel: Messiah", with Sylvia McNair, Michael Chance, Jerry Hadley and Robert Lloyd, with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields conducted by Sir Neville Marriner
*"Beethoven: Symphony no. 9, with Luba Orgonasova, Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Gilles Cachemaille, the Monteverdi Choir and the Orchestre Revolutionaire et Romantique, conducted by Sir John Eliot Gardiner
*"Mahler: "Symphony no. 3", conducted by Pierre Boulez
*"Berlioz: "The Damnation of Faust", with Bryn Terfel, conducted by Myung-Whun Chung
*"Theresienstadt", with Bengt Forsberg and others
*"Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius, with Alastair Miles and David Rendall, conducted by Sir Colin Davis

External links

* [http://www.sfcv.org/arts_revs/vonotter_10_25_05.php Review by Lisa Hirsch in San francisco Classical Voice]
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/19/arts/music/19otte.html?pagewanted=print&position= Anthony Tommasini : "Vibrant Singing at the Nice Price" in the New York Times of April 19 2005]
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/16/arts/music/16midg.html?fta=y Anne Midgette: "Classical Recordings: Anne Sofie von Otter Sinks Her Teeth Into the Baroque" in New York Times of January 16 2005]
* [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9505E2DD1031F93AA35756C0A96E958260 Anthony Tommasini: "MUSIC REVIEW; Von Otter, From Lieder to Blues" in the New York Times of May 9 1998]
* [http://www.annesofievonotter.com/ Anne-Sofie von Otter's website]