René Pape

The German bass began his career at the opera houses of Berlin. However, when Sir Georg Solti cast him in the role of Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte, René Pape’s international career almost immediately continued on the stages of the world’s greatest houses including the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the Vienna State Opera, Bayreuth, and the Metropolitan Opera in New York. In addition to the great bass roles of Verdi, R. Strauss, Gounod, and Mussorgsky, his name has become virtually synonymous with Wagner’s art, and he has also appeared in Beethoven’s and Mahler’s monumental symphonies. Hungarian audiences have seen him several times over the past decade; his first performance in Budapest was at the closing concert of the Hungarian State Opera’s 2017 Hungarian Fest, where he delighted the audience with Verdi and Wagner arias. In the Stars’ Recital with Piano series, he reveals another facet of his artistry in the Opera House’s excellent acoustics.