As the opening concert of the Venice-Festival at Elbphilharmonie, Holger premiered his project „Gondoliere Veneziano“ together with the baroque-ensemble Nuovo Aspetto and the sound artists Merzouga.
The Hamburger Abendblatt writes:
„The density of the songs is high, Venice seems to come out here as the birthplace of the hit. Holger Falk, equally sought after as an operasinger and Lied interpreter finds exactly the right tone for this music: with a light sound that unites simplicity and sweetness in his almost tenor timbre.
Like a vocal chameleon, Falk changes color with the surroundings of the music. He sneezes venomously over crusted lacquered monkeys, nasally imitating the vulgar language of the street („Per mi aver Catina“), in which the audience shyly sings along the chorus.
Musically, the program sets its points primarily by clever arrangements. The nine-member group Nuovo Aspetto brings together a colorful mix of historical instruments, from the baroque guitar to the transverse flute and harp to the Salterio, a baroque dulcimer.
Meanwhile, the enchanting computer musician Eva Pöpplein – visible part of the duo Merzouga – on the left of the ensemble on stage on a black-coated table, weighs the head in the gentle groove of the pieces and controlled by live electronics not only the Venetian water, but also some loops of vocal lines of the singer in the hall.
This is how contemporary sound technology and old instruments, noise and music, everyday life and art come together: for an entertaining trip with the gondolier Veneziano, which makes you want more. „

>>> Complete article in Hamburger Abendblatt (or click on the main picture of the post)

NDR television report about the concert (to go to the video click on the picture below!)

Nach „Weine nicht, singe“ an der Hamburgischen Staatsoper 2016 hat Holger Falk nun die zweite Oper von Michael Wertmüller nach einem Libretto von Dea Loher uraufgeführt: In der zentralen Figur des Lord Byron in „Diodati. Unendlich“ am Theater Basel überzeugte er in der komplexen und exaltierten Partie des berühmten Dichters und Revolutionärs, die ihm Michael Wertmüller auf den Leib geschrieben hat.
Die Neue Zürcher Zeitung schreibt:
„Mit dem Bariton Holger Falk steht für Lord Byron ein perfekter Interpret zur Verfügung. Mit stimmlicher und darstellerischer Exaltation realisiert er die Figur des zerrissenen, genuss- und sexsüchtigen, idealistischen und letztlich einsamen romantischen Helden.“
(NZZ, Thomas Schacher).

>>> Mehr zur Oper und den weiteren Vorstellungen am Theater Basel (or click on the main picture of the post)

Diodati Trailer 1

Diodati Trailer 2

Holger Falk, „eine der kultiviertesten deutschsprachigen Baritonstimmen unserer Zeit“ (FONO FORUM) wird Hochschullehrer. Er folgt dem Ruf an die Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Graz, wo er ab dem Sommersemester 2019 die Professur für Liedinterpretation, Oratorium und Aufführungspraxis für zeitgenössische Musik übernimmt. Neben dem bereits bestehenden Studiengang für Lied und Oratorium wird der neue Master-Studiengang „Performance Practice for Contemporary Music“ für Sänger eingeführt. (Ankündiung / Kurz-Interview auf FONO FORUM)

After having enormous pleasure and success in their recitals at the Frick Collection New York and the chambermusic society in Cleveland/Ohio, Holger Falk and Julius Drake completed their tour at the Phillips Collection in Washington DC.
Patrick Rucker writes in the Washington Post:
„Falk has an extraordinarily flexible baritone, with a warm, confiding lower and midrange that, when called for, can go full throttle in a nanosecond. Meanwhile, in his upper range, he can float a pianissimo that could melt the heart of the Snow Queen. His French is exquisite, and his German is that of a cultured native speaker. But more important than his beautiful voice and perfect diction, Falk is able to characterize every word so vividly that, if he were singing in Vedic Sanskrit, you’d get the message.“ (read complete review)
And Daniel Hathaway writes in the „Cleveland Classical.com“:
„Falk commands an impressive vocal instrument, and uses it completely in the service of the poetic texts. Now he’s declamatory. Now he whispers intimately to the audience. Now he floats a tone of gossamer loveliness. Now he sings with a grotesque tone (perfect for Satie’s La grenouille américaine) . He’s also an actor — and a bit of a ham — who can imitate a kazoo (Satie’s Enfant-martyre) or whistle while dancing into the aisle (Satie’s Rambouillet) . He has particular fun with Satie, and who wouldn’t.
Falk and Drake made an impressive duo, unanimous in their interpretation and impeccable in their ensemble. Like his baritone partner, Drake isn’t shy about producing what would normally be considered unmusical sounds when the text warrants it.“ (read complete review)

Considered by Opernwelt  to be “intellectually and vocally one of the most flexible singers on the German stage today”,  baritone Holger Falk, with world-renowned pianist Julius Drake, will be making his lied recital debuts in New York (Frick Collection, October 21), Cleveland (Cleveland Chamber Music Society, October 23) and  in Washington DC (the Phillips Collection, October 28. The program will include Lieder by Schubert, Eisler, Satie and Poulenc, composers whose works Holger has recorded to great acclaim. Holger is the winner of the 2016 Echo Klassik award for his recording of the songs and melodies of Erik Satie.  He has made Poulenc a specialty, and has recorded on 3 CDs the complete melodies of Poulenc.  In 2017 he also started a 4-CD collection of the complete songs of Hanns Eisler, recordings which have received tremendous attention and accolades including the 2017 German Record Reviewers Prize and Gramophone Editor’s Choice Award, as well as nominations in 2018 for the International Music Award, Gramophone Editor’s Choice and the German Record Reviewers Prize. The Münchener Merkur wrote of the Eisler “This magnificent singer-actor and interpretive extremist, spurred on by pianist Steffen Schleiermacher, dares to take it to the vocal limits and wins- Outstanding!” and the Stuttgarter Zeitung calls it “a thrilling listening experience!”
As an interpreter of the Lied, Holger appears at numerous festivals such as. the Music and Beyond Festival Ottawa, the Philharmonie Cologne, Gewandhaus Leipzig, Konzerthaus Berlin, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Ruhrtriennale Dortmund, Franz Liszt Academy Budapest, Operá de Rouen, Schleswig Holstein Music Festival, Dresdner Musikfestspiele, Berliner Festspiele, Steirischer Herbst Graz and the Rheingau-Musikfestival.
As a leading baritone for contemporary opera,  engagements have taken him to the Théâtre de la Monnaie Brussels, Theâtre Champs Elysées Paris, Teatro Real Madrid, Bavarian State Opera Munich, the Hamburg State Opera, Theater an der Wien, National Opera Warsaw, Opera Frankfurt,  and to numerous German opera houses. His interpretation of two different roles earned him a nominations as Best Singer of the Year by Opernwelt for the 2016-17 season.

For more information and to buy tickets:

Frick Collection

Cleveland Chamber Music Society

Phillips Collection

hr2-Kultur Doppelkopf: Der Opernsänger Holger Falk u. a. über seine Vorliebe für die Avantgarde des 21. Jahrhunderts

Vor 25 Jahren sang er bei den Regensburger Domspatzen, vor 15 Jahren im Kinderkonzert des Hessischen Rundfunks. Mittlerweile gastiert der Bariton Holger Falk an den großen Opernhäusern der Welt, zuletzt mit der Titelpartie in Manfred Trojahns „Enrico“ an der Oper Frankfurt.

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