Thomas Quasthoff will return to the Salzburg Festival stage

Thomas Quasthoff (Photo: Harald Hoffmann/DG), Michael Volle

Wonderful news: his innumerable fans will be able to attend a performance by Thomas Quasthoff at the 2012 Festival after all. In January, Quasthoff announced his retirement as a singer. However, he will return to the Festival stage on August 18 in Salzburg – not as a singer, but as narrator: together with baritone Michael Volle and Helmut Deutsch at the piano, he will narrate the fifteen-part song cycle Die schöne Magelone by Johannes Brahms, based on texts by Ludwig Tieck.
“The fact that Thomas Quasthoff has agreed to take the part of the narrator, and thus remains part of the Salzburg Festival, is a great piece of good luck” – thus, Alexander Pereira expressed his joy, adding that to him, “Thomas Quasthoff is a role model, not only as an artist, but also as a human being.”
The tale of The Wondrous Love Story of Beautiful Magelone and Count Peter of Provence was first documented in 15th century France and tells of Magelone, the daughter of the King of Naples. Magelone and Count Peter of Provence fall in love, although Magelone has been promised to another, and together they flee from the court. When a bird steals Magelone’s ring and Peter chases it, he is captured and sold into slavery by Turks. He is able to escape, but only returns to embrace his Magelone after years of wandering.
Michael Volle is among the most important singers of our times. At the Salzburg Festival, he has performed numerous roles since his debut in 1998, including in the operas Fidelio, Don Carlo, Die Zauberflöte and Die Gezeichneten, and in 2010 he appeared as Dr. Schön / Jack in Lulu. Volle dedicates much of his energy to the song and concert repertoire. In 2011, he appeared in concert with the Vienna Philharmonic under Franz Welser-Möst, performing the solo opposite Christine Schäfer in Zemlinsky’s Lyrische Symphonie in sieben Gesängen at the Großes Festspielhaus.

CONCERT

Song Recital

Michael Volle (Baritone) and Thomas Quasthoff (Narrator)

JOHANNES BRAHMS • Die schöne Magelone – 15 Romanzen nach Gedichten von Ludwig Tieck, Op. 33

Michael Volle, Baritone
Thomas Quasthoff, Narrator
Helmut Deutsch, Piano

Saturday, August 18, 2012, 8:00 pm, Haus für Mozart

If you are interested in tickets please click here.