Born: 1971 - Marburg an der Lahn, Germany

The German mezzo-soprano, Franziska Gottwald, already started taking singing lessons with Professor Eugen Rabine while still at grammar school. She studied at the music conservatories of Saarbrücken, Hannover and Weimar. Master-classes with Professor Elio Battaglia and Norman Shetler as well as the participation in the opera course of the "Jeunesses Musicales" in Weikersheim under Dennis Russel Davies enriched her artistic career/development. During this time she was the prize-winner of several singing competitions, including the 1^st Prize for singing at the XIII International Bach Competition 2002 in Leipzig.

Already during her studies Franziska Gottwald took part in various performances at such theatres as the State Opera of Lower Saxony in Hannover, the State Opera in Braunschweig, and the German National Theatre in Weimar, which led to a four year long contract at the theatre in Weimar.

There Franziska Gottwald debuted as Hänsel in Engelbert Humperdinck's Hänsel and Gretel. Following that she sang roles such as Ramiro in Mozart's Die Gärtnerin aus Liebe, Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro (Wernigeröder Festival, 1998) and Oberon in Britten’s A Midsurnmer-Night's Dream. In 2003 she could be in such roles as Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro) and Frau Reich (The merry wifes of Windsor).

Beyond that Franziska Gottwald has already made herself a name during already during her studies as Lieder and oratorio singer. Thus she participates in CD and broadcast productions and in 1998 appeared for the first time in the Concertgebouw Amsterdam under the direction of Ton Koopman. Since that time she has worked repeatedly with Ton Koopman and Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra. She has also sung under the batons of renowned conductors as Reinhard Goebel and Helmuth Rilling.

Source: Mostly from liner notes to the album ‘J.S. Bach: Cantatas Vol. 13’ conducted by Ton Koopman (Antoine Marcchand, 2003); Liner notes to the 2-CD album’ ‘XIII Internationaler Johann-Sebastian-Bach-Wettbewerb’ (Bach-Archiv Leipzig, 2002), English translation by Aryeh Oron (May 2004)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (June 2003, May 2004)

Recordings of Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works

Conductor

As

Works

Konstanze Beyer

Alto

Aria from BWV 169

Ton Koopman

Alto

BWV 33, BWV 38, BWV 62, BWV 92, BWV 93, BWV 96, BWV 122, BWV 123, BWV 126, BWV 133

Links to other Sites

KKM: 21.04.2000 [German]

Franziska Gottwald - Mezzo (Boris Orlob) [English/Gerrman]