Born: March 3, 1965 - Frankfurt, Germany

The German soprano, Christine Schäfer, studied with Ingrid Figur at the Berlin Hochschule der Künste (Academy of Arts). In 1985 she took part four master-class courses given by Arleen Augér, an important stimulus in her training; Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Sena Jurinac also influenced her development. Then came the first song recitals in Berlin, Frankfurt and Stuttgart. In November 1988 she was awarded a prize at the German VDMK contest.

Christine Schäfer has a highly diversified repertoire, which is perhaps the most obvious feature of her artistic endeavours: she sings Baroque music and roles in modern opera, Mozart arias and the works of contemporary composers, orchestral songs by R. Strauss and A. Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire, all with the same whole-hearted commitment. The major festivals, opera houses and concert promoters are scrambling to engage this young soprano, who is only at the beginning of her international career. For example, she participated at the Mahler Festival Toblach, the Staufen Week of Music, and the Bach Festival in Los Angeles.

The composer Aribert Reimann has played a special role in Christine Schäfer’s career: it was his course on contemporary song at Berlin Hochschule that she was able to cultivate in depth her love for the music of our time, and Reimann has also composed several songs specially for her. In 1989 she made her first record with songs composed by Reimann.

Initially, Christine Schäfer concentrated on the concert repertoire, but before long she also began tackling some of the most important parts in the opera literature. Her international breakthrough as an opera singer came as Sophie in Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier and in the title role of Berg's Lulu. In the field of early music, she preferred partners have long been Nikolaus Harnoncourt and, especially, Reinhard Goebel and his Musica Antiqua Köln.

More Photos

Source: Liner notes to the CD ‘Bach: Wedding Cantatas’ conducted by Goebel (Deutsche Grammophon, 1999); Liner notes to the 2-CD album ‘J.S. Bach: St. John Passion’ conducted by Eckhard Weyand (Hänssler, 1998)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (January 2001)

Recordings of Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works

Conductor

As

Works

Claudio Abbado

Soprano

BWV 244

Karl-Friedrich Beringer

Soprano

BWV 232

Bernhard Forck

Soprano

BWV 32, BWV 49

Reinhard Goebel

Soprano

BWV 51, BWV 202, BWV 210

Nikolaus Harnoncourt

Soprano

BWV 244, BWV 248
DVD: BWV 61, BWV 147, BWV 243

Helmuth Rilling

Soprano

BWV 206, BWV 207a, BWV 211, BWV 212, BWV 234, BWV 243

Eckhard Weyand

Soprano

BWV 245

Links to other Sites

Artist Page: Christine Schäfer (Hyperion)
Christine Schäfer (Berkeley) [PDF]
Oper/Operette: Christine Schäfer (Music&Theater) [German]
Christine Schäfer (Tidskriften Opera)
RuhrTriennale: Christine Schäfer [German]
Chrstine Schäfer - Soprano (IMG Artists)

Christine Schäfer Detail (Klubhaus Konzerte) [German]
Vancouver Recital Society | Recital Season: Christine Schaefer
Munzinger Personen: Christine Schäfer [German]
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London, UK: Christine Schäfer
Christine Schäfer – Biography (Augstein) [German]

Short Biographies: A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | Explanation | Acronyms

Introduction | Cantatas | Other Vocal | Non-Vocal | Performers | General Topics | Articles | Books | Movies
Biographies | Texts & Translations | Scores | References | Commentary | Music | Concerts | Bach Tour | Memorabilia
Chorale Texts | Chorale Melodies | Lutheran Church Year | Readings | Poets & Composers | Transcriptions
Search Website | Search Works/Movements | Terms & Abbreviations | Copyright Notice | How to contribute | Links