Born: May 19, 1952 - Dresden, Germany

The German contralto (and Mezzo-soprano), Elisabeth Wilke, studied singing at the Musikhochschule in Dresden and made her debut during her student days singing Hänsel in Hänsel and Gretel at what was then Dresden State Opera (now the Semperoper).

Since her studies Elisabeth Wilke has been a member of the Semperoper soloists’ ensemble. Her repertoire covers mainly lyrical mezzo-soprano and alto parts such as Dorabella in Cosi fan tutte, Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro, Oktavian in Der Rosenkavalier, Rosina in The Barber of Seville, Xerxes and La voix humaine (Francis Poulenc). As a popular concert and oratorio singer she has worked closely with many famous orchestras and conductors. She has given Lieder recitals and chamber-music programmes at numerous music festivals such as the Schleswig Holstein Music Festival, the Dresden and Berlin music festivals and the Liturgica Festival in Jerusalem. In addition to her concert performances she has made a name for herself through many radio, television and CD recordings. Awarded the coveted title of Kammersängerin, she has received the Händel prize of the city of Halle.

For some years now Elisabeth Wilke has been teaching at the Hochschule für Musik in Dresden, and she has been a guest professor at the Mozarteum in Salzburg since 1998.

Source: Liner notes to the 13-CD album ‘ Bach Made in Germany - Vol. V’ conducted by Ludwig Güttler (Dresden Classics, 2000)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (May 2001)

Recordings of Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works

Conductor

As

Works

Georg Christoph Biller

Alto

BWV 232

Ludwig Güttler

Alto

BWV 169

Peter Schreier

Alto

BWV 244, BWV 245

Wolfgang Unger

Alto

BWV 129

Links to other Sites

Wilke Elisabeth - Respmusyc [German]

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