Axel Köhler

Axel Köhler (born 1959 in Schwarzenberg, Saxony, East Germany) is a German countertenor and opera director. In 1994, he won the Handel Prize. Since 2009, he has been Artistic Director of the Halle Opera House.

Early life

Axel Köhler studied violin pedagogy and singing at the Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber Dresden. In 1987 he made his singing debut as Eustazio in Peter Konwitschny's production of ''Rinaldo''. A number of demanding countertenor roles followed, especially in Handel's operas, as Köhler guested at international festivals and concerts, and in compact disc, radio and opera productions.

Singing career

Since 1984, Köhler has belonged to the ensemble Halle an der Saale, first as a baritone and later as a countertenor. In 1995, Köhler sang at the Royal Opera House in London at the premiere of ''Arianna'' by Alexander Goehr. In 1998 he took over the title role in the world premiere of ''Farinelli'' by Siegfried Matthus. In 2001, he played the devil in Detlev Glanert's comic opera ''Scherz, Satire, Ironie und tiefere Bedeutung'' at its premiere. He sang the role of Ajib in ''L'Upupa'' by Hans Werner Henze in 2003 at the Salzburg Festival premiere. In 2006, Köhler designed the title role in ''Cantor – Die Vermessung des Unendlichen'' by Ingomar Grünauer, a world premiere in which he sang as a baritone.

In 2005, Köhler sang at the Semper Opera in Dresden in the role of Poro in Johann Adolf Hasse's opera ''Cleofide''. He sang with the Bavarian State Opera for ''Poppea'' and ''Rinaldo'', the Hamburg State Opera for ''Poppea''. He also sang in Monteverdi's ''L'Orfeo'' in the part of La Speranza and the Polinesso in Handel's ''Ariodante''. In 2011, he appeared as The Roasted Swan in Carl Orff's ''Carmina Burana''. From 2007 to 2010, he appeared as Artemis in Hans Werner Henze's ''Phaedra'' in Berlin, Brussels, Vienna, Frankfurt and London. Subsequently, he played the part of Trasimede in Handel's ''Alceste'' at the Leipzig Opera. He also sang on the Dresden Theatre Barge, the Opera Hall and at the Rheingau Music Festival in the cabaret program ''Greife wacker nach der Sünde''.

As a concert singer, Köhler worked with early music ensembles and conductors René Jacobs, Marcus Creed and Howard Arman. Köhler has released four solo CDs on the Capriccio and Berlin Classics labels.

Directing career

Since 2000, Axel Koehler also worked as a director. He made his debut with Monteverdi's ''L'Incoronazione di Poppea'', and in 2001 followed with Handel's ''Rodrigo''. In 2005 he followed with ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' by Benjamin Britten. Koehler's staging of Handel's opera ''Teseo'' was performed in 2003 in Germany, Switzerland and England.

In 2006, he staged opera air productions of ''Amadigi'' in Dresden and ''Alceste'' in Halle. In 2007 he brought Tom Johnson's ''Riemannoper'' to the stage of the basement theater of the Leipzig Opera House, and at the Mecklenburg State Theatre Schwerin, he directed Mozart's ''Don Giovanni''. In 2008 he presented at the Dresden State Operetta's production of Mozart's ''Magic Flute''. For the Chamber Opera Schloss Rheinsberg, he produced a ''White Lady'' by François Adrien Boieldieu. As a co-production of the Academy of Music and drama in Dresden, he brought Monteverdi's ''Poppea'' to the stage.

In 2009, Koehler staged ''Argenore'' by Wilhelmine of Bayreuth at the Margravial Opera House, Lehár's ''The Land of Smiles'' on the outdoor stage at Augsburg and Mozart's ''Magic Flute'' at the Innsbruck State Theatre. In 2010, these were followed by productions of Emmerich Kálmán's ''Countess Maritza'' at the Dresden State Operetta, Abraham's ''The Flower of Hawaii'' and Verdi's ''Macbeth'' at the Halle Opera House. In 2011, he produced Emmerich Kálmán's ''Countess Maritza'' and Telemann's ''The Patience of Socrates'' at the State Theatre of Gärtnerplatz, Munich. In 2012, Axel Köhler was invited by the Opera director of the Semperoper, Eytan Pessen, to direct numerous productions. In 2012 Köhler produced "Schwanda the Bagpiper” by Jaromír Weinberger and Domenico Sarro ''Dorina e Nibbio'' at the Semperoper in Dresden. In the 2013–2014 season he will direct Bizet's ''Carmen'' and Martini's ''L'impresario delle Canarie'' there.

Awards

Axel Köhler was honored in 1994 for his performances with the Handel Festival Prize. In 1998, he received the 1999 Prize of the Critics' Berliner Zeitung.

Sources

* archived on 2016-03-10
Axel Köhler
at Bühnen Halle
*https://web.archive.org/web/20121209083717/http://www.semperoper.de/oper/premieren/detailansicht/details/57961/besetzung/8311.html#Besetzung

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kohler, Axel
1959 births
Living people
People from Schwarzenberg, Saxony
German opera directors
Operatic countertenors
Handel Prize winners
German countertenors
20th-century German male opera singers
21st-century German male opera singers