Benjamin Appl (born 26 June 1982) is a German-British lyric
baritone
A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...
, a classical singer who has appeared world-wide in
opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...
houses and concert halls, particularly known as a
Lied
In Western classical music tradition, (, plural ; , plural , ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music to create a piece of polyphonic music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German, but among English and French s ...
er singer.
Early life and education
Born in
Regensburg
Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the f ...
, Appl has two older brothers, with whom he sang as a chorister with the
Regensburger Domspatzen
The Regensburger Domspatzen (literally: Regensburg Cathedral Sparrows) is the cathedral choir at the Regensburg Cathedral in Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany. The boys' choir dates back to 975, and consists of boys and young men only. They perform in ...
, the boys' choir at the
Regensburg Cathedral
Regensburg Cathedral (german: Dom St. Peter or Regensburger Dom), also known as St. Peter's Cathedral, is an example of important Gothic architecture within the German state of Bavaria. It is a landmark for the city of Regensburg, Germany, and ...
, performing in concerts across Europe and Asia. Following secondary school, rather than spending a compulsory year in the army he completed his alternative community service working for the
Bayerischer Blinden- und Sehbehindertenbund in Regensburg, providing assistance to blind people in the community. He started training as a bank clerk at the
Liga Bank
Liga or LIGA may refer to:
People
* Līga (name), a Latvian female given name
* Luciano Ligabue, more commonly known as Ligabue or ''Liga'', Italian rock singer-songwriter
Sports
* Liga ACB, men's professional basketball league in Spain
* Lig ...
in Regensburg. He then studied
business administration
Business administration, also known as business management, is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. From the point of view of management ...
at the
University of Regensburg, graduating in 2009 with a
diploma
A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offici ...
. His diploma thesis, an empirical study of withdrawn
initial public offerings
An initial public offering (IPO) or stock launch is a public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors and usually also to retail (individual) investors. An IPO is typically underwritten by one or more investment ...
, received the highest possible marks. He was awarded a scholarship from the
Studienstiftung
The German Academic Scholarship Foundation (German: , or ''Studienstiftung'' for short) is Germany's largest and most prestigious scholarship foundation. According to its statutes, it supports "the university education of young people who, on ac ...
des deutschen Volkes between 2007 and 2012.
While studying for his management diploma, he auditioned at the
Musikhochschule Augsburg
The Leopold Mozart Centre (German: (LMZ) in Augsburg, Germany, is a university of music, founded as part of the University of Augsburg in 2008. It is located in the buildings of the former Musikhochschule as well as buildings on the university c ...
for the soloist class taught by
Edith Wiens. Under her tutelage, he continued his vocal training from 2008 at the
Hochschule für Musik und Theater München
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...
, and at the opera class at
Bayerische Theaterakademie August Everding
The Bayerische Theaterakademie August Everding (English: Bavarian Theatre Academy August Everding) at the Prinzregententheater in Munich, was founded by August Everding in 1993. Since September 2014, the Academy has been directed by Hans-Jürgen Dr ...
, based at the
Prinzregententheater. He also participated in
Helmut Deutsch
Helmut Erich Deutsch (born 24 December 1945) is an Austrian classical pianist, specialising in chamber music and lieder accompaniment.
Deutsch was born in Vienna, where he studied piano, composition and musicology at the Vienna Music Academy f ...
's
Lied
In Western classical music tradition, (, plural ; , plural , ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music to create a piece of polyphonic music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German, but among English and French s ...
er class.
In 2009, Appl met
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau at a public masterclass of the
Schubertiade in
Schwarzenberg, Austria, which led to his receiving private lessons as his last student until Fischer-Dieskau's death in May 2012.
In 2010, Appl moved to London to study at the
Guildhall School of Music and Drama with
Rudolf Piernay
Rudolf Piernay (born 8 December 1943 in Berlin) is a German vocal teacher and university lecturer.
Biography
Piernay spent his childhood, youth, and first studied in Berlin, then began the study of singing, piano, song accompaniment and conduct ...
. During this time, he attended masterclasses with
Brigitte Fassbaender,
Gerald Finley
Gerald Hunter Finley, (born January 30, 1960) is a Canadian baritone opera singer.
Early life
Finley was born in Montreal and studied music at St. Matthew's Anglican Church, Ottawa, the University of Ottawa, King's College, Cambridge and the Ro ...
,
Christian Gerhaher,
Thomas Hampson
Thomas Walter Hampson (born June 28, 1955) is an American lyric baritone, a classical singer who has appeared world-wide in major opera houses and concert halls and made over 170 musical recordings.
Hampson's operatic repertoire spans a range ...
, and
Peter Schreier
Peter Schreier (29 July 1935 – 25 December 2019) was a German tenor in opera, concert and lied, and a conductor. He was regarded as one of the leading lyric tenors of the 20th century.
Schreier was a member of the Dresdner Kreuzchor conduct ...
, among others. In 2019, he became a British citizen.
Recitals
Appl has given recitals regularly at
Wigmore Hall in London and the Schubertiade, and has performed at major venues including
Festspielhaus Baden-Baden
The Festspielhaus Baden-Baden is Germany’s largest opera and concert house, with a 2,500 seat capacity.
The building was originally built in 1904 as Baden-Baden central railway station. This building replaced the original railway station whi ...
,
Concertgebouw in Amsterdam,
Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, and the
Musée du Louvre in Paris. He has performed at the
Ravinia Festival,
Rheingau Musik Festival
The (RMF) is an international summer music festival in Germany, founded in 1987. It is mostly for classical music, but includes other genres. Concerts take place at culturally important locations, such as Eberbach Abbey and Schloss Johannisberg, ...
,
Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival,
Edinburgh International Festival, LIFE Victoria Festival Barcelona,
Leeds Lieder and
Oxford Lieder Festival. His first recital at
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...
in New York City in May 2020 had to be cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. He has collaborated with pianists
Graham Johnson and James Baillieu, and has also performed recitals with
Kit Armstrong
Kit Armstrong ( zh, c=周善祥, p=Zhōu Shànxiáng, born March 5, 1992) is an American classical pianist, composer, and former child prodigy of British-Taiwanese parentage.
Education
Armstrong was born in Los Angeles into a non-musical famil ...
, Kristian Bezuidenhout, Helmut Deutsch,
Julius Drake
The gens Julia (''gēns Iūlia'', ) was one of the most prominent patrician families in ancient Rome. Members of the gens attained the highest dignities of the state in the earliest times of the Republic. The first of the family to obtain the ...
,
Boris Giltburg
Boris Leonidovich Giltburg ( he, בוריס גילטבורג, born June 21, 1984) is an Israeli classical pianist, born in Russia.
Biography
Giltburg was born into a Jewish family in Moscow, Russia, and began studying piano with his mother a ...
,
Pavel Kolesnikov
Pavel Kolesnikov () (born 25 February 1989) is a Russian pianist and chamber musician.
Life
Born in Novosibirsk, Kolesnikov, the son of scientists, began learning the piano and violin at the age of six. In 2004, at the age of 15, he went to t ...
,
Simon Lepper
Simon Lepper is a British pianist specialising in song accompaniment and chamber music
Biography
Born in Canterbury, Lepper read music at King's College, Cambridge, and studied piano accompaniment with Michael Dussek at the Royal Academy of M ...
,
Malcolm Martineau
Malcolm Martineau, OBE (born 3 February 1960) is a Scottish pianist who is particularly noted as an accompanist.
Life
Martineau was born to the pianist Hester Dickson Martineau and Canon George Martineau in 1960. He was an only child but he had ...
,
Wolfram Rieger
Wolfram Rieger is a German classical pianist, who is known internationally as accompanist of singers and in chamber music.
Training
Born in Waldsassen, Rieger received his first piano lessons from his parents and later from Konrad Pfeiffer in R ...
,
Martin Stadtfeld
Martin Stadtfeld (born 19 November 1980 in Gackenbach) is a German pianist.
Stadtfeld gave his first concert at age 9, and at age 14 enrolled at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts in Frankfurt under the tutelage of Russian-Am ...
and
Roger Vignoles
Roger Vignoles (born 12 July 1945), is a British pianist and accompanist. He regularly performs with the world's leading singers, including Kiri Te Kanawa, Thomas Allen, Anne Sofie von Otter, Thomas Hampson, Gitta-Maria Sjöberg, Sarah Walk ...
.
Opera
While studying at the August Everding Academy, Appl took part in opera and operetta productions, including appearing as Ypsheim-Gindelbach in ''
Wiener Blut'', Falke in ''
Die Fledermaus'' by Johann Strauß, Schaunard in Puccini's ''
La bohème'' and Baron Tusenbach in ''
Tri sestry
Tri Sestry (russian: Три Сестры, link=no, lit=the three sisters) is a stratovolcano located in the central part of Urup Island, Kuril Islands, Russia.
See also
* List of volcanoes in Russia
This is a list of active and extinct volcan ...
'' by Peter Eötvös. In London, he performed the roles of the Count in Mozart's ''
Le nozze di Figaro'', Bustamente in ''
La Navarraise
''La Navarraise'' (, "The Woman of Navarre") is an opera in two acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Jules Claretie and Henri Cain, based on Claretie's short story ''La cigarette'' (1890). It was first performed at Covent Garden in ...
'', Chevalier des Grieux in ''
Le portrait de Manon'', Dr Cajus in Nicolai's ''
Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor'', and the title role in Britten's ''
Owen Wingrave
''Owen Wingrave'', Op. 85, is an opera in two acts with music by Benjamin Britten and libretto by Myfanwy Piper, after a short story by Henry James. It was originally written for televised performance.
Britten had been aware of the story sin ...
''. Further opera roles include Guglielmo in Mozart's ''
Così fan tutte
(''All Women Do It, or The School for Lovers''), K. 588, is an opera buffa in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was first performed on 26 January 1790 at the Burgtheater in Vienna, Austria. The libretto was written by Lorenzo Da Ponte w ...
'' and Papageno in ''
Die Zauberflöte'', Ottokar in Weber's ''
Der Freischütz
' ( J. 277, Op. 77 ''The Marksman'' or ''The Freeshooter'') is a German opera with spoken dialogue in three acts by Carl Maria von Weber with a libretto by Friedrich Kind, based on a story by Johann August Apel and Friedrich Laun from their 181 ...
'', Ernesto in ''
Il mondo della luna
' (''The World on the Moon''), Hoboken-Verzeichnis, Hob. XXVIII:7, is an opera buffa by Joseph Haydn with a libretto written by Carlo Goldoni in 1750, first performed at Eszterháza, Hungary, on 3 August 1777. Goldoni's libretto had previously be ...
'', F. Scott Fitzgerald in Susan Oswell's ''Zelda'', and Adonis in ''
Venus and Adonis''. He appeared as Leo in Bernhard Gander's ''Das Leben am Rande der Milchstraße'' for
Bregenzer Festspiele and
Konzerthaus Vienna
The Konzerthaus is a concert hall located in Vienna, Austria, which opened in 1913. It is situated in the third district just at the edge of the first district in Vienna. Since it was founded it has always tried to emphasise both traditional and ...
, the King in Orff's ''
Die Kluge
' (''The Wise irl The Story of the King and the Wise Woman'') is an opera in 12 scenes written by Carl Orff. It premiered at the Frankfurt Opera, Germany, on 20 February 1943. Orff referred to this opera as a ' ( fairy tale opera). The composer a ...
'', Aeneas in Purcell's ''
Dido and Aeneas'' for the
Aldeburgh Festival and
Brighton Festival
Brighton Festival is a large, annual, curated multi-arts festival in England. It includes music, theatre, dance, circus, art, film, literature, debate, outdoor and family events, and takes place in venues in the city of Brighton and Hove in Engla ...
, and Tusenbach again for the
Berlin State Opera
The (), also known as the Berlin State Opera (german: Staatsoper Berlin), is a listed building on Unter den Linden boulevard in the historic center of Berlin, Germany. The opera house was built by order of Prussian king Frederick the Great from ...
. In 2019, Appl performed the role of Guglielmo in ''Cosi fan tutte'' with the Mozartists, conducted by
Ian Page.
Concerts
Appl has performed in concert with orchestras including the
Academy of Ancient Music
The Academy of Ancient Music (AAM) is a British period-instrument orchestra based in Cambridge, England. Founded by harpsichordist Christopher Hogwood in 1973, it was named after an 18th-century organisation of the same name (originally the A ...
,
Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin
Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin (Academy for Early Music Berlin, short name: Akamus) is a German chamber orchestra founded in East Berlin in 1982. Each year Akamus gives approximately 100 concerts, ranging from small chamber works to large-scale s ...
, the
Bach-Collegium Stuttgart, Berliner Barocksolisten,
Concerto Köln
Concerto Köln is an ensemble specialising in music of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
The group formed in 1985, one of many groups associated with the surging interest in period instruments in that decade. Its members consisted mainly o ...
,
Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, the
Dunedin Consort
Dunedin Consort is Scotland's leading baroque ensemble based in Edinburgh, Scotland, recognised for its vivid and insightful performances and recordings. Formed in 1995 and named after Din Eidyn, the ancient Brittonic Celtic name of Edinburgh Cast ...
,
Gabrieli Consort & Players,
Les Violons du Roy
Les Violons du Roy is a French-Canadian chamber orchestra based in Quebec City, Quebec. The orchestra's principal venue is the Palais Montcalm in Québec City. The orchestra also performs concerts in Montréal at the Place des Arts, the Montreal ...
,
London Philharmonic Orchestra
The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is one of five permanent symphony orchestras based in London. It was founded by the conductors Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a rival to the existing London Symphony and BBC Symphony ...
,
NHK Symphony Orchestra
The is a Japanese broadcast orchestra based in Tokyo. The orchestra gives concerts in several venues, including the NHK Hall, Suntory Hall, and the Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall.
History
The orchestra began as the ''New Symphony Orchestra'' o ...
,
NDR Radiophilharmonie
The NDR Radiophilharmonie is a German radio orchestra, affiliated with the Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) in Hanover, the capital of Lower Saxony. The orchestra principally gives concerts in the ''Großer Sendesaal'' of the ''Landesfunkhaus Niedersa ...
,
Philadelphia Orchestra
The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscription ...
, the
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic,
Philharmonia Orchestra
The Philharmonia Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It was founded in 1945 by Walter Legge, a classical music record producer for EMI. Among the conductors who worked with the orchestra in its early years were Richard Strauss, W ...
, the
Seattle Symphony, the
Symphony Orchestra of India
The Symphony Orchestra of India is a symphony orchestra based in Mumbai, India. It was founded in 2006 by the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai, which is also its home.
The founding Music Director is Marat Bisengaliev. Z ...
,
Vienna Symphony, and on multiple occasions with the major
BBC Orchestras and Singers. He made his
Proms
The BBC Proms or Proms, formally named the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts Presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hal ...
debut in September 2015 singing ''
Triumphlied
The ''Triumphlied'' ( Op. 55) is a work for baritone solo, choir and orchestra by the German composer Johannes Brahms. Brahms wrote the work on the occasion of the German victory in the Franco-Prussian War and dedicated it to emperor Wilh ...
'' by Brahms with
Marin Alsop
Marin Alsop ( mɛər.ɪn ˈæːl.sɑːp born October 16, 1956) is an American conductor, the first woman to win the Koussevitzky Prize for conducting and the first conductor to be awarded a MacArthur Fellowship. She is music director laureate ...
and the
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and Orff's ''
Carmina Burana'' with the
BBC Concert Orchestra five days later. In December 2017, he performed alongside
Diana Damrau in the
ZDF
ZDF (, short for Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen; ; "Second German Television") is a German public-service television broadcaster based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. It is run as an independent nonprofit institution, which was founded by all fe ...
Advent Concert at the
Dresden Frauenkirche with the
Staatskapelle Dresden
The Staatskapelle Dresden (known formally as the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden) is a German orchestra based in Dresden, the capital of Saxony. Founded in 1548 by Maurice, Elector of Saxony, it is one of the world's oldest and most highly re ...
conducted by
Christian Thielemann, broadcast on national television. He has also performed regularly at the
Hamburg State Opera
The Hamburg State Opera (in German: Staatsoper Hamburg) is a German opera company based in Hamburg. Its theatre is near the square of Gänsemarkt. Since 2015, the current ''Intendant'' of the company is Georges Delnon, and the current ''General ...
, singing for several of
John Neumeier
John Neumeier (born February 24, 1939) is an American ballet dancer, choreographer, and director. He has been the director and chief choreographer of Hamburg Ballet since 1973. Five years later he founded the Hamburg Ballet School, which also inc ...
's productions for the
Hamburg Ballet.
Appl has worked with conductors including
Marin Alsop
Marin Alsop ( mɛər.ɪn ˈæːl.sɑːp born October 16, 1956) is an American conductor, the first woman to win the Koussevitzky Prize for conducting and the first conductor to be awarded a MacArthur Fellowship. She is music director laureate ...
,
Ivor Bolton,
John Butt,
Christian Curnyn
Christian Curnyn is a British conductor, harpsichordist and baroque music specialist.
Early life
Curnyn was born in Glasgow in April 1971. After reading Music at the University of York, he took postgraduate studies on the harpsichord at the Gu ...
,
Thomas Dausgaard
Thomas Dausgaard (; born 4 July 1963 in Copenhagen) is a Danish conductor.
Biography
Dausgaard studied conducting at the Royal Academy of Music in Copenhagen and with Norman Del Mar at the Royal College of Music in London. He subsequently partici ...
,
Johannes Debus
Johannes is a Medieval Latin form of the personal name that usually appears as " John" in English language contexts. It is a variant of the Greek and Classical Latin variants (Ιωάννης, '' Ioannes''), itself derived from the Hebrew name '' Y ...
,
Edward Gardner Edward Gardner may refer to:
* Edward W. Gardner (1867–1932), American balkline and straight rail billiards champion
* Edward Joseph Gardner (1898–1950), U.S. Representative from Ohio
* Ed Gardner (1901–1963), American actor, director and wr ...
,
Reinhard Goebel
Reinhard Goebel (; born 31 July 1952 in Siegen, West Germany) is a German Conducting, conductor and baroque violin, violinist specialising in early music on Historically informed performance, authentic instruments and professor for historical perf ...
,
Michael Hofstetter,
Paavo Järvi, Bernard Labadie,
Alessandro De Marchi,
Andrew Manze
Andrew Manze (born 14 January 1965) is a British conductor and violinist living in Germany.
Born in Beckenham, United Kingdom, Manze read Classics at Cambridge University. Manze studied violin and worked with Ton Koopman (his director in th ...
,
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Sir
Roger Norrington
Sir Roger Arthur Carver Norrington (born 16 March 1934) is an English conductor. He is known for historically informed performances of Baroque, Classical and Romantic music.
In November 2021 Norrington announced his retirement.
Life
Norr ...
,
Vasily Petrenko,
Helmuth Rilling,
Yutaka Sado
is a Japanese conductor.
While still in school, Sado obtained a position in the Kansai Nikikai, a Japanese school of opera, where he had the opportunity to work with the New Japan Philharmonic and the Kyoto Symphony Orchestra, learning operati ...
,
Jordi Savall
Jordi Savall i Bernadet (; born 1 August 1941) is a Spanish conductor, composer and viol player. He has been one of the major figures in the field of Western early music since the 1970s, largely responsible for popularizing the viol family of ...
,
Ulf Schirmer,
Paul McCreesh, and Duncan Ward.
Awards
In 2012, Appl was awarded the German Schubert Society's German Schubert Prize.
Appl was a member of the
BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists scheme between 2014 and 2016.
During the season 2015/16 he performed as an
ECHO Rising Star,
nominated by the
Barbican Centre
The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhi ...
London, in some of Europe's most renowned concert halls including Het Concertgebouw Amsterdam,
Philharmonie de Paris
The Philharmonie de Paris () ( en, Paris Philharmonic) is a complex of concert halls in Paris, France. The buildings also house exhibition spaces and rehearsal rooms. The main buildings are all located in the Parc de la Villette at the northeaste ...
,
Philharmonie Luxembourg
The Philharmonie Luxembourg, also known officially as the Grande-Duchesse Joséphine-Charlotte Concert Hall (french: Salle de concerts grande-duchesse Joséphine-Charlotte, german: Konzertsaal Großherzogin Joséphine-Charlotte), is a concert hal ...
and
Kölner Philharmonie
The Kölner Philharmonie is a symphonic concert hall located in Cologne, Germany. It is part of the building assemble of the Museum Ludwig and was opened in 1986. The Kölner Philharmonie is located close to the Cologne Cathedral and the Cologn ...
,
Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation,
Palau de la Música Catalana,
Stockholm Concert Hall,
Konzerthaus, Vienna,
BOZAR Brussels and
Laeiszhalle Hamburg. He also became a Wigmore Hall Emerging Talent in 2015.
Gramophone Classical Music Awards
The Gramophone Classical Music Awards, launched in 1977, are one of the most significant honours bestowed on recordings in the classical record industry. They are often viewed as equivalent to or surpassing the American Grammy award, and refer ...
named him ''Young Artist of the Year'' in 2016.
His debut album as an exclusive
Sony Classical recording artist, "''Heimat''", won the ''Prix Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau'' (Best Lieder Singer) at the 2017/18 Orphées d'Or.
Repertoire
Benjamin Appl has a vast and varied song catalogue, but his repertoire also encompasses opera and concert works from the
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...
through to the present day. He has been fortunate enough to have performed works written specifically for him by composers including Kit Armstrong, Marian Ingoldsby,
György Kurtág
György Kurtág (; born 19 February 1926) is a Hungarian classical composer and pianist. He was an academic teacher of piano at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music from 1967, later also of chamber music, and taught until 1993.
Biography
György ...
,
Nico Muhly
Nico Asher Muhly (; born August 26, 1981) is an American contemporary classical music composer and arranger who has worked and recorded with both classical and pop musicians. A prolific composer, he has composed for many notable symphony orchestras ...
, Susan Oswell and
Matthias Pintscher. For the
Konzerthaus Dortmund
Theater Dortmund is a theatrical organization that produces operas, musicals, ballets, plays, and concerts in Dortmund, Germany. It was founded as the Stadttheater Dortmund in 1904. Supported by the German Government, the organization owns and o ...
he participated over months in intensive working sessions with György Kurtág on his ''
Hölderlin Gesänge'', which were then performed in a special lecture recital in Dortmund in February 2020.
Teaching
![Benjamin Appl Masterclass in Basel May 2019](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/Benjamin_Appl_Masterclass_in_Basel_May_2019.jpg)
Since September 2016 Benjamin Appl has taught at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London as a professor of German song. He has given masterclasses in Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland, United Kingdom, the U.S. and Vietnam.
Recordings
*
Felix Mendelssohn
Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions include sy ...
: ''Complete Songs'' with pianist
Malcolm Martineau
Malcolm Martineau, OBE (born 3 February 1960) is a Scottish pianist who is particularly noted as an accompanist.
Life
Martineau was born to the pianist Hester Dickson Martineau and Canon George Martineau in 1960. He was an only child but he had ...
, Champs Hill Records, vol. 1 in 2014, vol. 2 in 2015
*
Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...
: ''Lieder and Duets'', with
Ann Murray
Ann Murray, (born 27 August 1949) is an Irish mezzo-soprano.
Life and career
Murray was born in Dublin. Having won a number of prizes at the Feis Ceoil, she studied singing at the College of Music (now the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama, ...
(mezzo-soprano) and pianist Martineau,
Linn Records
Linn Records is a Glasgow-based record label which specialises in classical music, jazz and Scottish music. It is part of Linn Products.
History
While Linn engineers were testing their flagship product, the Sondek LP12 turntable, they became fru ...
, 2016
* ''Stunden, Tage, Ewigkeiten'', songs with settings of
Heinrich Heine
Christian Johann Heinrich Heine (; born Harry Heine; 13 December 1797 – 17 February 1856) was a German poet, writer and literary critic. He is best known outside Germany for his early lyric poetry, which was set to music in the form of '' Lied ...
, with pianist James Baillieu, Champs Hill, 2016
*
Franz Schubert
Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...
: ''Songs'', live-Recording with pianist
Graham Johnson,
Wigmore Hall Live
In October 2005, the Wigmore Hall, London, England, became the first concert hall to launch its own record label: Wigmore Hall Live, building upon the venue's existing reputation as a recital hall established early in the 20th century. One of th ...
, 2016
*
Georg Philipp Telemann: ''Reformation Oratorio 1755'' TWV 13:18, Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Bayerische Kammerphilharmonie, conducted by
Reinhard Goebel
Reinhard Goebel (; born 31 July 1952 in Siegen, West Germany) is a German Conducting, conductor and baroque violin, violinist specialising in early music on Historically informed performance, authentic instruments and professor for historical perf ...
, Sony Classical, 2017
* ''Heimat'', with pianist James Baillieu, Sony Classical, 2017
*
Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid- Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped wit ...
: ''The Complete Songs'', vol. 7 with pianist Graham Johnson,
Hyperion Records, 2018
*
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...
: ''Arias and Sinfonias'',
Concerto Köln
Concerto Köln is an ensemble specialising in music of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
The group formed in 1985, one of many groups associated with the surging interest in period instruments in that decade. Its members consisted mainly o ...
, Sony Classical, 2018
* Sibelius: ''
Kullervo'', with
Helena Juntunen
Helena Maria Juntunen (born 9 March 1976) is a Finnish operatic soprano.
Early life
She was born in Kiiminki. She trained at the Sibelius Academy in Finland.
Career
She began her career as a soprano at the Savonlinna Opera Festival in Finland. Sh ...
(soprano),
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, conducted by
Thomas Dausgaard
Thomas Dausgaard (; born 4 July 1963 in Copenhagen) is a Danish conductor.
Biography
Dausgaard studied conducting at the Royal Academy of Music in Copenhagen and with Norman Del Mar at the Royal College of Music in London. He subsequently partici ...
,
Hyperion Records, 2019
*
Luciano Berio
Luciano Berio (24 October 1925 – 27 May 2003) was an Italian composer noted for his experimental work (in particular his 1968 composition ''Sinfonia'' and his series of virtuosic solo pieces titled ''Sequenza''), and for his pioneering work ...
: ''Transformation'', arrangements of early songs by
Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and the modernism ...
,
Sinfonieorchester Basel The Sinfonieorchester Basel (Symphony Orchestra Basel; Swiss abbreviation SOB) is a symphony orchestra based in Basel, Switzerland. Its principal concert venue is the ''Musiksaal'' of the Stadtcasino. In addition, the orchestra accompanies ballet ...
, conducted by
Ivor Bolton, Sony Classical, 2019
* Fauré: ''The Secret Fauré III'' –
Requiem
A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...
, Op. 48,
Balthasar-Neumann-Chor,
Sinfonieorchester Basel The Sinfonieorchester Basel (Symphony Orchestra Basel; Swiss abbreviation SOB) is a symphony orchestra based in Basel, Switzerland. Its principal concert venue is the ''Musiksaal'' of the Stadtcasino. In addition, the orchestra accompanies ballet ...
, conducted by Bolton, Sony Classical, 2020
* ''Cantatas of the Bach Family'', solo
cantata
A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir.
The meaning of ...
s for
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range:
** Bass (instrument), including:
** Acoustic bass gui ...
by
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (8 March 1714 – 14 December 1788), also formerly spelled Karl Philipp Emmanuel Bach, and commonly abbreviated C. P. E. Bach, was a German Classical period musician and composer, the fifth child and sec ...
,
Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach and
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...
, Berliner Barocksolisten, conducted by Reinhard Goebel,
Hänssler Classic, 2020
Other projects
In autumn 2019 Benjamin Appl presented his own programme on
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...
called ''A Singer's World'', in which he gave insight into the life of a classical singer in the 21st century.
In spring 2020 Appl was involved in a new movie project called ''Breaking Music'', which was filmed during his visits of
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
and
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
to discover
tango, its history and similarities with as well as differences to Lieder. The film is scheduled to be broadcast later in 2020.
Appl, accompanied by James Baillieu, stars in the BBC film ''Winter Journey'', featuring Schubert’s ''Winterreise'', filmed in a tower on the snow-covered summit of the
Julierpass in south-east Switzerland, broadcast on 27 February 2022.
References
External links
*
*
Sony Classical exclusive recording Artist Benjamin ApplArtist of IMG Artists general management
Artist of Artist Management Augstein & Hahn representation in German-speaking countries
Benjamin Appl: a baritone up front with the back story Article about Benjamin Appl in ''
Financial Times
The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...
'', 37 July 2018
Ein unwahrscheinlicher Glücksfall Article about Benjamin Appl in ''
Die Welt
''Die Welt'' ("The World") is a German national daily newspaper, published as a broadsheet by Axel Springer SE.
''Die Welt'' is the flagship newspaper of the Axel Springer publishing group. Its leading competitors are the ''Frankfurter Allg ...
'', 27 November 2017 (in German)
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Appl, Benjamin
German academics
University of Music and Performing Arts Munich alumni
Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
University of Regensburg alumni
Academic staff of the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich
Living people
1982 births
Sony Music artists
German operatic baritones
20th-century German male pianists
21st-century German male opera singers
Academics of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama