Petra Berger, born ''Petronella Burger'' (

Amstelveen Amstelveen () is a municipality in the province of North Holland, Netherlands with a population of 92.353 as of 2022. It is a suburban part of the Amsterdam metropolitan area. The municipality of Amstelveen consists of the historical villages o ...

, 23 October 1965), is a Dutch

classical crossover Crossover is a term applied to musical works or performers who appeal to different types of audience. This can be seen, for example, (especially in the United States) when a song appears on two or more of the record charts which track differ ...

singer, composer, and musical actress.

Biography

Petra Berger was born into a musical family, but did not pursue a musical career until later on in her life. Berger earned her secondary school diploma in 1982 and landed a job at a computer firm job. During an annual party of the computer firm, Berger formed a band with some colleagues to play music just for fun. That evening, however, she realised that singing was what she really wanted to do.

Chess

In 1987, Petra Berger and her sister Lida decided to compete on the television program ''

Soundmixshow ''Soundmixshow'' is a Dutch talent show which was a live-vocals version of the '' Playback Show''. It aired from 17 November 1985 to 27 April 2002 and was hosted by Henny Huisman. The format has since been sold to other countries,Henny Huisman Hendrikus Josephus Huisman (born 18 June 1951) is a Dutch television presenter and musician. Biography Huisman had a catholic upbringing. Originally trained as a window dresser, he was a drummer, DJ and event host before he enrolled in the wor ...

, reaching the finals with the song "

I Know Him So Well "I Know Him So Well" is a duet from the concept album and subsequent musical ''Chess'' by Tim Rice, Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. It was originally sung by Elaine Paige (as Florence) and Barbara Dickson (as Svetlana). In this duet, two wom ...

." After this show, the sisters were offered a recording deal and, under the name of Chess, soon had a modest hit with the song "Never Change a Winning Team," composed by Jeroen Englebert. They followed this song up with the singles "Make My Day" and "Promise Not to Tell." That being said, Chess' successes had a negative effect on her sister Lida; Lida liked to sing, but did not feel comfortable with the widespread attention and scrutiny that came with fame. For this reason, Lida quit Chess after several years. Lida was replaced by another singer, Denise van der Hek. In the early 1990s, Berger had a hit with Chess' cover of the song "

I Dreamed a Dream "I Dreamed a Dream" is a song from the 1980 musical ''Les Misérables''. It is a solo that is sung by the character Fantine during the first act. The music is by Claude-Michel Schönberg, with orchestrations by John Cameron. The English lyri ...

" from the musical ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original ...

''. As a response to the widespread success of the song, Chess released a whole album of tunes from popular movies and shows: ''The Oscar Album'' (1992). This album included a duet with

René Froger René Froger (born 5 November 1960 in Amsterdam), is a Dutch singer. Froger was born, and spent his first years in the Jordaan, a neighbourhood in Amsterdam. His father, Bolle Jan, had a café where Froger started performing. He started his ...

. Shortly after the release of this album, Berger decided she wanted to pursue

musicals Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

and split up with Van der Hek, marking the end of her time as a member of Chess.

Musicals

Having ended her career as a member of Chess in 1992, Petra Berger shifted her focus to perfecting her musical theatre skills. She took singing classes with a variety of different teachers, as well as piano, dance, and acting classes. Her first musical audition was for ''

.'' Unfortunately, Berger was eliminated in the final round of auditions. Her second musical audition was for ''Cyrano de Bergerac: The Musical''. She was offered a lead role, but turned it down for unknown reasons. She subsequently auditioned for ''Phantom of the Opera'', but ultimately did not join the cast. In late 1993, theatrical

impresario An impresario (from the Italian ''impresa'', "an enterprise or undertaking") is a person who organizes and often finances concerts, plays, or operas, performing a role in stage arts that is similar to that of a film or television producer. Hist ...

Joop van den Ende Theatre Productions asked Berger to come audition for the role of

Johanna Johanna is a feminine name, a variant form of Joanna that originated in Latin in the Middle Ages, including an -h- by analogy with the Latin masculine name Johannes. The original Greek form ''Iōanna'' lacks a medial /h/ because in Greek /h/ cou ...

in the musical ''Sweeney Todd''. She got the part, making

her first lead role in a musical production. Later, Berger got the part of Belle in the musical ''Beauty and the Beast'' in Germany and the part of

Maria Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial *170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 *Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, da ...

in ''

The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. Se ...

'' in 1995 in Belgium. In the following years, she gave birth to two children, Boris (1997) and Babette (1999), together with her husband Jeroen Englebert. Shortly afterwards, in 1999, Berger became a lead performer at a

dinner show Dinner theater (sometimes called dinner and a show) is a form of entertainment that combines a restaurant meal with a staged play or musical. "Dinner and a show" can also refer to a restaurant meal in combination with live concert music, where pat ...

''Eternal Woman''

In 2000, Berger recorded some demos with producers Jeroen Englebert and

Pim Koopman Wilhelmus Frederikus "Pim" Koopman (11 March 1953 – 23 November 2009) was a Dutch musician best known as the drummer and percussionist of rock band Kayak. Biography Born in Hilversum, Koopman co-founded Kayak in 1972, along with Ton Sche ...

, one of which being the aria "

O mio babbino caro "" ("Oh my dear Papa”) is a soprano aria from the opera ''Gianni Schicchi'' (1918) by Giacomo Puccini to a libretto by Giovacchino Forzano. It is sung by Lauretta after tensions between her father Schicchi and the family of Rinuccio, the boy she ...

" from

Giacomo Puccini Giacomo Puccini (Lucca, 22 December 1858Bruxelles, 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long li ...

's opera ''

Gianni Schicchi () is a comic opera in one act by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Giovacchino Forzano, composed in 1917–18. The libretto is based on an incident mentioned in Dante's ''Divine Comedy''. The work is the third and final part of Puccin ...

''. Upon hearing this demo, the

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

offered Berger a record deal as a solo artist. In 2001, her first solo album ''

Eternal Woman Eternal(s) or The Eternal may refer to: * Eternity, an infinite amount of time, or a timeless state * Immortality or eternal life * God, the supreme being, creator deity, and principal object of faith in monotheism Comics, film and television * ...

'' was released. This album, produced by Jeroen Englebert and Pim Koopman, contained a fusion of classical and pop musical themes. Each of the eleven songs on the album addresses the story and struggle of a legendary woman from world history: *

Marie José of Belgium Marie may refer to: People Name * Marie (given name) * Marie (Japanese given name) * Marie (murder victim), girl who was killed in Florida after being pushed in front of a moving vehicle in 1973 * Marie (died 1759), an enslaved Cree person in T ...

in "Terra Promessa" *

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne (; ; née Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child a ...

in "Close Your Eyes (He'll Be Just Fine)" (based on Fauré's "

Pavane The ''pavane'' ( ; it, pavana, ''padovana''; german: Paduana) is a slow processional dance common in Europe during the 16th century (Renaissance). The pavane, the earliest-known music for which was published in Venice by Ottaviano Petrucci, ...

") *

Boudicca Boudica or Boudicca (, known in Latin chronicles as Boadicea or Boudicea, and in Welsh as ()), was a queen of the ancient British Iceni tribe, who led a failed uprising against the conquering forces of the Roman Empire in AD 60 or 61. She ...

in "Boadicea" *

Mata Hari Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod (née Zelle; 7 August 187615 October 1917), better known by the stage name Mata Hari (), was a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a spy for Germany during World War I. She was executed by ...

in "The Girl Looking into Me" (based on

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's " Gliding Dance of the Maidens") *

Empress Elisabeth of Austria Duchess Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie in Bavaria (24 December 1837 – 10 September 1898) was Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary from her marriage to Emperor Franz Joseph I on 24 April 1854 until her assassination in 1898. Elisabeth was ...

in "If I Had a Wish" *

Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to crucifixion of Jesus, his cru ...

in "When He Spoke My Name" (based on the Adagio movement from

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...

's Piano concerto No. 23) *

Juana la Loca Joanna (6 November 1479 – 12 April 1555), historically known as Joanna the Mad ( es, link=no, Juana la Loca), was the nominal Queen of Castile from 1504 and Queen of Aragon from 1516 to her death in 1555. She was married by arrangement to Phi ...

in "Eres Todo para Mí" *

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= �an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronati ...

in "I'm Coming Home" *

Catherine the Great , en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes , house = , father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst , mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp , birth_date = , birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anhal ...

in "Now's the Time" *

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legitimate child of James V of Scot ...

in "Still a Queen (In My End Is My Beginning)" (based on

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training i ...

Sarabande The sarabande (from es, zarabanda) is a dance in triple metre, or the music written for such a dance. History The Sarabande evolved from a Spanish dance with Arab influences, danced by a lively double line of couples with castanets. A dance cal ...

from

Keyboard suite in D minor (HWV 437) The Keyboard suite in D minor (437) was composed by George Frideric Handel, for solo keyboard (harpsichord), between 1703 and 1706. It is also referred to as '' Vol. 2 No. 4''. It was first published in 1733. Movements The work consists of five mo ...

) *

Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Philopator ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ}, "Cleopatra the father-beloved"; 69 BC10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler.She was also a ...

in "All for Love" ''Eternal Woman'' was successful in the Netherlands, but also received international acclaim: The album became popular in countries like

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

as well. During the

Night of the Proms Night of the Proms is a series of concerts held annually in Belgium (since 1985), the Netherlands, Germany and Luxembourg. Regularly there are also shows in France, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Denmark, the United States and Sweden. The co ...

concert series of the 2002 season, Petra Berger gained a significant deal of national acclaim and fame.

''Mistress''

In 2003, Berger's second studio album ''Mistress'' was released. Complementing the thematic tenet of ''Eternal Woman, Mistress'' was wholly dedicated to famous mistresses and deceived wives from the past and present. ''Mistress'' featured new compositions as well as adaptations of famous classical works. In 2004, the duet "Every Time" (with the American singer Joshua Payne) and the Italian version ("Cerco Te") were added to the album. Having developed a full repertoire of her own, Berger went on to tour Dutch theaters in 2004 for the first time in her solo career. The tour performance revolved around her first two albums, ''Eternal Woman'' and ''Mistress.'' Berger personally developed the conceptual framework for the performance, while Bas Groenenberg was assigned as director and screenwriter. Jeroen Englebert and

were assigned as producers for the performance.

''Live in Concert'' DVD

In 2004 Berger released a live recording of her ''Eternal Woman'' and ''Mistress ''theatre tour on DVD. Besides the live concert, this DVD also featured behind-the-scenes footage of the tour, several music videos, and two short documentaries on the albums ''Eternal Woman'' and ''Mistress''. After the release of the ''Live in Concert'' DVD, Berger went on a second theatre tour: Petra Berger Live.

''Here and Now''

In 2006, Berger launched her third album: ''Here and Now. Here and Now'' was produced by

Tjeerd Oosterhuis Tjeerd-Pieter David Oosterhuis (; born 25 December 1971), also known as TJ Oosterhuis, is a Dutch musician, songwriter and producer known internationally for his chart topping work with Madcon, Kelly Rowland and Estelle. His production of Frea ...

and Jurre Haanstra and centers around Berger's personal emotions and thoughts; Berger left behind the past, a central theme in her previous albums, to focus the "here and now." The album was relaunched in 2007 with the bonus track "Life Goes On," a duet with the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

tenor

Alessandro Safina Alessandro Safina () is an Italian operatic pop tenor. Born in Siena, Italy, Safina has sought to combine his interests in opera and modern pop music. Music education Safina began to study music when he was nine years old and attended a music ...

. On the ''Here and Now'' tour, which began in late 2006, Berger sang pieces from her first albums and works from her recent project ''Here and Now''. In October 2006, Berger was asked to sing two duets with the Italian star

Andrea Bocelli Andrea Bocelli (; born 22 September 1958) is an Italian tenor and multi-instrumentalist. He was born visually impaired, with congenital glaucoma, and at the age of 12, Bocelli became completely blind, following a brain hemorrhage resulting fro ...

during a concert in the

Scandinavium Scandinavium () is an indoor arena located in Gothenburg, Sweden. Construction on Scandinavium began in 1969 after decades of setbacks, and was inaugurated on 18 May 1971. Scandinavium has been selected as a championship arena at least fifty t ...

Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...

, Sweden. They performed "

Somos Novios (It's Impossible) "Somos Novios" (Spanish for "We Are Lovers") is a song first recorded by Mexican songwriter Armando Manzanero in 1968. Originally a French song " J'ai le mal de toi", different versions with unrelated lyrics in different languages have been writte ...

" from '' Amore'' (originally a duet with

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...

) and " The Prayer" (originally by

Céline Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...

). In early 2006, Berger began to collaborate with the Dutch virtuoso pianist

Jan Vayne Jan Vayne (pseudonym of Jan Veenje) (June 9, 1966 in Zuidwolde, Drenthe) is a Dutch pianist. He began piano lessons at the age of 4 years and by the time he was 10, he had won his first prize. In 1984 Vayne began his study at the conservatorium i ...

. They went on a collaborative tour named '' Van Bach tot ABBA'' in 2006, which brought the audience a diverse fusion of

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

with pop and musicals. Berger and Vayne began their joint tour ''Dichtbij!'' in October 2007.

''Crystal''

In 2008, Berger released an album in collaboration with

: ''Crystal''. The album touches on a wide variety of musical genres, including pieces written by

Ennio Morricone Ennio Morricone (; 10 November 19286 July 2020) was an Italian composer, orchestrator, conductor, and trumpeter who wrote music in a wide range of styles. With more than 400 scores for cinema and television, as well as more than 100 classica ...

and John Ewbank, for example, but also tracks originally performed by Herman van Veen and

Simon & Garfunkel Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo consisting of the singer-songwriter Paul Simon and the singer Art Garfunkel. They were one of the best-selling music groups of the 1960s, and their biggest hits—including the electric remix of " ...

. All of the songs were recorded during a live studio session.

''Touched by Streisand''

Petra Berger's dream of becoming a musician began with

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers List ...

. In this album, released in 2011, Berger sings songs by Streisand that hold great value for her. On ''Touched by Streisand'' not only the most beautiful melodies of Barbra Streisand are heard, but the songs that have been personally important in her life and that fit this style of music perfectly. This makes the album like a dream that becomes reality.

''De Hoogste Tijd''

For the theater performance 'Quest for Happiness' pianist/composer Edwin Schimscheimer wrote the song 'De Hoogste tijd'. It was Petra's first single in Dutch to be released.

''Passione''

In 2019 was the release of the album ''Passione'', sung entirely in Italian. The album includes pieces by composers Ennio Morricone, Tomaso Albinoni and Gaetano Donizetti. The album was realized through crowdfunding and is produced by Joost van den Broek. Linked to this, the theater tour Passione Italiana will start in 2019. Petra works together with the Italian singer Alessandro Neri. Together with him she releases the duet single "Notte a Venezia". "In perfetta Armonia" is the duet single Petra Berger recorded with her daughter Babette Englebert.

Discography

Albums

''Eternal Woman'' (2001, platinum) ''Mistress'' (2003, gold) ''Here and Now'' (2006) ''Crystal'' (2008) ''Touched by Streisand'' (2011) ''Passione'' (2019)

DVDs

* 2004: ''Live in Concert''

Television shows

1987: Soundmixshow 1996: Vrouwe Goeds in de film Hugo (voor de attractie Villa Volta in de Efteling) 2001: Eternal Woman Special 2001: TV show (TROS) 2001: Barend en van Dorp (RTL4) 2002: Night of the Proms 2002: Kopspijkers 2003: Tropisch Curaçao (TROS) 2003: Mistress Special 2004: Muziekfeest in de sneeuw 2004: Jubileumfeest in de ArenA (TROS) 2004: Tv-special Mistress 2005: Notenclub 2006: Katja vs De Rest (Patty) (BNN) 2006: Muziekfeest voor dieren (TROS) 2006: Stop Aids Now (met Jan Vayne) 2006: 40 jaar BZN (TROS) 2007: Muziekfeest op het ijs (TROS) 2007: Kids Rights Gala (solo en met Alessandro Safina) 2007: Leader televisieprogramma Korenslag van Henny Huisman 2008: Bella Italia (TROS) 2008: Light of Live concert in Great Hall of the People in Beijing 2011: Muziekspecial Touched by Streisand (MAX) 2011: Koffie Max (October) 2011: Koffie Tijd RTL 4 (December) 2013: Beatrix Bedankt 2016: Tijd voor Max (June) 2018: Tijd voor Max (October) 2019: Tijd voor Max (March) 2019: Koffietijd (with Edwin Schimscheimer) 2020: Met Hart en Ziel (KRO-NCRV)

Tours

2003: Eternal Women & Mistresses 2004: Petra Berger Live in Concert 2006: Van Bach tot ABBA met Jan Vayne 2006: Here and Now 2007/08: Dichtbij! met Jan Vayne 2009: Tango Dorado 2009/10/11/12: Kathedraalconcerten met Jan Vayne, Martin Mans en Formation 2011: Touched by Streisand 2012: 25-jarig Jubileumconcert 2013/14: Closer than ever” met Jan Vayne 2014: Eternal Songs 2014/2015: Diner voor twee i.s.m. Nationale vereniging De Zonnebloem 2015: You raise me up met Martin Mans en Voice 2015/2016: "Zoektocht naar geluk" 2017/2018: "Tribute to Barbra Streisand" 2019/2020: "Passione Italiana"

References

External links

*
Officiële website – Nederlandstalig

Official website – English
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berger, Petra 20th-century Dutch actresses Dutch musical theatre actresses Dutch women singers Dutch sopranos Opera crossover singers People from Amstelveen 1965 births Living people