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Anne Sofie von Otter
Shirley Thomson
Catherine Znak
“von Otter’s generous personality is reflected in the way she puts over every item, with care for text and a honeyed sweetness of tone.”
(BBC Music Magazine, March 2019)
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Boasting an unrivalled and multi award-winning discography, mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter’s versatility has seen her work with legendary artists ranging from the late greats of Carlos Kleiber, Claudio Abbado and Giuseppe Sinopoli to Elvis Costello, Brad Mehldau and Rufus Wainwright.
An ever-evolving repertoire has played a key role in sustaining Swedish-born von Otter’s international profile, from an early position as the superlative Octavian (Der Rosenkavalier) of her generation, giving performances around the world, to her acclaimed creation of Leonora in the world premiere of Thomas Adès’ The Exterminating Angel at Salzburger Festspiele and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Recent highlights include Madame de Croissy (Dialogues des Carmélites) at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Marcellina (Le nozze di Figaro) in Christof Loy’s production at Bayerische Staatsoper, L’Opinion Publique (Orphée aux Enfers) at Salzburger Festspiele in Barrie Kosky’s staging, Mérope (Oedipe) at Opéra National de Paris, and the leading role of Charlotte Andergast in the world premiere of Sebastian Fagerlund’s Höstsonaten for Finnish National Opera. Adding further to an impressive catalogue, recent seasons have seen role debuts as the Countess (Pique Dame) at La Monnaie under Nathalie Stutzmann, Adelaide (Arabella) at Teatro Real under David Afkham and, last season, she brought to life the role of Gaby in the world premiere of Mikael Karlsson’s Melancholia at Royal Swedish Opera.
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Equally recognised as a concert and recital singer of exceptional gifts, von Otter’s career has taken her around the globe as a regular presence on the world’s most important stages, excelling in a diverse repertoire including works by Mahler, Berlioz, Bach and Kurt Weill, and her expansive Lieder recordings range from classics by Schubert, Schumann, Wolf and Mahler, through lesser-known compilations from Cécile Chaminade, Korngold, Peterson-Bergen and Stenhammar.
Anne Sofie von Otter’s 2024/25 season opens with performances of Mikael Karlsson’s song cycle, And so we will vanish with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, both conducted by Jukka-Pekka Saraste. She creates the role of Justine in Karlsson’s Fanny and Alexander which sees its world premiere at La Monnaie in a staging by Ivo van Hove and conducted by Ariane Matiakh, appears in the world premiere of Philippe Manoury’s new work Die letzten Tage den Menschheit at Oper Köln and sings the role of Mrs Sedley in Christof Loy’s setting of Peter Grimes at Opéra de Lyon conducted by Wayne Marshall.
Anne Sofie von Otter is one of today’s most recorded artists, with an incomparable catalogue built across a career now spanning more than four decades at the top of her profession. A lengthy and exclusive relationship with Deutsche Grammophon produced a wealth of acclaimed recordings, including the Grammy-winning Mahler: Des Knaben Wunderhorn with Claudio Abbado, Handel’s Ariodante, Giulio Cesare and Hercules with Marc Minkowski and a collaboration with pop legend Elvis Costello on For the Stars. On Naïve Classique, her double CD of Mélodies and Chansons, Douce France, received the 2015 Grammy Award for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album. Von Otter immortalized many of her operatic characters on disc: Octavian with Bernard Haitink and the Staatskapelle Dresden and on DVD with Wiener Staatsoper under Carlos Kleiber; Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro) under James Levine; La clemenza di Tito and Orfeo ed Euridice under Sir John Eliot Gardiner; and Ariadne auf Naxos under Giuseppe Sinopoli.
“Anne Sofie von Otter’s portrayal of Ottavia in extremis was stunning: rounded of tone, faultless in its intonation, emotionally rich and nuanced in ‘Disprezzata regina’.”
“her portrayal of Ottavia in extremis was stunning, rounded of tone, faultless in its intonation, emotionally rich and nuanced in ‘Disprezzata regina’.”
“The performers make the whole thing truly breathtaking. [von Otter’s] sound design appears perfect and organic at the same time, and stylistically she is equally convincing, whether she plumbs Schumann’s depths or allows herself a pinch of tongue-in-cheek salon verve.”
“Death and the Maiden showed her at her best, the frenzied angst of the first stanza balancing Death’s deeply meditative response, von Otter turning over carefully the meaning of every word and singing with penetrating clarity.”
“Anne Sofie von Otter adapts her voice to the string quartet in an almost instrumental fashion, resulting in an intensely gripping story that the audience seemed to take in with bated breath.”
“Anne Sofie von Otter is the master of lieder singing, with an impressively broad repertoire, and devoted her voice entirely to the expression without ego…Rarely has Schubert sounded so modern and fresh.”
“von Otter has always been more than just a very good opera singer…and she knows exactly what her voice can do. She uses grand gestures sparingly, and she is all the more attentive to the nuances of the fine shades of sound.”
“Among the other outstanding incarnations, special mention goes to Anne Sofie von Otter in dazzling form as Mérope.”
“Not to mention the perfectly drawn Mérope of Anne Sofie von Otter.”
“Anne Sofie von Otter, as Mérope (Oedipus’s adoptive mother), sings with the elegance and clarity of text that we always know to expect from her.”
“Anne Sofie von Otter sings the role of her adoptive mother, Mérope with plaintive phrasing. Its heady tone is warm in the mids while its highs are sure and radiant.”
“The smaller roles are luxuriously cast, including Anne Sofie von Otter’s briefly imposing Mérope.”
“A passionate evening with Anne Sofie von Otter, Julia Lezhneva and the Berliner Barock Solisten…it is unusual to experience the two women together, for whom the term exceptional artist must have been created.”
“Anne Sofie von Otter as Marcellina, and her ‘Abendempfindung’ sung in Act 4 is always one of the great moments of the evening.”
“Anne Sofie von Otter immersed herself totally in the role of narrator, critic and ‘sister’ [in Saariaho’s La Passion de Simone]…her voice sounded fluid and slightly veiled in a very seductive manner. Her commitment was heartfelt and her manner both reproachful and forgiving.”
“By turns luxurious and restrained, [Caroline Shaw’s Is a Rose] is heard in a radiant performance from Anne Sofie von Otter with beautifully pliant orchestral accompaniment to complete this excellent disc.”
“Caroline Shaw was represented by two songs, performed by von Otter with an arresting, seraphic intensity. For many listeners, they may have been the memorable highlights of this admirable evening. Both of those pieces, “The Edge” and “Red, Red Rose” (from Shaw’s “Is A Rose” trilogy, written for von Otter), turn up on PBO & Caroline Shaw, a moving, right-for-the-moment new CD.”
“In between, the orchestra sat, lest it get between the Swedish mezzo Anne Sofie von Otter and her hauntingly exquisite expression in Berlioz’s song cycle “Les nuits d’été.”
“Anne Sofie von Otter is ideally cast in the role of L’Opinion Publique, with her soft timbre yet robust stage presence.”
“Anne Sofie von Otter as L’Opinion Publique – what a performer! She whispers, screams, and sends glances into the hall like Jupiter’s flashes so that no one misses her message.”
“As L’Opinion Publique, Anne Sofie von Otter shines brilliantly.”
“Anne Sofie von Otter is impressive as L’Opinion Publique.”
“Anne Sofie von Otter is the grande dame among the singers of historical performance practice, and she knows exactly why she’s performing her recital of Mozart, Schubert, Lindblad and Berwald with this fortepiano. Because von Otter does not want to overpower or offer drama, she lets her voice float as light as a feather through the songs, she strokes the cantilenas, she sounds the high in the low, she coaxes the depth.”
“von Otter’s generous personality is reflected in the way she puts over every item, with care for text and a honeyed sweetness of tone.”
“von Otter tore with beguiling ease through the rapid passagework of ‘Iris hence away’ from Semele.”
“As Charlotte Andergast, Anne Sofie von Otter sings with timbral richness and deep attentiveness to her character’s complex and ultimately tragic persona. Shaping her vocal lines to compelling effect, she reveals the serious cracks masked by Charlotte’s self-obsession and apparent personal strength.”
“’A Simple Song’ turns out to be a thoughtful, even challenging recital…all the instrumentalists involved match the intelligence and thoughtfulness of von Otter’s singing. This is a delightful, surprising and thought-provoking programme”
“Just as good was the duet ‘We are women’ with Anne Sofie von Otter’s wry Old Lady offering ideal support. As in her earlier ‘I am easily assimilated, von Otter made it clear that this trickster is campy, but with a touch of steel.”
“von Otter is spectacular, capturing the nuance of her character’s complexities”
“Anne Sofie von Otter played a nicely deadpan Old Lady, giving a dry twist to the role’s humour.”
“Anne Sofie von Otter’s alluring Old Lady was further luxury casting”
“Anne Sofie von Otter was a deluxe Marcellina”
“The entire cast is superlative. Anne Sofie von Otter is formidable as Madame de Croissy, whose unjustly painful death is staged as a muted crucifixion.”
“Anne Sofie von Otter gives a lesson in grandeur [as Madame de Croissy]. The only member of the cast who isn’t French, her diction is impeccable, as is her ability to impose tension into each of her appearances”
“I’m sure [Sibelius] would have loved Anne Sofie von Otter’s singing, with its unique mixture of warm and cold tone and its searching musicality.”
“Anne Sofie von Otter makes her Finnish National Opera debut in the role of the lauded pianist Charlotte, a grand ‘artiste’ with little ability to empathise with the struggling daughters she visits for the first time in seven years…von Otter plays the aloof diva with total conviction”
“Here is another addition to the flood of high-calibre Sibelius recordings prompted by the composer’s 150th anniversary… Aulis Sallinen picked eight of Sibelius’s songs and reworked the piano parts for orchestra. The voice he had in mind was Anne Sofie von Otter’s and she sings them beautifully here. Sallinen strikes a skilful balance between a dark, typically Sibelian soundworld and something supportive of von Otter’s mezzo-soprano, with its easy poise and natural flow”
“With her aristocratic demeanour and her ability to express a great range of conflicting emotions, von Otter was perfectly cast as Charlotte, her commitment to the role complete.”
“Anne Sofie von Otter creates the role of Charlotte, the mother, in a characterisation that relies as much on the Swedish mezzo-soprano’s own star aura as on her remarkably versatile voice.” *****
“Anne Sofie von Otter beguiled as the ailing Leonora, addicted to various substances”
“Anne Sofie von Otter made a moving, repressed Countess Geschwitz, singing with considerable heft as well as her trademark class.”
“All praise to a superbly integrated cast – Anne Sofie von Otter among its brightest stars”
“Anne Sofie von Otter brings bags of character to the ailing Leonora”
“Anne Sofie von Otter – on searing vocal form – portrayed Countess Geschwitz with brooding intensity, a woman with a quiet obsession and constantly snatching sorrowful glances at the object of her infatuation.”
“The best thing about this eclectic recital is Anne Sofie von Otter’s handsomely rich voice…Highlights include Shaw’s “Cant voi l’aube”, setting a 12th century French love poem to music of rare beauty and delicacy. Otter’s delivery is superb, reaching feverish heights in the final verse…Von Otter’s immaculate French is heard to advantage in the closing aria from Rufus Wainwright’s opera Prima Donna, and there’s a beguiling extract from John Adams’ Doctor Atomic. Best among the cover versions in a sultry version of “Love Sublime” by Brad Mehldau.”
“Not every singer could bring this off. You need one who can approach all music without prejudice, preconceptions or star mannerisms and simply communicate through song — a rare gift. Von Otter has honed the art of singing to such a point that she is purely expressive, no matter what she’s singing. Hers is not a powerhouse voice, but this only furthers her artistry. She can be brassy (in an ABBA encore, “Gimme Gimme Gimme”), she can be straightforward or she can be purely, limpidly beautiful, as she was in Anders Hillborg’s “Kväll,” lyrically accompanied by Johnny Gandelsman on solo violin, and in Caroline Shaw’s “Cant voi l’aube,” a luminous setting of a 12th-century troubadour text that was one of the evening’s standouts.”
“Anne Sofie von Otter stood out for her portrayal of Leonora, a tragic, desperate patient of the Doctor”
“The mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter, singing with richness and vulnerability, plays Leonora”
“The singers were more than fine; stand outs included Anne Sofie von Otter as a nuanced Leonora”
“Making these characters convincing required power and consistent vocal presence, which was especially apparent from Anne Sofie von Otter as senile Leonora”
“the male trio fawn over von Otter who dazzles every second, with every prominent gesture, as the central figure for the evening. From barmaid to glamorous vamp, from Dowland to Elvis Costello and everything in between, she slips into the various roles and falls right back out of them again with ease”
“The performance was driven primarily by the great artist and legendary mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter…vocally, she is the absolute central power of the production. She sings with unmatched dedication and is perfect as the object of ultimate desire.”
“Anne Sofie von Otter’s Jenny…[is] a classy number as one would expect from this imaginative performer.”
“Anne Sofie von Otter’s Muse/Nicklausse, [is] a role she can still deliver with plenty of lissom tone”
“Anne Sofie von Otter is not the overripe contralto battleaxe one might usually cast as Leokadja Begbick but, resplendent in a platinum-blonde, hot-pink-dip-dyed wig, she gave a memorable performance on her own terms, singing with point and delivering her spoken lines in a tone-perfect Estuary accent.”
“Anne Sofie von Otter is a memorable Leokadja Begbick, strutting and commanding the stage, singing with eerie beauty. Always a treat when singing”
“von Otter has a beautiful voice and, as the evil widow Begbick, joyously attacks her lines with bitingly vicious phrasing”
“Anne Sofie von Otter sings and struts splendidly as the widow Begbick whose brothel-keeping skills more or less run the town”