![](/https/www.harrisonparrott.com/sites/default/files/styles/portrait_small/public/images/2018-10/1333_stephen-milling-as-hagen-c-roh-2018.-photographed-by-bill-cooper.jpg?h=56d0ca2e&itok=5QN2ewWu)
Stephen Milling
Shirley Thomson
Catherine Znak
“Stephen Milling is outstanding as Hagen, singing with huge power, but also scrupulous in his care for the text and phrasing.”
(Financial Times)
One of the world’s foremost interpreters of Wagner’s repertoire, Danish bass Stephen Milling is celebrated for the detail of his text and phrasing and his dramatically intense performances on the major international opera stages. Strongly associated with the roles of Hagen and Gurnemanz, performances have taken him to Bayreuther Festspiele (Kirill Petrenko), Wiener Staatsoper (Sir Simon Rattle), Osterfestspiele Salzburg (Christian Thielemann), Royal Opera House, Covent Garden (Sir Antonio Pappano), to Teatro Real (Pablo Heras-Casado) and Deutsche Oper Berlin (Axel Kober). Other Wagner highlights have included Hunding (Die Walküre) at the Metropolitan Opera and in concert with London Philharmonic Orchestra (Vladimir Jurowski), Daland (Der fliegende Holländer) at Bayerische Staatsoper and at Royal Opera House, Covent Garden (Henrik Nánási), and König Marke (Tristan und Isolde) at Staatsoper Unter den Linden (Daniel Barenboim).
Maintaining a broad and varied repertoire, Stephen Milling’s further performances include Filippo II (Don Carlos) at San Francisco Opera and Royal Danish Opera, Rocco (Fidelio) at Teatro alla Scala and Gran Teatre del Liceu, Padre Guardiano (La forza del destino) at Semperoper Dresden and Palau de les Artes Reina Sofia, Kaija Saariaho’s Adriana Mater at Opéra national de Paris, Sparafucile (Rigoletto) at the Metropolitan Opera, and Prince Gremin (Eugene Onegin) at Den Norske Opera. In popular demand for his portrayal of Sarastro (Die Zauberflöte), appearances have included at Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Bayerische Staatsoper, Wiener Staatsoper, Gran Teatre del Liceu and most recently at the Metropolitan Opera under the baton of Nathalie Stutzmann.
A distinguished concert artist, Stephen Milling has performed at Vienna’s Musikverein in performances of Schmidt’s Das Buch mit Sieben Siegeln under the baton of Ingo Metzmacher and with Berliner Philharmoniker in Verdi’s Messa da Requiem under the late Mariss Jansons; he has appeared with Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra in a European tour of Das Rheingold conducted by Yannick Nezét-Séguin, with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra under Fabio Luisi in concert performances of Die Walküre and, at the 2024 Grafenegg Music Festival, in Act III of Parsifal conducted by Roberto Paternostro.
![Stephen Milling](/https/www.harrisonparrott.com/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_small/public/images/2018-02/milling-bw-headshot-3.jpg?h=355315ee&itok=4B6uGcd0)
See More
Opera performances in the 2024/25 season include Filippo II in a new staging of Don Carlos at Royal Danish Opera conducted by Jordan de Souza and he returns to the Metropolitan Opera both as Sarastro under the baton of Evan Rogister and as Don Fernando in the new production of Fidelio under Susanna Mälkki, including a live international transmission as part of the Metropolitan Opera’s ‘Live in HD’ series. Concert appearances include his return to Dallas Symphony Orchestra as Hunding and Hagen in Der Ring des Nibelungen under the baton of Fabio Luisi, as König Marke with Rotterdam Philharmonic in Act II of Tristan und Isolde conducted by Tarmo Peltokoski and gala performances of Der fliegende Holländer at the Internationale Maifestspiele Wiesbaden under Leo McFall and of Parsifal at the Cēsis Art Festival (Peltokoski).
Stephen Milling features on several CDs including Les Troyens with London Symphony Orchestra (Sir Colin Davis) and on DVD he stars in Der Ring des Nibelungen staged by La Fura dels Baus in Valencia, Parsifal from the Osterfestspiele Salzburg, Der Freischütz from Teatro alla Scala and, in three collaborations with Kasper Holten at the Royal Danish Opera The Copenhagen Ring, Tannhäuser and Maskarade.
Trained at the Royal Danish Academy of Music, Stephen Milling joined the Royal Danish Opera in 1994 where he debuted several roles that have remained central to his repertoire. Two subsequent international debuts at Teatro alla Scala as Don Fernando (Fidelio) under Riccardo Muti and as Fasolt and Hunding in Seattle Opera’s Ring Cycle paved the way towards today’s thriving global career.
Gallery
![Stephen Milling](/https/www.harrisonparrott.com/sites/default/files/styles/square_small/public/images/galleries/2018-03/170308_1820_meistersinger-stephen-milling-as-veit-pogner-c-roh.-photo-.jpg?h=f3ada1d1&itok=0J4l9Rvv)
![Stephen Milling](/https/www.harrisonparrott.com/sites/default/files/styles/square_small/public/images/galleries/2018-10/bc20180921_0174-stephen-milling-as-hagen-c-roh-2018.-photographed-by-bill-cooper.jpg?h=357309d5&itok=Wa3VAlZY)
![Stephen Milling](/https/www.harrisonparrott.com/sites/default/files/styles/square_small/public/images/galleries/2018-03/milling-bw-headshot-1-crop.jpg?h=d25f6492&itok=4ub9N2v1)
![Stephen Milling](/https/www.harrisonparrott.com/sites/default/files/styles/square_small/public/images/galleries/2018-03/parsifal-dkt-milling-1.jpg?h=ddb440fa&itok=GiHhiX79)
“Stephen Milling was Hunding, and his imposing presence and massive bass exuded menace.”
“Stephen Milling, as Gurnemanz, provided the depth of sympathy and wisdom one associates with the best singers in the role”
“The Danish bass Stephen Milling was a sterling Daland, smooth-toned and not unduly demonstrative, hence a satisfying counterweight to the Welshman’s scaled-up Dutchman.”
“Stephen Milling makes a formidable return in the role of King Marke, who initially seems threatening when he faces his deceitful friend Tristan, but gradually Milling lets the king’s vulnerability and disappointment seep through until it ends in a breakdown. It is a finely orchestrated performance.”
“As it is, Stephen Milling’s King Marke provides some missing imagery in embodying all the worldly certainties the lovers seek to look past. Milling’s voice is monumentally pleasurable to listen to and his experience in this repertoire, vocal and dramatic, proves priceless.”
“Hunding was portrayed by the tremendous, rich bass of Stephen Milling.”
“With an awesome bass [Stephen Milling as Hunding]; his mere presence exuded menace.”
“Hagen — an impressive Stephen Milling, athletic build, bronze voice and strong dramatic presence”
“The new Hagen, Stephen Milling, concentrates all the diabolical darkness of the character in his voice and acting.”
“And always waiting his chance and thirsting for power, the beastly role of Hagen, menacingly and strongly sung by Stephen Milling”
“The warmth, opulence and intensity of Stephen Milling’s Gurnemanz is not easily surpassed”
“And always waiting his chance and thirsting for power, the beastly role of Hagen, menacingly and strongly sung by Stephen Milling”
“The new Hagen, Stephen Milling, concentrates in his voice and acting all the diabolical darkness of the character.”
“Stephen Milling’s bluff, healthy sea captain is a good foil for Terfel’s ghostly one.”
“Riding high above the waves, though, Danish bass Stephen Milling as Senta’s father, Daland, … flooding our ears with Wagnerian brilliance.”
“Vocal honours went to Stephen Milling whose deep bass grew more assured throughout and whose towering presence was perfect for Sarastro.”
“By the time we got to “In diesen heil’gen Hallen,” Milling’s voice was suffused with deep warmth, like stone warmed by the sun. The scene with [Pamina] is surprisingly tender — a lesson from a father to a daughter that doesn’t feel condescending but instead full of love and understanding.”
“His elegance and poise was reflected in his two big arias “Isis und Isiris” and “In diesen heil’gen Hallen.”… Milling didn’t seem at all daunted by them and managed a seamless transition to those lower reaches without obstructing the balance or fluidity of his line.”
“Stephen Milling brings the executor of the end — Hagen — to the stage with a powerful voice and a lot of presence. With full force, his calls echo pithy over the well-prepared Staatsopernchor.”
“Milling’s voice is so huge he could give the impression of using only a fraction of it for most of Act 1 (and always servicing the text).”
“Stephen Milling is a perfect fit for what can be expected of Sarastro. His calm and warm voice makes him the ideal male figure wanted by Mozart and Schikaneder to symbolize justice and knowledge.”
“Stephen Milling, with the wingspan of a giant and extraordinary scenic poise, sang a serene and firm Sarastro.”
“Stephen Milling as Hagen, with his poise and dark voice producing a chilling call to arms “
“Danish bass Stephen Milling gives an overwhelming physical and vocal presence. The scene with the ghost of his father Alberich, highlighted by musical drama, is one of the best.”
“A cast in which the nobility and the line of Stephen Milling’s singing stand out, whose brilliance in the character of Hagen shows that there are no secondary roles”
“Stephen Milling was a threatening Hunding with a black bass sound.”
“Stephen Milling, as Hunding, has the most beautiful voice with his built-in subwoofer. Delicious how those consonants roll out.”
“Stephen Milling brought vocal authority to the role of the Landgrave.”
“Bass Stephen Milling was also top-drawer, combining power with effortless lyricism as Landgrave Hermann.”
“Total Wagnerian perfection in a nutshell came from Stephen Milling, making his mark with huge authority as the brute husband who treats his
wife as a chattel.”
“Stephen Milling’s Hagen, by contrast, was an awesome, overbearing presence both physically and vocally.”
“Warner opted to double up the roles of Padre Guardiano and the Marchese de Calatrava, and they were given imposing form by Stephen Milling.”
“Stephen Milling is excellent, a Rocco with a beautiful burnished tone, full bodied and incisive. He knows how to highlight humanity from great simplicity, his Rocco has foresight and is maybe even a little corruptible but certainly not a killer. And in the aria Hat man nicht auch Gold beineben he adds wisdom and common sense.”
“The [cast all] made valuable contributions, especially the imposing bass of Stephen Milling (the Hermit)”
“There were some truly exceptional performances:… Stephen Milling’s stentorian Hagen, whose famous call in Act 2 of Götterdämmerung seemed to shake the theatre’s wooden structure”
“Stephen Milling sings a wonderfully nasty Hagen with the aura of a heavyweight boxer. Brutal in the scene when he kills Siegfried.”
“Stephen Milling, who sings the role of Hagen with inexhaustible power reserves and a soothing bass”
“As the giant Fafner, Stephen Milling [was] marvellous…Milling offered a more gruff but equally colourful bass as the treacherous Fafner.”
“in vocal terms [Hans Sachs] was outgunned by the Pogner of Stephen Milling, a singer of dark Wagnerian power.”
“Stephen Milling’s penetrating, dramatic bass proved excellent in the role of Philippe II”
“Stephen Milling’s Hermann tramped the stage fiercely and filled the theatre with generous waves of sound.”
“Stephen Milling sounds superbly sonorous as the Landgrave.”
“Danish bass Stephen Milling is a tower of strength as the Landgrave.”
“Stephen Milling’s sonorous Landgrave was, quite rightly, especially acclaimed by the audience.”
“Stephen Milling sang Gurnemanz with dark, focused tone and excellent diction.”
“Stephen Milling was an inspired Gurnemanz, with a dark timbre, secure intonation and forthright diction.”
“Stephen Milling was a top quality Gurnemanz. He maintained a compelling line in his poignant song, as well as strong stage presence.”
“The highlight, an all-round outstanding Stephen Milling as Hagen”
“Stephen Milling, already physically convincing as Hagen, gives a highly dramatic vocal performance also. Ideal casting.”
“Stephen Milling, who wowed me as Marke in a Berlin Tristan last year, was an outstanding Hagen. Not only was his voice thrilling and, when needed, vast, he also captured the formidable menace of his character better than most others I’ve seen. His Watch Song was delivered from inside an iron grill, but this only intensified the impression of restrained malevolent power.”
“The central force of the evening is Stephen Milling. His Hagen is both theatrically and vocally terrific. With his soft, dark bass, Milling gives gives the scheming character a demonic streak with great charisma and a seductive power.”
“Stephen Milling as the cuckolded king was the most consistently pleasing of the evening. Possessing a rich, mellifluous timbre with excellent diction and an ability to shape long vocal phrases with outstanding projection.”
“Stephen Milling convinces as King Marke, full of desperate sound with a voluminous penetrating dark voice.”
“In the role of King Marke was the excellent Stephen Milling who sang with a large homogenous voice and perfect intonation.”