American singer James Moellenhoff has established himself as one of the most sought-after basses of our time. Hailed for his sonorous voice and dignified, moving characterization of roles such as Gurnemanz in Parsifal, Zaccaria in Nabucco and Boris Godunov, he is equally well known for his comedic gifts in roles such as Osmin in Die Entführung aus dem Serail and the intensity of his villainous portrayals of Hagen in Götterdämmerung and Sparafucile in Rigoletto.
The 2011/12 season at Leipzig Opera will see Mr. Moellenhoff portray Banco in a new production of Verdi’s Macbeth. He will also return to sing Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte, Pogner in Die Meistersinger, Gurnemanz in Parsifal, and in a role debut as Kalchas in Gluck’s Iphigénie en Aulide.
In previous seasons at Leipzig Opera, Mr. Moellenhoff has performed the Wagner roles of König Marke in Tristan und Isolde, Heinrich der Vogler in Lohengrin, Daland in Der fliegende Holländer, Pogner in Die Meistersinger, Gurnemanz in Parsifal, Fafner in Das Rheingold, and Hunding in Die Walküre. He has also lent his immeasurable stage presence to the roles of Il Commendatore in Don Giovanni, Geronte in Manon Lescaut, Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte, and Il Re in Aida.
James Moellenhoff has performed at many of opera’s most prestigious houses with numerous prominent conductors. In 2007 he made his Royal Opera Covent Garden debut as Hagen under Maestro Antonio Pappano. That same year he performed König Marke in Tristan und Isolde in Montreal with Maestro Kent Nagano and reprised his acclaimed portrayal of Hagen in Götterdämmerung at Swedish Royal Opera in Stockholm. In 2008 Mr. Moellenhoff took the stage for the first time at Deutsche Oper in Berlin singing Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte. With Leipzig Opera he performed his König Marke at Hong Kong Opera and as a guest artist he has sung Hagen at the Lisbon Opera House, Landgraf in Tannhäuser at Gera/Altenburg, Padre Guardiano in La Forza del Destino at the Schwerin Festspiel, and in an internationally praised Giancarlo del Monaco production of Manon Lescaut he sang Geronte under the baton of Riccardo Chailly.
Equally at home on the concert stage, James Moellenhoff’s varied concert repertoire includes, among others, Haydn’s Creation, Händel’s Messiah, Rossini’s Stabat Mater, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony (recently performed at Gera/Altenburg) and Missa Solemnis (recently performed in Mannheim), Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, and the Requiems of Mozart and Verdi.
“O Isis und Osiris” from Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (2009)
Beethoven |
Strauss |
Bach - Magnificat |
Händel - Messiah |
“In a stage design created by Paul Walters over 45 years ago, James Moellenhoff brought us a Gurnemanz of heart-warming humanity, quiet, yet penetrating tones, exemplary diction and a warm, full, flowing, bass voice, securing his place among the ranks of his renowned and glorious predecessors in this opera house.”
Susanne Kaulich - MANNHEIMER MORGEN
“The central character is Osmin --- a plump, lively, loveable, jolly harem master, full of life and vigor. James Moellenhoff embodied this character in an interpretation that was as vocally commanding as it was dramatically convincing.”
Wolfgang Denker - NORDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNGEN
“Unrestrained enthusiasm was reserved for only one of the soloists, James Moellenhoff, as the old Count Silva, whose passion for his ward, Elvira, is at the root of the ensuing tragedy,: . . James Moellenhoff sings this role with tremendous power and vocal richness, while never appearing blustering. He was completely deserving of the resounding ovations with which the audience rewarded him.”
Dieter Lintz - NPR RADIO
“James Moellenhoff earned a rousing chorus of bravos for his vocal triumph as Elvira’s guardian – a man who wants only to marry his ward.. The warmth and dignity that he brings to the character of Silva, place him, without question, beyond reproach.”
Martin Möller - TRIERISCHER VOLKSFREUND
“The Grande Inquisitore of James Moellenhoff , with his magnificent legato and his equally-magnificent dramatic intensity brought an additional impulse to the production - one that lingered right through to the opera’s closing scene.”
Stefan Koch - MANNHEIMER MORGEN
“James Moellenhoff: proves himself to be a Boris who can transform the opera’s elements of Russian demonicism into something human and who hauntingly varies his powerful voice to reflect both his pride and his increasing derangement.”
Simon Neubauer - FOYER KULTURJOURNAL
