{{short description|German opera singer (born 1967)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}} {{Infobox person | image = Matthias Goerne in Gewandhaus Leipzig at 26th November 2015.JPG | alt = | caption = <!-- Goerne --> | birth_name = Matthias Goerne | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1967|03|31|df=yes}} | birth_place = Weimar, East Germany | occupation = {{flatlist| * Opera/lieder singer (baritone) * singing teacher }} | years_active = 1997– | education = University of Music and Theatre Leipzig }}
'''Matthias Goerne''' (born 31 March 1967)<ref name="Oxford Reference">{{cite web | title=Matthias Goerne – Oxford Reference | website=Oxford Reference | date=2008 | url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195337655.001.0001/acref-9780195337655-e-601 | language=en | access-date=13 April 2022}}</ref> is a German baritone. He has performed and recorded extensively, both on the opera stage and in Lieder settings. Goerne has been referred to as "Today's leading interpreter of German art songs" by the ''Chicago Tribune'',<ref name="Chicago Tribune">{{cite web | title=With Goerne, the art of lieder singing is in caring hands | website=Chicago Tribune | date=3 February 2015 | url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-goerne-classical-20150203-column.html | language=en | access-date=13 April 2022}}</ref> while the ''Boston Globe'' describes him as "one of the greatest singers performing today".<ref name="Boston Globe">{{cite web | title=Baritone's impressive voice isn't quite enough | website=Boston Globe | date=4 August 2005 | url=http://archive.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2005/08/04/baritones_impressive_voice_isnt_quite_enough/ | language=en | access-date=13 April 2022}}</ref>
Prominent opera stages on which Goerne has appeared include the Royal Opera House in London, Teatro Real in Madrid, Paris National Opera, Vienna State Opera, and the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.<ref name="Münchner Philharmoniker">{{cite web | title=Matthias Goerne | website=Münchner Philharmoniker | url=https://www.mphil.de/orchester/musikerinnen-und-musiker/details/matthias-goerne | language=de | access-date=17 March 2022}}</ref> His carefully chosen roles include Wagner's Wolfram in ''Tannhäuser'', Amfortas in ''Parsifal'', and Kurwenal in ''Tristan und Isolde'', Orest in ''Elektra'' by Richard Strauss and the title roles in Alban Berg's ''Wozzeck'', Bartók's ''Bluebeard's Castle'', Hindemith's ''Mathis der Maler'' and Reimann's ''Lear''.
In lieder recitals, he has worked with pianists including Alfred Brendel, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Daniil Trifonov and Seong-Jin Cho.
==Biography== ===Early life and education=== Goerne was born in Weimar.<ref name="Festspiele 2022" /> He grew up in a musical environment; his father was a dramaturge and director at several play theaters in Dresden.<ref name="Home Theater Hifi Interview">{{cite web | title=Feature Article – "For Me, It Is Enough: Grammy Nominee, Baritone Matthias Goerne" | website=Home Theater Hifi | date=May 2001 | url=https://hometheaterhifi.com/volume_8_2/feature-article-goerne-interview-5-2001.html | language=en | access-date=13 April 2022}}</ref> His first instrument was the cello, but he soon switched to singing.<ref name="Moscow Philharmonic Society Interview">{{cite web | title=Interview With Matthias Goerne | website=YouTube | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yN-lJrcsxA8 | language=en | access-date=13 April 2022}}</ref> At the age of 9 he determined to become a professional singer.<ref name="Home Theater Hifi Interview" /> He sang in the children's choirs of several of his father's theatre productions, including Carmen and La Bohème.<ref name="Limelight Interview">{{cite web | title=Matthias Goerne on why the past is the way to find the future | website=Limelight Magazine | date=16 December 2015 | url=https://limelightmagazine.com.au/features/matthias-goerne-on-why-the-past-is-the-way-to-find-the-future/ | language=en | access-date=13 April 2022}}</ref> From the age of 18 to 22 he studied voice in Leipzig under {{ill|Hans-Joachim Beyer|de}}.<ref name="Home Theater Hifi Interview" /> He would later refer to Beyer as being his most important teacher and as the one who enabled him to start winning competitions.<ref name="Moscow Philharmonic Society Interview" /> In 1989, he won second prize in the Robert Schumann Competition and first prizes in the Salomon-Lindberg and Hugo Wolf competitions.<ref name="sfvc">{{cite web | title=Matthias Goerne: The voice mirrors the soul | website=Diapason | date=10 April 2012 | url=https://www.sfcv.org/articles/artist-spotlight/matthias-goerne-voice-mirrors-soul | language=fr | access-date=23 April 2022}}</ref> Two years into his studies, he won a singing competition in West Berlin. The head of the jury, composer and pianist Aribert Reimann, introduced him to Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, whom Goerne considered his idol and the greatest artist he knew. He took singing lessons from Fischer-Dieskau for three years<ref name="Home Theater Hifi Interview" /> and then from Elisabeth Schwarzkopf for two years.<ref name="Home Theater Hifi Interview" />
===Career=== ====1990s==== Goerne made his professional debut in Leipzig in 1990, invited by Kurt Masur to sing in Bach's ''St. Matthew Passion''.<ref name="sfvc" /> He made his debut at the Salzburg Festival in 1997 as Papageno in Mozart's ''Die Zauberflöte''.<ref name="Festspiele">{{cite web | title=Die Zauberflöte | work=Salzburer Festspiele Pfingsten | date=June 2019 | url=https://archive.salzburgerfestspiele.at/archivdetail/programid/61/id/0/j/1997 | language=de | access-date=17 March 2022}}</ref>
====2000s==== From 2001 through 2005, Goerne taught as an honorary professor of song interpretation at the Robert Schumann Hochschule in Düsseldorf.<ref name="Festspiele 2022">{{cite web | title=Matthias Goerne – Biografie | website=Berliner Festspiele | date=16 March 2022 | url=https://www.berlinerfestspiele.de/de/berliner-festspiele/programm/bfs-kuenstler/bfs_kuenstler_detail_70806.html | access-date=17 March 2022}}</ref> In 2001, he was appointed an honorary member of the Royal Academy of Music in London.<ref>{{cite web | title=Matthias Goerne | website=Salzburger Festspiele | url=https://www.salzburgerfestspiele.at/en/a/matthias-goerne | language=de | access-date=17 March 2022}}</ref>
====2010s==== From the late 2000s to 2014, Goerne recorded a selection of Schubert lieder, ''The Goerne/Schubert Edition'', on 12 CDs, for Harmonia Mundi. The final volume was published in December 2014 and received the highest rating in BBC Music magazine and a ''Diapason d'Or''. His recording of Hanns Eisler lieder was awarded a ''Diapason d'Or de l'Année'' the same year.<ref name="Diapason 2014">{{cite web | title=Disques : le palmarès des Diapason d'or de l'année 2014 en un coup d'œil | website=Diapason | date=25 November 2014 | url=https://www.diapasonmag.fr/a-la-une/disques-le-palmares-des-diapason-dor-de-lannee-2014-en-un-coup-doeil-10844.html | language=fr | access-date=17 March 2022}}</ref>
He toured in the 2011/12 season with the Vienna Philharmonic with appearances at the Vienna State Opera and the Saito Kinen Festival, performing the title role of Bartók's ''Bluebeard's Castle'' conducted by Seiji Ozawa. He gave lieder recitals with Christoph Eschenbach and Leif Ove Andsnes in Paris, Vienna and at New York's Carnegie Hall.
From 2012 to 2013, Goerne appeared as Wolfram in Wagner's ''Tannhäuser'' at the Bavarian State Opera and as Amfortas in Wagner's Parsifal in a concert performance at the Teatro Real in Madrid.<ref name="Laurson 2014">{{cite web | last=Irurzun | first=José Mª | title=Authentic Pretenses: Parsifal in Madrid – Seen and Heard International | website=Seen and Heard International | date=17 February 2014 | url=https://seenandheard-international.com/2013/02/authentic-pretenses-parsifal-in-madrid/ | access-date=17 March 2022}}</ref> Concert highlights included appearances with the Orchestre de Paris (Bluebeard), Berlin Philharmonic (War Requiem), Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra (Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony), Filarmonica del Teatro alla Scala (Mahler Lieder), Israel Philharmonic, and San Francisco Symphony (Wagner arias) as well as song recitals with Pierre-Laurent Aimard and Schubert cycles with Christoph Eschenbach at the Vienna Musikverein.
====2020s====
In 2020, Goerne signed with Deutsche Grammophon for a trilogy of Lieder albums released in 2020, 2021 and 2022 with pianists Jan Lisiecki, Seong-Jin Cho and Daniil Trifonov, respectively.<ref name="DG">{{cite web | title=Songs of Love, Life and Death: Matthias Goerne Concludes his Lieder Trilogy with Daniil Trifonov | website=Deutsche Grammophon| date=22 April 2022 | url=https://www.deutschegrammophon.com/en/artists/matthias-goerne/news/songs-of-love-life-and-death-matthias-goerne-concludes-his-lieder-trilogy-with-daniil-trifonov-266264 | access-date=23 April 2022}}</ref>
In 2021, German composer Detlev Glanert composed a setting for voice and orchestra of Eichendorff poem "Der Einsiedler" (The hermit) especially for Goerne,<ref name="Preludium">{{cite web | title=Bariton Matthias Goerne: ‘Ik wil de muziek tot leven wekken met mijn levenservaring’ | website=Preludium | date=16 March 2021 | url=https://www.preludium.nl/het-licht-van-schubert | language=nl | access-date=15 April 2022}}</ref> who performed it with the Concertgebouworkest conducted by Jaap van Zweden to critical acclaim.<ref name="Volkskrant">{{cite web | title=Het Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest speelt fantastisch onder leiding van Jaap van Zweden | website=Volkskrant | date=25 April 2021 | url=https://www.volkskrant.nl/cultuur-media/het-koninklijk-concertgebouworkest-speelt-fantastisch-onder-leiding-van-jaap-van-zweden~ba1d1521/ | language=nl | access-date=15 April 2022}}</ref>
===Personal life===
Goerne adopted a son<ref name="Financial Times">{{cite web | title=The Artist as a Moving Target | website=Financial Times | date=16 May 2006 | url=https://www.ft.com/content/fa65a4ba-e4f7-11da-80de-0000779e2340 | language=en | access-date=15 April 2022}}</ref> who was born in 1989,<ref name="Home Theater Hifi Interview" /> and a daughter born in 2000.<ref name="Home Theater Hifi Interview" /> His first marriage ended in divorce.<ref name="Home Theater Hifi Interview" /> He was said to have smoked cigarettes "a lot" early in life, but later stopped after noting the detrimental effects on his voice.<ref name="Moscow Philharmonic Society Interview" /> Goerne is not religious, although he does "have beliefs".<ref name="Musicweb">{{cite web | title=S & H Interview | website=Musicweb International | date=2 August 2002 | url=http://www.musicweb-international.com/sandh/2002/aug02/goerne_interview.htm | language=en | access-date=15 April 2022}}</ref>
==Views on music==
Goerne has criticized the modern day relevance of opera productions, going so far as to state that most popular operas should not be performed at all anymore because they have become outdated, no longer having "enough substance for the questions posed by our society".<ref name="Van Magazine" />
He has expressed a distaste for most contemporary art music from a vocal perspective, claiming that its focus on using the extremes of the voice, "singing very high or very low, very loud or very quietly", is not conducive to the expression of thoughts and feelings. Furthermore, he opines that this style of vocal writing makes pieces become "boring and one-dimensional".<ref name="Preludium" />
Goerne has expressed a preference for working with solo pianists over pianists who specialize in accompaniment, citing the formers' superior artistic vision and technical proficiency.<ref name="Van Magazine">{{cite web | title=The Calibrated Voice | website=Van Magazine | date=10 May 2018 | url=https://van-magazine.com/mag/matthias-goerne/ | language=en | access-date=15 April 2022}}</ref>
==Awards and honors==
Goerne is a recipient of the Wigmore Hall, London, medal.<ref name="Tagesspiegel 2007">{{cite web | title=Würdigung für Matthias Goerne | website=Der Tagesspiegel | date=19 February 2007 | url=https://www.tagesspiegel.de/kultur/wigmore-medal-wuerdigung-fuer-matthias-goerne/812968.html | language=de | access-date=17 March 2022}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable" |- ! Year !! Award !! Result |- | 1999 || Grammy Awards || Nominated <ref name="Grammy">{{cite web | title=Matthias Goerne | website=Grammy Awards | date=19 February 2007 | url=https://www.grammy.com/artists/matthias-goerne/9171 | language=en | access-date=13 April 2022}}</ref> |- | 2000 || Grammy Awards || Nominated <ref name="Grammy" /> |- | 2001 || Grammy Awards || Nominated <ref name="Grammy" /> |- | 2013 || Edison Vocal Soloist Award || Won <ref name="Edison 2013">{{cite web | title=Goerne, Jacobs winnen vocale Edisons | website=Opera Magazine | date=9 September 2013 | url=https://www.operamagazine.nl/nieuws/23910/goerne-jacobs-winnen-vocale-edisons/ | language=nl | access-date=13 April 2022}}</ref> |- | 2014 || BBC Music Magazine Vocal Award || Nominated <ref name="BBC 2014">{{cite web | title=Vocal – BBC Music Magazine Awards 2014 | website=classical-music.com | date=30 January 2014 | url=https://www.classical-music.com/news/winners-2017-bbc-music-magazine-awards-announced/ | language=en | access-date=13 April 2022}}</ref> |- | 2014 || Diapason d'Or || Won <ref name="Diapason 2014" /> |- | 2014 || ICMA Awards || Won <ref name="ICMA 2014">{{cite web | title=Winners 2014 ICMA | website=ICMA | date=20 January 2014 | url=https://www.icma-info.com/winners-2014/ | language=en | access-date=13 April 2022}}</ref> |- | 2017 || BBC Music Magazine Vocal Award || Won <ref name="BBC 2017">{{cite web | title=Winners of 2017 BBC Music Magazine Awards Announced | website=classical-music.com | date=19 April 2017 | url=https://www.classical-music.com/news/winners-2017-bbc-music-magazine-awards-announced/ | language=en | access-date=13 April 2022}}</ref> |- | 2017 || Gramophone Solo Vocal Award || Won <ref name="Gramophone 2017">{{cite web | title=Gramophone Awards 2017: The Winners! | website=Presto Music | date=1 September 2017 | url=https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/articles/1829--awards-gramophone-awards-2017-the-winners | language=en | access-date=13 April 2022}}</ref> |- | 2017 || ECHO Klassik Male Singer || Won <ref name="Echo 2017">{{cite web | title=Joyce DiDonato, Jonas Kaufmann & Matthias Goerne Among ECHO KLASSIK Award Winners | website=Opera Wire | date=27 July 2017 | url=https://operawire.com/joyce-didonato-jonas-kaufmann-matthias-goerne-among-echo-klassik-award-winners/ | language=en | access-date=13 April 2022}}</ref> |- | 2020 || Edison Vocal Soloist Award || Won <ref name="Edison 2020">{{cite web | title=2020 – Edison Klassiek | website=Edisons | date=2020 | url=https://www.edisons.nl/klassiek/edities/2020/ | language=nl | access-date=13 April 2022}}</ref> |- | 2020 || Diapason d'Or || Won <ref name="Diapason 2020">{{cite web | title=Beethoven Lieder awarded with Diapason d'Or | website=Dorn Music | date=16 July 2020 | url=https://dornmusic.com/beethoven-lieder-awarded-with-diapason-dor/ | language=en | access-date=13 April 2022}}</ref> |- | 2020 || Grammy Awards || Nominated <ref name="Grammy" /> |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==Further reading== * {{cite web | title=Matthias Goerne | website=Staatskapelle Berlin | url=https://www.staatskapelle-berlin.de/de/kuenstler/matthias-goerne.1617/ | language=de | ref={{sfnref | Staatskapelle Berlin}} | access-date=17 March 2022}} * {{cite web |last=Lemke-Matwey |first=Christine | title=Von Schubert lernen! | website=Die Zeit | url=https://www.zeit.de/2011/08/Gespraech-Goerne | language=de | access-date=17 March 2022}} * {{cite web | title=Matthias Goerne | website=New York Philharmonic | url=https://nyphil.org/about-us/artists/matthias-goerne | ref={{sfnref | New York Philharmonic }} | access-date=17 March 2022}}
==External links== * {{official|https://matthiasgoerne.org/}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goerne, Matthias}} Category:1967 births Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Weimar Category:Deutsche Grammophon artists Category:People from Bezirk Erfurt Category:German operatic baritones Category:University of Music and Theatre Leipzig alumni Category:Honorary members of the Royal Academy of Music