Daniel Schmutzhard
Zoe Band
Shirley Thomson
Praised for his exciting dramatic persona, innate musicality, impressive range and eclectic repertoire, Austrian baritone Daniel Schmutzhard is recognised as one of the most interesting and individual artists of his generation.
Acclaimed for portrayals of characters as diverse as Corpo in de’ Cavalieri’s Rappresentatione di Anima, et di Corpo (Robert Carsen/Giovanni Antonini – Theater an der Wien), as Alberich in Wagner’s Das Rheingold (Kent Nagano – Kölner Philharmonie, Het Concertgebouw, Amsterdam) and as the charismatic title role of Weinberger’s Schwanda, der Dudelsackpfeifer (Andreas Homoki/Ainārs Rubiķis– Komische Oper Berlin), this exceptional singing actor leaves an impression in every role he embodies.
In the current season, Daniel Schmutzhard joins the cast of Schumann’s Das Paradies und die Peri (Christof Loy/Giedrė Šlekytė – Theater an der Wien), appears as Alberich in Wagner’s Siegfried (Kent Nagano – Prague State Opera, Kölner Philharmonie, Philharmonie de Paris, Dresdner Musikfestspiele) and returns to Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (Wolfgang Doerner – Philharmonie de Paris).
Highlights of Schmutzhard’s 2023/24 season included his role debut as Gunther in Andreas Homoki’s new production of Götterdämmerung at Opernhaus Zurich conducted by Music Director Gianandrea Noseda, Chaim in Rudi Stephan’s Die ersten Menschen, directed by Calixto Bieito and conducted by Robert Trevino at Teatro Arriaga Bilbao, and a return to Staatsoper Hamburg as both Fritz and Frank in Korngold’s Die tote Stadt under Yoel Gamzou. On the concert stage, he sang Fauré, Requiem with Orquesta Sinfonica del Principado de Asturias and Nuno Coelho and Orff, Carmina Burana with ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra at Wiener Konzerthaus with Tobias Wögerer.
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A member of Volksoper Wien, Schmutzhard’s current season appearances there include as Eisenstein (Die Fledermaus), Escamillo (Carmen), Count Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro) all under the direction of Lotte de Beer and Music Director Ben Glassberg, Kálmán’s Csárdásfürstinin directed by Johannes Erath, and as a soloist in KaiserRequiem, a new production by Andreas Heise interweaving Ullmann’s Emperor of Atlantis with Mozart’s Requiem, under the musical direction of Omer Meir Wellber. Highlights of Schmutzhard’s 2023/24 season included, Robert in Lotte de Beer’s production of Tchaikovsky’s Iolanthe, Papageno (Die Zauberflöte) under Omer Meir Wellber, Marcello (La Bohème) with Ben Glassberg, and Danilo in Mariame Clément’s new production of Die lustige Witwe.
Schmutzhard has enjoyed great success as Mozart’s Papageno, appearing in Robert Carsen’s production at Opéra national de Paris under the baton of Philippe Jordan, at Bayerische Staatsoper under Ivor Bolton, Oper Frankfurt under Christoph Poppen, Bregenzer Festspiele under Patrick Summers, Aix-en-Provence and Theater an der Wien under René Jacobs, as well as an extensive European concert tour with René Jacobs and recorded by Harmonia Mundi.
Daniel Schmutzhard has appeared at Theater an der Wien as Dunois (The Maid of Orleans), Scherasmin (Oberon) and Olivier (Capriccio), he sang Wolfram in Calixto Bieito’s staging of Tannhäuser at Opera Vlaanderen under Dmitri Jurowski, and was part of the world-premiere cast of Jens Joneleit’s Metanoia at Staatsoper Berlin under the baton of Daniel Barenboim.
Schmutzhard made his Bayreuth Festival debut as Donner (Das Rheingold) in Castorf’s Ring Cycle led by Kirill Petrenko and returned as Fritz Kothner in Barrie Kosky’s acclaimed production of Die Meistersinger conducted by Philippe Jordan. At Salzburg Festival, he debuted as the Hunter (Rusalka) with The Cleveland Orchestra under Music Director Franz Welser-Möst, returning as Albert (Werther) under Alejo Pérez.
As a former member of Oper Frankfurt, Daniel Schmutzhard amassed experience in a broad repertoire of roles including Don Giovanni under Sebastian Weigle, Conte (Le nozze di Figaro) under Constantin Trinks, Guglielmo (Così fan tutte), Rodrigo (Don Carlo) under Carlo Montanaro, Sharpless (Madama Butterfly) under Antonello Allemandi, Eugene Onegin under Sebastian Weigle and Heerrufer (Lohengrin) under Bertrand de Billy.
An impressive concert artist, Schmutzhard has performed Haydn, Die Schöpfung with Netherlands Radio Filharmonisch Orkest with Leonardo García Alarcón at Concertgebouw Amsterdam; Haydn, Die Jahreszeiten with Orchestre chambre de Paris and Douglas Boyd at Philharmonie de Paris; Schubert, Lazarus with Wiener Symphoniker under Ingo Metzmacher at Musikverein Wien; Mahler, Kindertotenlieder with MDR Sinfonieorchester under Stefan Asbury at Gewandhaus Leipzig; Mahler, Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen with Symphonieorchester Vorarlberg under Kirill Petrenko at Festspielhaus Bregenz; Orff, Carmina Burana with MDR Sinfonieorchester under Kristjan Järvi; Beethoven, Symphony No.9 with Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under Jonathan Nott; Britten, War Requiem with the Noord Nederlands Orkest under Stefan Asbury; and Weill, Sieben Todessünden with Berliner Philharmoniker under Sir Simon Rattle at the Salzburg Easter Festival.
Gallery
“Daniel Schmutzhard plays the part of the repentant sinner excellently. In pianissimo he acts almost to the point of whispering. This singer knows how to move an audience.”
“Gunther was excellently played by the magnificent Daniel Schmutzhard.”
“The athletic Daniel Schmutzhard was an assertive and powerful Cain who was required by Bieito to use his physical skills, which are on par with his excellent vocal technique. With his emotional capacity he made his role almost endearing, despite being — at least theoretically — ‘the bad guy’.”
“It must not be easy to find singers capable of combining the tremendous vocal demands of the score with the theatrical intelligence demanded by Bieito’s staging – it was the baritone Daniel Schmutzhard (Cain) who was the most complete, balanced and vocally solid.”
“Schmutzhard portrays the role of Gunther fantastically and has great vocal presence; finally, someone who gives this role a striking profile.”
“Daniel Schmutzhard is brilliant, both vocally and dramatically.”
“Daniel Schmutzhard’s Alberich; constantly accurate and impactful, he is also a formidable actor.”
“Daniel Schmutzhard (who we will never forget as the sensational Alberich in Kent Nagano’s Rheingold with Concerto Köln) was delightfully cast as Schwanda. The role offered him beautiful, extensive opportunities to use his unmistakable baritone, as powerful as it is tender; a pleasure and a delight to listen to him!”
“Baritone Daniel Schmutzhard is powerful, both dramatically and vocally.”
“Alberich is sung by Daniel Schmutzhard, a magnificent voice who successfully conveys the varying stages of the character’s journey.”
“Daniel Schmutzhard’s Alberich was one of the undoubted successes of the cast and one of the winners of the evening.”
“Corpor, embodied by Daniel Schmutzhard with a nuanced, powerful baritone.”
“And above all, Alberich, whom Daniel Schmutzhard introduced as the most complex character of the evening.”
“Daniel Schmutzhard sang with elegance and style.”
“Schmutzhard, with his pleasing lyric baritone, played a youthful and frivolous Gabriel, displaying a natural sense of silliness and comic timing.”
“The Austrian baritone Daniel Schmutzhard plays Prince Ottokar. His luminous instrument sings with conviction, and projects ideally above the orchestra.“
“Daniel Schmutzhard, with a very clear timbre projected his voice with natural ease.”
“The virile voice of Daniel Schmutzhard shines here.”
“Schmutzhard impressed with wonderful phrasing, intonation, and power.”
“Schmutzhard’s perfect diction, vibrant voice, sustained breath control, seamless range and burnished colour were a beautiful basis onto which he moulded the appropriately heart-rending colours and nuances of pathos, and the intensity of introspection and desperation.”
