Brigitte Fassbaender
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Brigitte Fassbaender (IPA: [bʁiˈgɪtə ˈfasbɛndɐ]; born 3 July 1939 in Berlin), is mezzo-soprano opera singer, and in recent years, an artistic director. She has received the Bavarian State Opera's honorific title of 'Kammersänger' or 'Court Singer.'
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[edit] Biography
Fassbaender is the daughter of screen actress Sabine Peters and the celebrated German baritone, Willi Domgraf-Fassbaender. The family settled in Nuremberg after World War II. She spent her early career in Munich. Fassbaender is widely believed to be a lesbian [1] with a large lesbian following [2].
[edit] Career
Brigitte Fassbaender first studied singing with her father, Willi Domgraf-Fassbaender, at the Nuremberg Conservatory. She joined Munich's Bavarian State Opera in 1961, where her first leading role was Nicklausse in The Tales of Hoffmann. Fassbaender sang Octavian (Der Rosenkavalier) in Munich, in 1967, the role that launched her international career. In 1971, she sang at Covent Garden and made her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1974.
In addition to her operatic triumphs, Fassbaender has achieved success in the concert hall as a Lieder singer and in movies, singing the role of Prince Orlofsky in the 1984 film production of Strauss' Die Fledermaus. She has made dozens of recordings -- operas, Lieder (including Schubert's 'Winterreise' and 'Schwanengesang'), oratorios (Bach's Christmas Oratorio, Handel's Messiah, etc.) and appeared in numerous televised opera productions now available on DVD. These include signature roles such as Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier and Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus, both conducted by frequent collaborator Carlos Kleiber (whose birthday, but not year, she shares). Fassbaender also taught master classes.
In recent years, Fassbaender has held Director positions. She accepted the Opera Directorship at Staatsheater Braunschweig, where her creative vision was well-received for two years. In 1999, she became Intendantin (Artistic Director) [3] of Tiroler Landes Theater (Innsbruck, Austria), producing operatic, stage and orchestral productions each year.
