Wagner Biographies

Waltraut Meier

Waltraud Meier as Isolde, Bayreuth Festival

Waltraud Meier's talent, perfectionism, charisma, unmatched stage presence, text studies and complete devotion to the art of singing has made her one of the greatest opera singers of our time. She is a great actress as well. She constantly refines her art.

 

Waltraud Meier

Waltraud Meier was born in Würzburg in 1956. She made her debut in 1976 at the Würzburg Opera as Lola in "Cavalleria rusticana". In 1980, she made her international début at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires as Fricka in "Die Walküre".

After the success as Kundry at the Bayreuth Festival in 1983 her career moved up to a new level. The following years she regularly appeared at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Metropolitan, La Scala, Opéra national de Paris, Wiener Staatsoper and Bayerische Staatsoper.

Waltraud Meier

In 1993 she sang Isolde for the first time, in Heiner Müller's production in Bayreuth, a sensational debut despite her conflicts with the producer. This production is now one of the classic productions from the Bayreuth Festival, and recently issued on DVD.

Waltraud Meier

Waltraud Meier as Waltraute in Harry Kupfer's production of Der Ring des Nibelungen.

 

In 1995 she recorded Tristan und Isolde with Daniel Barenboim conducting. Her interpretations of Kundry, Isolde, Ortrud, Venus and Sieglinde in many productions around the world has made her one of the greatest Wagner singers of our time.

In 2009 Waltraud Meier announced that she is not going to include Brünnhilde into her repertoire.

 

 

 

Waltraud Meier's Wagner productions on DVD

  • Tristan und Isolde (Isolde)
    Peter Konwitschny, Zubin Mehta, Staatsoper München
  • Tristan und Isolde (Isolde)
    Heiner Müller, Daniel Barenboim, Siegfried Jerusalem, Bayreuther Festspiele
  • Tannhäuser (Venus)
    David Alden, Zubin Mehta, René Kollo, Staatsoper München
  • Götterdämmerung (Waltraute)
    Harry Kupfer, Daniel Barenboim, Bayreuther Festspiele
  • Lohengrin (Ortrud)
    Nikolaus Lehnhoff, Kent Nagano, Baden-Baden
  • Parsifal (Kundry)
    Nikolaus Lehnhoff, Kent Nagano, Christopher Ventris, Baden-Baden
  • Parsifal (Kundry)
    Otto Schenk, James Levine, Metropolitan

Waltraud Meier's Wagner productions on CD

  • Götterdämmerung (Waltraute)
    Daniel Barenboim, Bayreuther Festspiele
  • Tristan und Isolde
    Daniel Barenboim, Berliner Philharmoniker
  • Parsifal (Kundry)
    Christian Thielemann, Placido Domingi, Falk Struckmann, Wiener Staatsoper
  • Tannhäuser (Venus, Altsolo)
    Daniel Barenboim, Staatskapelle Berlin

 

 

Waltraud Meier on Harry Kupfer's Ring production at Bayreuth

Denken Sie an Harry Kupfers grandiosen Bayreuther "Ring des Nibelungen". Bei diesen klugen und dabei emotional intensiven Bildern, bei denen stets ein Element des Gesamtkunstwerks ins andere greift, war ich ergriffen. Dagegen ist vieles heute nur noch banal, oberflächlich, läppisch und im Grunde moderner Kitsch. (Waltraud Meier ïnterviewed by Die Welt)

 

 

 

Waltraud Meier at the Bayreuth Festival

Waltraud Meier

1983

Parsifal (Kundry)

1984

Parsifal (Kundry)

1985

Parsifal (Kundry)

1986

Tristan und Isolde (Brangäne)

1987

Parsifal (Kundry)

1988

Götterdämmerung (Waltraute)
Parsifal (Kundry)

kupfer gotterdammerung, Waltraud Meier

Waltraud Meier as Waltraute in Harry Kupfer's production of Der Ring des Nibelungen.

1989

Götterdämmerung (Waltraute)
Parsifal (Kundry)

1990

Götterdämmerung (Waltraute)
Parsifal (Kundry)

1991

Götterdämmerung (Norn zweite, Waltraute)
Parsifal (Kundry)

1992

Götterdämmerung (Waltraute)
Parsifal (Kundry)

1993

Tristan und Isolde (Isolde)

Waltraud Meier as Isolde

Waltraud Meier's debut as Isolde in Heiner Müller's production.

1994

Tristan und Isolde (Isolde)

1995

Tristan und Isolde (Isolde)

1996

Tristan und Isolde (Isolde)

1997

Tristan und Isolde (Isolde)

1999

Tristan und Isolde (Isolde)

2000

Die Walküre (Sieglinde)

 

 

Sieglinde: O, hehrstes Wunder (Die Walküre, Act 3)

 

 

 

Waltraud Meier as Brangäne in Tristan und Isolde (Paris, 1985)

 

 

 

 

 

Waltraud Meier's Homepage

 

Selected Biographies