Michael Volle

Michael Volle is regarded as one of the leading dramatic baritones of his generation, admired for his powerful voice and commanding stage presence. Volle is also renowned for his exquisite diction, described by critic Mark Berry in a review as perfect, with every word not merely pronounced, but felt and communicated.

After engagements in Mannheim, Bonn, Düsseldorf and Cologne, he joined the ensembles of Zurich Opera and the Bavarian State Opera. He has since appeared at major opera houses and festivals worldwide, including the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, the Vienna State Opera, Covent Garden, Bayreuth and Salzburg.

His extensive repertoire includes major roles by Mozart, Wagner, Verdi, Strauss, Puccini, Berg and Mussorgsky, among them Wotan, Hans Sachs, Falstaff, Jago, Jochanaan and Boris Godunov. Volle is also an accomplished concert and recital singer. His distinctions include the German theatre prize DER FAUST, two OPERNWELT Singer of the Year awards and the 2023 Oper! Award for Best Male Singer.

Michael Volle at Bayreuth

2007     Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Sixtus Beckmesser)
2008     Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Sixtus Beckmesser)
2017     Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Hans Sachs)
2018     Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Hans Sachs)
2019     Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Hans Sachs)
2020     Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Hans Sachs)
2021     Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Hans Sachs)
2021     Parsifal, Concert Parsifal (Amfortas)
2023     Der fliegende Holländer (Der Holländer)
2024     Der fliegende Holländer (Der Holländer)
2025     Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Hans Sachs)
2025     Parsifal (Amfortas)
2026     Das Rheingold (Wotan)
2026     Die Walküre (Wotan)
2026     Parsifal (Amfortas)
2026     Siegfried (Der Wanderer)

Selected Biographies

One of the finest monuments in sound ever to have been raised to the everlasting glory of music. (Claude Debussy on Parsifal)

"The thing about Wagner is that there can be no true success in any production of his operas, only degrees of failure. There is so much in these bloody pieces, all you can do is try to live up to them." (Keith Warner, The Guardian)

"I have never come across an audience with so much hatred, so much anger, such a thirst for revenge. They take everything personally. It makes you a little bit scared, and it's really quite terrifying." (Lance Ryan on the audiences at Bayreuth)

"People sometimes complain that Wagner operas are too long, that they get stiff and sore about 10.30 because they have rushed in to hear one of his works straight from work and are not properly prepared for listening to his music. The audience, as much as the artists, must be prepared for a performance."
(Benjamin Britten to Alan Blyth, Gramophone)

"I was bowled over. It was the year after Wieland Wagner had died; to be able to see his productions was a total knock-out. These bare stagings, where everything was done with lighting. The light changed with the music, and the shadows and patterns seemed as archetypal as the music itself. Nobody had done that on the stage before. I thought it was extraordinary and wonderful."
(Patrick Carnegy to The Guardian)

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