Andreas Schager | |
|---|---|
 The tenor as Siegfried in a 2016 production ofGötterdämmerung at theStaatsoper Berlin | |
| Born | |
| Education | University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna |
| Occupation | Operatic tenor |
| Organizations | Staatsoper Berlin |
| Website | www |
Andreas Schager is an Austrian operatic tenor. He began his career as a tenor for operettas, but has developed into singingHeldentenor parts byRichard Wagner including Tristan, Siegmund, Siegfried and Parsifal. A member of theStaatsoper Berlin, he has appeared internationally at venues includingLa Scala,The Proms and theBayreuth Festival.
He was born Andreas Schagerl inRohrbach an der Gölsen,Lower Austria. He was a singer of theWiener Singakademie, and then studied voice at theUniversity of Music and Performing Arts Vienna with Walter Moore.[1] He made his debut on stage as Ferrando in Mozart'sCosì fan tutte at theSchlosstheater Schönbrunn.[1] His first engagement was as an operetta tenor at theTheater Krefeld und Mönchengladbach.
Schager sang lyrical tenor parts as a guest inBologna, at theOper Frankfurt, inGhent and in Vienna, and at the Canadian Opera Company,[1] including Tamino in Mozart'sDie Zauberflöte. He had developed into a singer of major Wagner roles by 2009, when he performed the role of David inDie Meistersinger von Nürnberg, also Florestan in Beethoven'sFidelio and Max in Weber'sDer Freischütz.[1] He appeared in the title role of Wagner'sRienzi first in June 2011 at theTheater Meiningen, and as Siegfried at theHalle Opera in the 2011/12 season.[2] He performed the roles ofTannhäuser, both Siegmund and Siegfried inDer Ring des Nibelungen, andParsifal.[2] He appeared asTristan first at theStadttheater Minden in 2012, alongsideDara Hobbs as Isolde, with theNordwestdeutsche Philharmonie conducted byFrank Beermann directed byMatthias von Stegmann. A reviewer from Vienna called his performance a "sensation";[3] She described him as looking and acting like a knight, and his voice as unbelievably powerful, used without straining it, but also without restraint during the three acts ("eine unwahrscheinlich kraftvolle Stimme, die unforciert drei Akte lang ohne Schonung eingesetzt wird").[3] She thought that his high range, built upon a basis of a broad middle range, seemed to be able to move mountains ("Auf einer breiten Mittellage-Basis baut er Höhen auf, die Berge versetzen könnten, meint man.).[3] The performance was noticed internationally; reviewers noted the singers' intensity and authenticity, and described Schager's Tristan as a "boisterous, passionate firebrand and dare-devil, whose ego does not have space for self-doubt.[4]
At a performance ofSiegfried at theStaatsoper Berlin conducted byDaniel Barenboim on 7 April 2013,Lance Ryan was scheduled to sing the role of Siegfried but failed to show up for Act I beginning in the afternoon. Schager, scheduled to sing Siegfried inGötterdämmerung, was nearby rehearsingDie Zauberflöte with theBerlin Philharmonic for a performance the same evening, and he agreed to Barenboim's request to sing the role of Siegfried from the wings while an assistant director appeared on stage in Ryan's costume. Ryan arrived in time for Act II.[5][6] Schager appeared then as Siegfried inGötterdämmerung, at the Staatsoper and also atThe Proms andLa Scala.[1][7]
Schager made his debut at theBayreuth Festival in 2016 as Erik inDer fliegende Holländer, and stepped in as Parsifal, a role he went on to sing in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023, 2024, and 2025.[1] He appeared as Siegfried in aconcert performance at the 2016 Spring Festival in Tokyo, conducted byMarek Janowski.[8] He performed in the two performances of theRing cycle of theInternationale Maifestspiele Wiesbaden, staged byUwe Eric Laufenberg, as Siegfried,[9] and on short notice also as Siegmund.[10] A critic said she had rarely met a tenor that wild, untamed, freely flowing, blasting every high note with joy ("... einen so wilden, ungezähmten, sich verströmenden, jeden hohen Ton mit Freude schmetternden Tenor selten gehört". She described him as a truly intelligent actor who is capable of great nuances ("... und daneben ein wirklich intelligenter Darsteller, der zu großartigen Nuancierungen fähig ist").[11] Schager made hisMetropolitan Opera debut as Siegfried in 2019.[12]Anthony Tommasini, a music critic atThe New York Times, wrote: "Mr. Schager pretty much met expectations, which is saying a lot given the paucity of tenors who can sing Siegfried. He has a hefty voice with clarion top notes and energy galore."[13]
In concert, Schager sang in Mahler'sEighth Symphony in Lucerne, conducted byRiccardo Chailly, and in Schönberg'sGurre-Lieder at thePhilharmonie de Paris, conducted byPhilippe Jordan. He was the tenor soloist in Mahler'sDas Lied von der Erde at the Südtiroler Festspiele inToblach and in Hamburg withchoir andorchestra of the NDR,[1] and in Beethoven'sNinth Symphony in Bolzano and Ravenna.[1]
In 2025, Schager was named ÖsterreichischerKammersänger.[14]
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