Brigitte Fassbender, 85 today
OperaThe versatile German mezzo-soprano is midway through her second career as an opera and festival director.
She has engagements until 2029 and has not completely given up thought of singing again, she says.
The Lebrecht Interview we did together in 2008 was a mutual joy.
Unfortunately, it is not presently available online.
Happy birthday, Brigitte!
A wonderful Dorabella opposite Gundula Janowitz at the 1972 Salzburg Festival.
And an extraordinary Oktavian with Jones, Popp, Moll and Kleiber in Munich in 1982.
I heard several times live, always superb. Have you ever experienced anything less?
Simply put: A wonderful and complete artist. Her lieder recordings of Schuman, Schubert, and Mahler are all superb. Many happy returns!
I met Brigitte about 1998 in Baden when I was an MEP and was involved in getting a European Youth Opera project established which she was our advisor. I thanked her for her work and told her I fell in love with her when she sang at the Edinburgh Festival 30 years before! She laughed and said “ that’s nice to hear”!
Perhaps we could start the celebration by spelling her name correctly….
A fabulous artist and human being.
” has not completely given up thought of singing again”
I heard her sing half a Mahler lied at Wigmore Hall during a masterclass some years ago and I’ll tell you – I’d pay good money to hear it again. It was amazing.
She made arguably the best recording of Winterreise.