Anne Sofie von Otter

Anne Sofie von Otter (born 9 May 1955) is a Swedish mezzo-soprano. Her repertoire encompasses lieder, operas, oratorios and also rock and pop songs.

Early life Von Otter was born in Stockholm, Sweden. Her father was Göran von Otter, a Swedish diplomat in Berlin during World War II. She grew up in Bonn, London and Stockholm. She studied in Stockholm and at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, where her teachers included Vera Rózsa.

From 1983 to 1985, she was an ensemble member of the Basel Opera, where she made her professional operatic début as Alcina in Haydn's Orlando paladino. She made her Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, début in 1985 and her La Scala debut in 1987. Her Metropolitan Opera début was in December 1988 as Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro.

Career Her recording of Grieg songs won the 1993 Gramophone Record of the Year, the first time in the award's history that it had gone to a song recording. In 2001, she released her album with Elvis Costello, For the Stars, for which she won an Edison Award. She was awarded the Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Solo in 2015 for her album of French songs, Douce France. She is a regular recital and recording partner with Swedish pianist Bengt Forsberg.

In 2006, von Otter sang the Evangelist in the premiere of Sven-David Sandström's Ordet – en passion. Other work in contemporary music has included singing the role of The Woman in Senza Sangue of Péter Eötvös. In other media, she appeared in the film A Late Quartet.

In 2007, she released an album of music written by composers imprisoned in the Nazi ghetto of Theresienstadt concentration camp (also known as Terezin) before their transportation to the death camp of Auschwitz. She collaborated on this project with Christian Gerhaher (baritone) and chamber musicians. She has stated that the material has special personal meaning for her as her father had attempted unsuccessfully during the war to spread information that he had received from SS officer Kurt Gerstein about the Nazi death camps.

In 2016, von Otter sang Leonora in the world premiere of Thomas Adès' The Exterminating Angel, and again in 2017 at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. She created the principal role of Charlotte in Sebastian Fagerlund's 2017 opera Autumn Sonata, based on the 1979 film by Ingmar Bergman at the Finnish National Opera in Helsinki conducted by John Storgårds.

Family life Von Otter was married to Benny Fredriksson from 1989 until his suicide on 17 March 2018. He was an actor and managing director of The Stockholm House of Culture, including the Stadsteater (Stockholm City Theatre). The couple had two children. She lives in the capital Stockholm. 2003: Rolf Schock Prize in the musical arts category 2013: Honorary Degree, University Pierre and Marie Curie, Paris

Discography Selective charting albums

(Peak positions in Sverigetopplistan, the Swedish national record chart)

Recordings Lieder and songs Alban Berg: Sieben frühe Lieder & Der Wein conducted by Claudio Abbado (1995) Deutsche Grammophon Hector Berlioz: Mélodies with Cord Garben (piano) (1994) and Les nuits d'été conducted by James Levine (1995) Deutsche Grammophon Les nuits d'été conducted by Marc Minkowski (2011) Naïve Johannes Brahms: Lieder with Bengt Forsberg (piano) (1990) Deutsche Grammophon Cécile Chaminade: Mots d'amour with Bengt Forsberg (piano) (2001) Deutsche Grammophon Edvard Grieg: Songs/Lieder with Bengt Forsberg (piano) (1993) Deutsche Grammophon Erich Wolfgang Korngold: Rendezvous with Korngold with Bengt Forsberg (piano) & Friends (1999) Deutsche Grammophon Ingvar Lidholm: Songs and Chamber Music conducted by Björn Sjögren (1996) Caprice Records Gustav Mahler: Des Knaben Wunderhorn with Thomas Quasthoff conducted by Claudio Abbado (1999) Deutsche Grammophon Kindertotenlieder conducted by Pierre Boulez (2004) Deutsche Grammophon Maurice Ravel: Shéhérazade conducted by Pierre Boulez (2002) Deutsche Grammophon Arnold Schoenberg: Gurre-Lieder conducted by Simon Rattle (2002) EMI Franz Schubert: Lieder, with Bengt Forsberg (piano) (1997) and Lieder with Orchestra conducted by Claudio Abbado (2003) Deutsche Grammophon Robert Schumann: Frauen-Liebe und Leben with Bengt Forsberg (piano) (1995) Deutsche Grammophon Jean Sibelius: Anne Sofie von Otter sings Sibelius with Bengt Forsberg (piano) BIS Kurt Weill: Speak Low: Songs by Kurt Weill conducted by John Eliot Gardiner (1994) Deutsche Grammophon Hugo Wolf: Spanisches Liederbuch with Olaf Bär (baritone) and Geoffrey Parsons (piano) (1995) EMI Various: Boldemann Gefors Hillborg conducted by Kent Nagano (2008) Deutsche Grammophon La Bonne chanson – French Chamber Songs with Bengt Forsberg (piano) and others (1996) Deutsche Grammophon Brahms / Schumann with Barbara Bonney (soprano), Kurt Streit (tenor), Olaf Bär (baritone), Helmut Deutsch and Bengt Forsberg (piano duet) (1994) EMI Douce France – classical French songs (disc 1) and chansons (disc 2) with Bengt Forsberg (piano) and others (2013) Naive Folksongs with Bengt Forsberg (piano) (2000) Deutsche Grammophon Lieder / Mélodies by Beethoven Meyerbeer Spohr with Melvyn Tan (fortepiano) (2001) Archiv Lieder by Wolf and Mahler with Ralf Gothóni (piano) (1989) Deutsche Grammophon Love's Twilight – Late Romantic Songs by Berg Korngold Strauss with Bengt Forsberg (piano) (1994) Deutsche Grammophon Mahler Zemlinsky Lieder conducted by John Eliot Gardiner (1996) Deutsche Grammophon Mozart – Haydn: Songs & Canzonettas with Melvyn Tan (fortepiano) (1995) Archiv Music for a While – Baroque Melodies (2004) Deutsche Grammophon Terezín / Theresienstadt with Bengt Forsberg (piano), Christian Gerhaher, Gerold Huber (piano) and others (2007) Deutsche Grammophon Watercolours – Swedish Songs with Bengt Forsberg (piano) (2003) Deutsche Grammophon Wings in the Night – Swedish Songs with Bengt Forsberg (piano) (1996) Deutsche Grammophon

Complete operas Bartók: Bluebeard's Castle conducted by Bernard Haitink (1996) EMI Berlioz: La Damnation de Faust conducted by Myung-whun Chung (1998) Deutsche Grammophon Bizet: Carmen conducted by Philippe Jordan (2003) BBC/Arte Sebastian Fagerlund: Autumn Sonata (opera) conducted by John Storgårds (2018) BIS Gluck: Alceste conducted by Sir John Eliot Gardiner (1990) Philips Iphigénie en Aulide conducted by Sir John Eliot Gardiner (1990) Erato Orphée et Eurydice conducted by Sir John Eliot Gardiner (1989) EMI Handel: Agrippina conducted by Sir John Eliot Gardiner (1997) Philips Ariodante conducted by Marc Minkowski (1999) Archiv Giulio Cesare conducted by Marc Minkowski (2003) Archiv Hercules conducted by Marc Minkowski (2002) Archiv Serse by conducted by William Christie (2004) Virgin Classics Humperdinck: Hänsel und Gretel conducted by Jeffrey Tate(1989/1990) EMI Massenet: Werther conducted by Kent Nagano (1997) Elektra Monteverdi: L'incoronazione di Poppea conducted by John Eliot Gardiner (1996) Archiv L'Orfeo conducted by John Eliot Gardiner (1987) Archiv Mozart: La clemenza di Tito conducted by John Eliot Gardiner (1993) Deutsche Grammophon Così fan tutte conducted by Georg Solti (1996) Decca Idomeneo conducted by John Eliot Gardiner (1991) Deutsche Grammophon Le nozze di Figaro conducted by James Levine (1992) Deutsche Grammophon Purcell: Dido and Aeneas conducted by Trevor Pinnock (1989) Archiv Rachmaninoff: Aleko conducted by Neeme Järvi (1997) Deutsche Grammophon Richard Strauss: Ariadne auf Naxos conducted by Giuseppe Sinopoli (2002) Deutsche Grammophon Der Rosenkavalier conducted by Bernard Haitink (1991) EMI Der Rosenkavalier conducted by Carlos Kleiber (1995) Deutsche Grammophon DVD only Igor Stravinsky: The Rake's Progress conducted by John Eliot Gardiner (1999) Deutsche Grammophon Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin conducted by James Levine (1988) Deutsche Grammophon

Aria recordings Anne Sofie von Otter sings Offenbach, conducted by Marc Minkowski – Deutsche Grammophon Baroque Arias by Handel, Monteverdi, Roman and Telemann, with the Drottningholm Baroque Ensemble – Proprius Ombre de mon amant, French baroque arias conducted by William Christie – Archiv Opera Arias by Gluck, Haydn and Mozart, conducted by Trevor Pinnock – Archiv

Oratorios, symphonies, etc Bach: St Matthew Passion English Baroque Soloists, Sir John Eliot Gardiner St Matthew Passion Chicago Symphony, Sir Georg Solti; Kiri Te Kanawa, Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Tom Krause, Hans Peter Blochwitz, Glen Ellyn Children's Chorus, Chicago Symphony Chorus Beethoven: Symphony No. 9, with Luba Orgonasova, Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Gilles Cachemaille, the Monteverdi Choir and the Orchestre Revolutionaire et Romantique, conducted by Sir John Eliot Gardiner Berlioz: L'Enfance du Christ, Gilles Cachemaille, Jules Bastin, José Van Dam, Monteverdi Choir, Orchestre de l'Opéra de Lyon, conducted by John Eliot Gardiner - Erato 1988 Maurice Duruflé: "Requiem", conducted by Michel Plasson – EMI Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius, with Alastair Miles and David Rendall, conducted by Sir Colin Davis Handel: Jephtha, with Michael Chance, Lynne Dawson and Stephen Varcoe, with the English Baroque Soloists conducted by Sir John Eliot Gardiner Messiah, with Arleen Auger, Michael Chance, Howard Crook and John Tomlinson, with Trevor Pinnock and The English Concert Messiah, with Sylvia McNair, Michael Chance, Jerry Hadley and Robert Lloyd, with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields conducted by Sir Neville Marriner Mauricio Kagel: Sankt-Bach-Passion, conducted by the composer – Naïve Mahler: Symphony No. 3, conducted by Pierre Boulez – Deutsche Grammophon Mozart: Requiem: Barbara Bonney, Anne Sofie von Otter, English Baroque Soloists, Monteverdi Choir, conducted by John Eliot Gardiner – Archiv Great Mass in C minor: Barbara Bonney, Anne Sofie von Otter, English Baroque Soloists, Monteverdi Choir, conducted by Sir John Eliot Gardiner Franz Schubert: Rosamunde with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, conducted by Claudio Abbado Camille Saint-Saëns, Oratorio de Noël, Royal Opera Theater, Orchestra, The Michael Chamber Choir, conducted by Anders Eby. CD Proprius Musik AB 1994

Other music Home for Christmas, classical works and popular tunes for Christmas (1999) Deutsche Grammophon For the Stars, a collection of rock and pop songs (by the likes of Brian Wilson, Andersson–Ulvaeus and Lennon–McCartney), with Elvis Costello and Svante Henryson (2001) Deutsche Grammophon Peter Sculthorpe: Island Dreaming, with the Brodsky Quartet (2001) Challenge Records I Let the Music Speak – Songs of ABBA including "Money, Money, Money" and "The Winner Takes It All" (2006) Deutsche Grammophon Noel, classical Christmas music with Bengt Forsberg (2006) Deutsche Grammophon Love Songs, with Brad Mehldau (2010) Naïve Ottorino Respighi: Il tramonto, with the Brodsky Quartet – Vanguard The Metropolitan Opera Gala 1991, Deutsche Grammophon DVD, 00440-073-4582 James Levine's 25th Anniversary Metropolitan Opera Gala (1996), Deutsche Grammophon DVD, B0004602-09