Matthias Goerne

Matthias Goerne (born 31 March 1967) is a German baritone. He has performed and recorded extensively, both on the opera stage and in Lieder settings. Goerne has been referred to as "today's leading interpreter of German art songs" by the Chicago Tribune, while the Boston Globe describes him as "one of the greatest singers performing today".

Prominent opera stages on which Goerne has appeared include the Royal Opera House in London, Teatro Real in Madrid, Paris National Opera, Vienna State Opera, and the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. His roles include Wagner's Wolfram in Tannhäuser, Amfortas in Parsifal, and Kurwenal in Tristan und Isolde, Orest in Elektra by Richard Strauss and the title roles in Alban Berg's Wozzeck, Bartók's Bluebeard's Castle, Hindemith's Mathis der Maler and Reimann's Lear.

In lieder recitals, he has worked with pianists including Alfred Brendel, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Daniil Trifonov and Seong-Jin Cho.

Biography Early life and education Goerne was born in Weimar. His first instrument was the cello, but he soon switched to singing. At the age of 9 he determined to become a professional singer. From the age of 18 to 22 he studied voice in Leipzig under . Two years into his studies, he won a singing competition in West Berlin. The head of the jury, composer and pianist Aribert Reimann, introduced him to Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, whom Goerne considered his idol and the greatest artist he knew. He took singing lessons from Fischer-Dieskau for three years

2000s From 2001 through 2005, Goerne taught as an honorary professor of song interpretation at the Robert Schumann Hochschule in Düsseldorf. In 2001, he was appointed an honorary member of the Royal Academy of Music in London.

2010s From the late 2000s to 2014, Goerne recorded a selection of Schubert lieder, The Goerne/Schubert Edition, on 12 CDs, for Harmonia Mundi. The final volume was published in December 2014 and received the highest rating in BBC Music magazine and a Diapason d'Or. His recording of Hanns Eisler lieder was awarded a Diapason d'Or de l'Année the same year.

He toured in the 2011/12 season with the Vienna Philharmonic with appearances at the Vienna State Opera and the Saito Kinen Festival, performing the title role of Bartók's Bluebeard's Castle conducted by Seiji Ozawa. He gave lieder recitals with Christoph Eschenbach and Leif Ove Andsnes in Paris, Vienna and at New York's Carnegie Hall.

From 2012 to 2013, Goerne appeared as Wolfram in Wagner's Tannhäuser at the Bavarian State Opera and as Amfortas in Wagner's Parsifal in a concert performance at the Teatro Real in Madrid. Concert highlights included appearances with the Orchestre de Paris (Bluebeard), Berlin Philharmonic (War Requiem), Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra (Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony), Filarmonica del Teatro alla Scala (Mahler Lieder), Israel Philharmonic, and San Francisco Symphony (Wagner arias) as well as song recitals with Pierre-Laurent Aimard and Schubert cycles with Christoph Eschenbach at the Vienna Musikverein.

2020s

In 2020, Goerne signed with Deutsche Grammophon for a trilogy of Lieder albums released in 2020, 2021 and 2022 with pianists Jan Lisiecki, Seong-Jin Cho and Daniil Trifonov, respectively.

In 2021, German composer Detlev Glanert composed a setting for voice and orchestra of Eichendorff poem "Der Einsiedler" (The hermit) especially for Goerne, who performed it with the Concertgebouworkest conducted by Jaap van Zweden to critical acclaim.

He made his directorial debut with a production of Salome at the Opéra National du Capitole in Toulouse in May 2026 with Nicole Chevalier in the title role.

Personal life

Goerne adopted a son who was born in 1989,

Views on music

Goerne has criticized the modern day relevance of opera productions, going so far as to state that most popular operas should not be performed at all anymore because they have become outdated, no longer having "enough substance for the questions posed by our society".

Awards and honors

Goerne is a recipient of the Wigmore Hall, London, medal.

Year Award Result 1999 Grammy Awards Nominated 2000 Grammy Awards Nominated 2014 BBC Music Magazine Vocal Award Nominated 2014 Diapason d'Or Won 2017 BBC Music Magazine Vocal Award Won 2017 Gramophone Solo Vocal Award Won 2017 ECHO Klassik Male Singer Won 2020 Edison Vocal Soloist Award Won 2020 Diapason d'Or Won 2020 Grammy Awards Nominated