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ANDREAS LEBEDA, Bass-baritone A specialist in the lieder and oratorio repertoire, bass-baritone Andreas Lebeda was born in Gmunden, Austria in 1957. His musical training and debut appearances took place in Steyr. In 1975 he began studies at the University of Salzburg in German philology and at the Mozarteum in Music Education, Conducting, Voice, and Piano. He studied with Nikolaus Harnoncourt at the Mozarteum and with René Jacobs at the Schola Cantorum in Basel. From 1987 until 1991 he was a student of Kurt Widmer in Basel. He also participated in masterclasses with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Kurt Widmer. A seasoned performer, Mr. Lebeda has appeared with numerous orchestras and with opera companies. He has presented numberous 'liederabends' at various venues throughout Europe. He made his American debut in February 1999 at Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, DC in a special 'liederabend' honoring the 250th anniversary of the birth of the poet Johannes Wolfgang von Goethe; the program included lieder by Schubert, Schumann, Brahms and Hugo Wolf, all settings of Goethe texts. A favorite at festivals, he has appeared at the Sémaine Sainte Arles, Festival Barocco Viterbo, Festwochen der Alten Musik Innsbruck, Festival Moulin d'Andé, Bregenzer Frühling, Brahms!Fest Mürzzuschlag, Sorø-Festival (Denmark), and Printemps des Arts in Monte Carlo, among others. The artist has led a vocal class since 1992 at the Bruckner Conservatory in Linz. He has taught at the Mozarteum in Salzburg since 1982. He is the founder and leader of the ensemble Kepler-Konsort which is based in Linz. Particularly interested in the repertoire of the Baroque, Classic and early Romantic periods, Mr. Lebeda's recordings include Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea and Heinrich Schütz's Weihnachtshistorie and Auferstehungshistorie for Harmonia Mundi France (both recordings directed by René Jacobs); Bach's Christmas Oratorio for Fabian Records; the same composer's cantata Himmelkönig, sei willkommen (BWV 182) for Symphonia Records; the music drama L'origine di Jaromeriz in Moravia by the Czech composer Frantisek Václav Míca on the Supraphon label; and Franz Schubert's Winterreise, a recording available through the Tiroler Landesmuseum Ferdinandeum in Innsbruck, Austria. His recording of Mozart's Grabmusik (Passion Cantata) K 42 with Ars Antiqua Austria and the St. Florian Boys Choir has recently been released on the Chesky Records label. Currently residing in Vienna, Mr. Lebeda's recent performance schedule in Europe included engagements in Vienna, Salzburg, Linz, Passau, Berlin, Bregenz, Mürzzuschlag and in France at Moulin d'Andé. He made his American orchestral debut in February 2000 singing Mahler's Rückert Lieder with the National Gallery Orchestra under the direction of George Manos. On January 24, 2001 the artist made his New York debut at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall under the auspices of the Austrian Cultural Institute in a program of lieder by 20th century Austrian composers including Eisler, Zemlinsky, Cerha, Wellesz, von Einem, and Krenek. In February, 2001 he returned to Washington, DC to sing Die schöne Magelone by Johannes Brahms at the Austrian Embassy; the program was repeated on a new series in Houston. What people are saying about Andreas Lebeda… "…Andreas Lebeda counts among the leading Austrian singers of the middle generation."
"Judging by his recording of Schubert's "Die Winterreise"…he is headed for a major career.
"With [pianist David] Cowan and Andreas Lebeda with his beautiful, enormously flexible bass-baritone, here are two sensible musician-poets in this Winterreise who trace out all the melancholy and longings of this sad love story in an impressive and sensitive way." [review of Lebeda's recording of Winterreise]
"A Winterreise like this one is truly unique.
"There is a tremendous range of emotions and styles…in the songs made from Goethe's texts by Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms and Hugo Wolf, the four composers chosen by Lebeda for his [U.S. debut] program… Lebeda sampled all these styles with a voice deep, rich and subtly expressive, a voice that could change to match the character and atmosphere of each song…"
"With radiant tone, panoramic ranges of timbres and carefully measured phrasing, Austrian bass-baritone Andreas Lebeda testifies to his homeland's unbroken tradition of splendid musicmaking."
"With three songs from Des Knaben Wunderhorn of G. Mahler, Andreas Lebeda shone. He received enormous applause from the audience for his clear intonation and sophisticated articulation."
"Andreas Lebeda succeeded very well in his dual assignments as Pilate and as the soloist for the bass arias. His beautiful and expressive voice as well as his interpretation of the text with inner maturity and conviction produced dramatic effect. Pilate's difficult situation came out clearly." [review of J. S. Bach's St. John Passion performed on tour in Namibia, newspaper not identified.]
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