Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg - Verachtet mir die meister nicht
Der fliegende Holländer - Die Frist ist um
Tannhäuser - Als du in kühnem Sange uns bestrittest
Tannhäuser - Blick ich umher in diesem edlen Kreise
Parsifal - Ja, Wehe! Wehe! Weh über mich!
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg - Was duftet doch der Flieder
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg - Euch macht ihr’s leicht
Siegfried - Dir Urweisen ruf’ ich ins Ohr
Das Rheingold - Dir Urweisen ruf’ ich ins Ohr
Die Walküre - Leb wohl, du kühnes herrliches Kind!

The roles featured on this CD are, in more ways than one, truly great ones – and the vocal and interpretational demands on the artist are of an equally high calibre. The fact, as J. M. Fischer writes in the booklet text, that the term “heroic baritone” has established itself in connection with these roles is recognition of the highly technical challenges – and simultaneously an understatement. The parallels with Wagner's “heroic tenor roles” can be seen in the truly supreme vocal challenges, and yet the bass-baritone protagonist's role in each of these works also demands even greater control of the dramatic character of the role and, therefore, a more complex musical approach. The enduring fascination of these demanding roles can also be sought in

their “tragic awareness”, their undeniably “modern” broken state – something that is highly prescient in an era which sees itself as “post-heroic”.

Michael Volle is the epitome of a singer who has almost untypically by today's standard continuously grown into these roles and developed them in a serious way to bring out their individual characters. Hailing from a much wider repertoire base, he now performs those great Wagner roles on the most renowned international stages – most recently as Sachs at the New York Met as well as in the highly acclaimed Herheim production in Salzburg or the new version in Bayreuth. Following on from parts like Wolfram, Amfortas and Sachs, which he tried his hand at when younger and has brought to maturity, the artist is now able to tackle Wotan and Wanderer and lastly, perhaps the most challenging Wagnerian baritone role of all – the Dutchman from the composer's early period.

Michael Volle receives ample support from Georg Fritzsch, a GMD with many years of opera to his credit, and conducting the highly flexible Radio Symphony Orchestra of Berlin, whose Wagner credentials are documented on a recent CD of all his operas.

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Recording: 9-13 May 2016, Grosser Sendesaal rbb, Berlin