Biography
German mezzo-soprano Doris Soffel first studied violin at the Munich Academy of Music, then singing with the legendary Wagner/Strauss-soprano Marianne Schech. During her studies already, she made her debut at the Bayreuth Youth Festival, singing the leading role in Wagner´s Das Liebesverbot. Wolfgang Windgassen immediately engaged her at the Stuttgart opera ensemble. During the following years she could build up a broad repertoire, including protagonist roles like Carmen, Eboli/Don Carlo and Octavian/Der Rosenkavalier.With her sensational success at Covent Garden as Sesto in Mozart´s Titus 1983 and as Orlofsky in Fledermaus (conductor Domingo) 1984 her world career was launched. Sawallisch gave her a lasting guest contract at the Bavarian State Opera, Munich. Since then she has made regular appearances in all big and important opera houses and concert halls of the world. In the 1980ies Doris Soffel became the only German mezzo-soprano with a world career in coloratura roles (belcanto-operas like L´Italiana in Algeri and La Cenerentola by Rossini as well as Donizetti and Bellini operas). Her cooperation with Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge has been well documented. In French repertoire she conquered the International audience not only with Carmen, but also with roles like Charlotte in Massenet’s Werther (with Alfredo Kraus) and Marguerite (Berlioz’ Damnation de Faust). Her exceptional musicality and vocal flexibility also led to cooperation with contemporary composers like Reimann, Henze and Penderecki. She had triumphant successes at world premieres, e.g. at the Munich Opera Festival in 1986 as Kassandra in Reimanns Troades.
With an extraordinary combination of passion, creativity and intelligence, demonstrated already in the Italian and French roles, Doris Soffel grew into one of the most significant Wagner- and Strauss singers of our time. Her early successes as Fricka/Das Rheingold and Die Walküre with Solti in Bayreuth and her Waltraute/Götterdämmerung with Mehta were confirmed later, at Carsens Cologne-Ring, at Audis Amsterdam Ring, at the Dresden Ring, in 2010 at La Scala with Barenboim and in Berlin with Rattle. Her Kundry/Parsifal with Thielemann and her Ortrud/Lohengrin with Luisi are legendary. Doris Soffels artistic curiosity and permanent seeking of new challenges has also brought her in recent years to the Slavic repertoire: With Marfa in Mussorgski’s Khovanschina, Jezibaba/Rusalka and Kabanicha in Janacek’s Katia Kabanova the artist painted extraordinary and touching role portraits.
Today, with her strong vocal expressive power, with her charisma and with stunning acting performances, she celebrates one triumph after the other in strong Strauss roles like die Amme in Die Frau ohne Schatten (debut in Los Angeles 2004), Herodias/Salome and Klytämnestra/Elektra.
Doris Soffel has sung with legendary conductors such as von Karajan, Celebidache, Solti, Giulini, Sawallisch, Maazel, Mehta, Sinopoli, as well as Thielemann, Jordan, Runnicles, Nagano, Barenboim, Simone Young and Rattle. Working from the beginning of her career with such significant stage directors as Rennert, Ponnelle, Sir Peter Hall, Jonathan Miller, Friedrich and Kupfer had a great formative influence on her artistry and today she works with directors like Konwitschny, Carsen, Herheim, Loy, van Hove and Tcherniakov.
Doris Soffel also has an impressive career as concert- and Lied-singer, main focus on Mahler, Brahms and Strauss. A strong presence on Youtube and an extensive discography (more than 60 CDs) as well as many DVD productions testifies to the great versatility of the singer and to the beauty of her voice. She is German “Kammersängerin” and in 2001 she was awarded with the Royal Swedish Northern Star Order for her important artistic contributions to Swedish music life.
Previous plans for 2019/20 included a. Herodias / Salome under the direction of Kirill Petrenko at the Bayerische Staatsoper München, Klytämnestra / Elektra at the Palau de les Arts in Valencia with Marc Albrecht on the podium, Leokadja Begbick / Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny at the Nationale Opera Amsterdam *, Mme de Croissy / Dialogues des Carmélites at the Glyndebourne Festival and Liederabend “Grandeur und Dekadenz” on the occasion of the Münchner Opernfestspiele *.
Past engagements include Herodias/Salome under the baton of Kirill Petrenko at the Bavarian State Opera Munich, Klytämnestra/Elektra with Marc Albrecht at Palau de les Arts Valencia, Leokadja Begbick/Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny at Dutch National Opera Amsterdam under Markus Stenz, as well as Madame de Croissy/Dialogues des Carmélites (staged by Barrie Kosky) and with Robin Ticciati in Glyndebourne. Furthermore, she was part of the Munich Opera Festival performing her highly acclaimed Lied recital „Grandeur und Dekadenz“.
In the 22/23 season, Soffel will take on the roles of Madame Louise/Oceane, Herodias/Salome and Adelaide/Arabella at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and Die Hexe/Königskinder at the De Nationale Opera in Amsterdam.
* cancelled due to Covid-19
Artist Website
www.dorissoffel.comManagement
EuropeArtist Manager

Boris Orlob
Managing Director
boris@orlob.net
Mobil: +49-172-8 51 55 14
Repertoire
Repertoire Concert
Bach, J.S. | Christmas Oratorio | |
St. Matthew Passion | ||
Beethoven | Missa solemnis | |
Symphony no. 9 | ||
Berg | Sieben frühe Lieder | |
Berlioz | La mort de Cleopatre | |
Les nuits d'été | ||
Romeo et Juliette | ||
Brahms | Alt-Rhapsodie | |
Vier ernste Gesänge | ||
Dvorak | Stabat Mater | |
Hindemith | Requiem | |
Mahler | Das Lied von der Erde | |
Des Knaben Wunderhorn | ||
Kindertotenlieder | ||
Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen | ||
Rückert-Lieder | ||
Symphony no. 2 | ||
Symphony no. 3 | ||
Symphony no. 8 / Alto 1 | ||
Martin | Die Weise von Liebe und Tod des Cornets | |
In terra pax | ||
Mendelssohn | Elias | |
Paulus | ||
Mozart | Requiem | |
Pfitzner | Von deutscher Seele Op. 28 | |
Ravel | Shéhérezade | |
Rossini | Petite Messe solennelle | |
Stabat Mater | ||
Schnittke | Faust-Kantate / Mefistofela | |
Schulhoff | Menschheit Landschaften | |
Schönberg | Gurrelieder / Waldtaube | |
Sibelius | Orchesterlieder | |
Strauss, R. | Orchesterlieder | |
Strawinsky | Oedipus Rex | |
Szymanowski | Stabat Mater | |
Verdi | Requiem | |
Wagner | Wesendonck-Lieder | |
Zemlinsky | Sechs Gesänge nach Texten von Maurice Maeterlinck |
Repertoire Opera
Bartók | Bluebeard's Castle | Judit |
Bellini | Norma | Adalgisa |
Berg | Lulu | Countess Geschwitz |
Berlioz | Les Troyens | Didon |
Bernstein | Candide | Old Lady |
Bizet | Carmen | Carmen |
Cilea | Adriana Lecouvreur | Principessa |
Debussy | Pelléas et Mélisande | Geneviève |
Donizetti | La favorita | Leonora |
Maria Stuarda | Elisabetta | |
Dvorak | Rusalka | Jezibaba |
Giordano | Andrea Chénier | La comtesse di Coigny |
Gluck | Orfeo et Euridice | Orfeo |
Hindemith | Cardillac | Die Dame |
Janácek | Katja Kabanova | Kabanicha |
Mascagni | Cavalleria rusticana | Santuzza |
Massenet | Herodiade | Herodiade |
Werther | Charlotte | |
Mozart | La clemenza di Tito | Sesto |
Mussorgsky | Boris Godunov | Marina |
Chowanschtschina | Marfa | |
Offenbach | Les contes d'Hoffmann | La voix de la mère |
Penderecki | Ubu Rex | Maire Ubu |
Ponchielli | La Gioconda | Laura Adorno |
Poulenc | Dialogues des Carmélites | Madame de Croissy |
Reimann | Troades | Kassandra |
Saint-Saëns | Samson et Dalila | Dalila |
Schoeck | Penthesilea | Penthesilea |
Spohr | Jessonda | Amazili |
Strauss, J. | Die Fledermaus | Prinz Orlofsky |
Strauss, R. | Arabella | Adelaide |
Ariadne auf Naxos | Composer | |
Capriccio | Clairon | |
Der Rosenkavalier | Octavian | |
Die Frau ohne Schatten | Nurse | |
Elektra | Klytämnestra | |
Salome | Herodias | |
Stravinsky | Oedipus Rex | Jokaste |
Tchaikovsky | The Maid of Orleans | Joan of Arc |
The Queen of Spades | Countess | |
Verdi | Aida | Amneris |
Don Carlo | Eboli | |
Il trovatore | Azucena | |
Wagner | Das Rheingold | Fricka |
Die Walküre | Fricka | |
Götterdämmerung | Waltraute | |
Lohengrin | Ortrud | |
Parsifal | Kundry | |
Rienzi | Adriano | |
Tannhäuser | Venus | |
Tristan und Isolde | Brangäne |
News

In eager anticipation
On 18 March, Richard Strauss' Arabella celebrates its premiere at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. Together with, among others, Sara Jukubiak as Arabella and Albert Pesendorfer as Count Waldner, Doris Soffel sings the role of Adelaide under the musical direction of Sir Donald Runnicles in the production by Tobias Kratzer.The premiere will be broadcast time-delayed on rbb Kultur, starting at 20:03. In addition, a DVD / Blu-ray of this production will be produced in collaboration between Deutsche Oper Berlin and Naxos.
Futher performances: 23.03., 26.03., 30.03., 02.04., 06.04.2023
Media
Images
Photo: Boris Streubel
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Photo: Boris Streubel
Download available

Photo: Boris Streubel
Download available

Photo: Boris Streubel
Download available

Photo: Jakob Hoff

Photo: Michael Pöhn

Photo: Hösl

Photo: LIeberenz

Photo: Javierdereal

Photo: Brescia
Press
Arabella / Deutsche Oper Berlin / 22.03.2023 / welt.de
"[...] Doris Soffel ist als superb ihre Sentenzen platzierende Mama [...] eine Wucht an Präsenz und Charaktertiefenschärfe"
Pique Dame / Osterfestspielen Baden-Baden / 11.04.22 / swr.de
"Doris Soffel in Pique Dame: Ein Höhepunkt in 50 Jahren Karriere"
Pique Dame / Berliner Philharmonker / 22.04.22 / tagesspiegel.de
"Doris Soffel liefert voll Sing- und Spiellust eine Charakterstudie der uralten, glamourös-misanthropischen Gräfin ab"
Pique Dame / Baden-Baden Berliner Philharmonker / 10.04.22 / die-deutsche-buehne.de
"Und Doris Soffel gibt die alte Gräfin [...] mit finsterer Dämonie."
Pique Dame / Baden-Baden Berliner Philharmonker / 09.04.22 / magazin.klassik.com
"Doris Soffel überrascht als Gräfin mit satt ausgesungenem, tief lotendem Gesang und beschränkt sich keineswegs, wie andere ehedem grosse Mezzosoprane, aufs blosse Markieren."
Salome / DNO Amsterdam / 06.02.22 / trouw.nl
"Doris Soffel is able to draw attention to herself. When she is singing, but also when she is silent. Pure class."
Salome / DNO Amsterdam / 07.02.22 / opernmagazin.nl
"Doris Soffel zeigte, dass Sie an satirischer Expressivität und stimmlicher Kraft nichts eingebüßt hat. Kolossal, wie ihre Stimme den ganzen Raum füllte."
Salome / DNO Amsterdam / 06.02.22 / operaclick.com
"Doris Soffel è oramai un classico che si impone per la magnetica presenza"
Elektra / Wiener Staatsoper / 10.09.20 / bachtrack.com
"Doris Soffel, wie sie die Rolle gestaltete, die feinen Nuancen zwischen Grössenwahn und Verzweiflung, zwischen Machtlust und Angst interpretierte, das war grosses Kino."
Elektra / Palau de les Arts Valencia / 23.01.20 / codalario.com
"Sin exageraciones, con un dominio absoluto del sprechgesang"
Elektra / Palau de les Arts Valencia / 22.01.20 / operawire.com
"Doris Soffel gave a luxurious interpretation of Klytämnestra"
Oceane / Deutsche Oper Berlin / 29.04.19 / berliner-zeitung.de
"Ironie, Überheblichkeit, Sorge - all das vermittelt diese große Sängerin mit einer reich gefärbten und souverän darstellenden Stimme"
Oceane / Deutsche Oper Berlin / 29.04.19 / nmz.de
"Mit satter Stimmgebung macht Doris Soffel aus der in Jugen-Amouren schwelgenden Wirtin ein stimmiges Psychogramm großen Formats"
Oceane / Deutsche Oper Berlin / 28.04.19 / klassikinfo.de
"leiht dieser Person nicht nur ihren ausdrucksstarken Mezzo, sondern prägt auch eine tragikomische Bühnenfigur mit Format"
Liederabend / Philharmonie Essen / 07.05.18 / waz.de
"raumgreifend, frei schwingend, ohne jede Grelle"
Dialogues des Carmélites / Staatsoper Hamburg / 08.05.17 / opera-online.com
"l'extraordinaire première Prieure (Madame de Croissy) de Doris Soffel"
Elektra / Staatstheater Stuttgart / 26.02.17 / fabiuskulturschockblog.wordpress.com
"Klytämnestra ist nicht nur Doris Soffels Signature Role, es ist schlicht ein Erlebnis!"
Dialogues des Carmélites / De Nationale Opera Amsterdam / 07.11.15 / operalounge.de
"Unvergesslich, unvergleichlich, einfach wahnsinnig"
Salome / BBC Proms / 01.09. 14 / operabritanniauk.wordpress.com
"such astonishing power, richness, precision"
Das Rheingold / Deutsche Oper Berlin / 22.09.13 / konzertkritikopernkritikberlin.wordpress.com
"Kraft, Klang, Erfahrung, Ausdruck in einer Stimme vereint"