Valer Sabadus

  • Countertenor

General management

Valer Sabadus © schneiderphotography

"Valer Sabadus has an emotional intelligence in his singing that is rarely heard otherwise." Süddeutsche Zeitung

"The countertenor Valer Sabadus has meanwhile refined his vocal art to such an extent, his voice has gained so much naturalness that even the smallest emotions of the Baroque opera characters can be heard in long melodic arcs, trumpeting but controlled outbursts or in highly finely dosed vibrato." Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

As "tremendously dramatic, crystal clear, extremely controlled, lyrically fine, " the Süddeutsche Zeitung describes the sound of Valer Sabadus – with his crystal-clear and androgynous voice he sings in the ranks of the world's best countertenors.

Valer Sabadus achieved international fame in 2012 with his outstanding interpretation of Semira in Leonardo Vinci's opera "Artaserse" (director: Silviu Purcarete, conductor: Diego Fasolis) at the opera houses of Nancy, Lausanne and Cologne, the Theater an der Wien, the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, the Opéra Royal de Versailles and the Concertgebouw Amsterdam.

Since then, his international career in concert, song and opera has developed in many ways.

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His long-standing partners include renowned early music ensembles such as La Cetra Barockorchester Basel, Concerto Köln, Freiburger Barockorchester, L'Arpeggiata, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Kammerorchester Basel, Venice Baroque Orchestra, Cappella Mediterranea, Accademia Bizantina, Il Pomo d'Oro, Les Talens Lyriques, Ensemble 1700 and Nuovo Aspetto under conductors such as Leonardo García Alarcón, Ivor Bolton, Ottavio Dantone, Michael Hofstetter, Andrea Marcon, Alessandro de Marchi, Riccardo Minasi and Christophe Rousset. His partners include Dorothee Oberlinger, Christina Pluhar, Nuria Rial, Albrecht Mayer, Midori Seiler, Philippe Jaroussky and Julia Lezhneva.

His musical curiosity is very strong, which is reflected in his cross-genre, interdisciplinary and intercultural projects - the trademark of Valer Sabadus. These include "Songs of Love" with the Syrian singer Dima Orsho and Musica Alta Ripa, a combination of music by Henry Purcell and composers from the Orient, or the programme "Closer to Paradise" with the classical band SPARK, with yearning sounds ranging from Handel to the cult band Rammstein.

These projects also feature in his discography, such as "Café - Orient meets Occident" (2012) and "Trialogue - Music for the One God" with the Turkish Pera Ensemble (2013), "Alla Napoletana" with the ensemble L'Arpeggiata (2021) and "Closer to Paradise" with the classical band SPARK (2022). They occupy an important place in his extensive and varied discography, alongside operas, concertos and solo repertoire. More than 25 productions to date testify to the breadth of his artistic output, ranging from early Baroque works by Claudio Monteverdi and Francesco Cavalli, 18th-century Italian sacred and operatic music and Sergei Rachmaninov's Vocalise to expressionist and contemporary works such as Enjott Schneider's Requiem "In the Name of the Rose" (2012).

His opera recordings include "Vinci: Artaserse" with Concerto Köln, Diego Fasolis, Philippe Jaroussky, Max-Emanuel Cencic, Franco Fagioli, Yuriy Myenko (2012), "Hasse: Didone abbandonata" (2013) and "Vinvi: Catone in Utica" (2015).

With "Hasse Reloaded" (2011), "Pergolesi: Stabat Mater" (2012), "To touch, to kiss, to die" etc. with works by Henry Purcell, John Dowland (2013), "Le belle immagini" with the Hofkapelle Munich (2014), "Caldara" with Nouvo Aspetto (2015), "Sacred Duets" with Nuria Rial and the Basel Chamber Orchestra (2017), "Handel goes wild" with L'Arpeggiata (2017), "Caro Gemello" - Farinelli and Metastasio with Concerto Köln (2018), "Arias-Bach/Telemann" with the Basel Chamber Orchestra (Sony Classical, 2021), and the latest CD “Francesco Bartolomeo Conti: Bravo! Bene!“ with Nuovo Aspetto (2023) is an impressive testimony to Valer Sabadus' development as a soloist.

Valer Sabadus has received numerous awards for his work, including the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik, ECHO Klassik and the International Classical Music Award (ICMA) for Young Artist of the Year - Vocal 2013.

Johann Adolph Hasse's "Didone abbandonata" was a groundbreaking opera production. In 2009, at the age of 23, he made his debut under Riccardo Muti at the Salzburg Whitsun Festival in the production of "Demofoonte" (Niccolò Jommelli), and was also heard at the Ravenna Festival and the Opéra National de Paris. Since then, Valer Sabadus has enjoyed great success in Schwetzingen, Frankfurt, Halle, Berlin, Dresden, Versailles, Aix-en-Provence, Vienna, Paris, Geneva and Amsterdam.

In the 2024/25 season, Valer Sabadus will return to Timisoara to interpret the swan in Carl Orff's ‘Carmina Burana’ with the Filarmonica Banatul Timisoara under the direction of Gabriel Bebeselea. Following his success as Adriano in Graun's ‘Adriano in Siria’ at the Potsdam Music Festival, he will once again take on this role at the Philharmonie Essen, where he will be accompanied by the Ensemble 1700 under Dorothee Oberlinger as well as Roberta Mameli, Bruno de Sá, David Tricou, Keri Fuge and Federico Fiorio. He returns to Potsdam for a concert with the Kammerakademie Potsdam. He will perform with the La Cetra Barockorchester Basel under Andrea Marcon in Basel, Olten and Lugano.

Valer Sabadus will present arias by Handel and Vivaldi with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra. In Lausanne, he will perform Bach's St John Passion with the Hofkapelle München. He will perform in Paris together with L'Arpeggiata and Christina Pluhar. Together with Julia Lezhneva and the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, he will perform Pergolesi's Stabat Mater. In Bucharest, he will be heard with the Enescu Philharmonic in Bach's St Matthew Passion and in Peralada in Hasse's ‘Sanctus Petrus et Sancta Maria Magdalena’. In a major opera production in Ostrava and Znojmo, Valer Sabadus will take on the role of Sesto in Handel's Giulio Cesare.

The programme ‘Closer to Paradise’ with the classical band Spark takes Valer Sabadus to Pulheim, Delden, Bocholt, Hildesheim and the Schwetzingen SWR Festival, among other places.

Valer Sabadus is a regular guest at renowned festivals such as the Handel Festivals in Karlsruhe and Halle, the Ludwigsburg Schlossfestspiele, the Rheingau Music Festival, the Bremen Music Festival, the Dresden Music Festival, the Kissinger Sommer, the Lucerne Festival, the Festival de Musique Baroque d'Ambronay, the Froville Festival, the Utrecht Early Music Festival, the Schubertiade Hohenems and Schwarzenberg, the Styriarte Graz, the Festwochen für Alte Musik in Innsbruck and the Grafenegg Festival. As a soloist he has performed in the Berlin, Essen and Cologne Philharmonie, the Dortmund, Berlin and Vienna Concert Halls, the Prinzregententheater in Munich, the Frauenkirche in Dresden, the Laeiszhalle in Hamburg, the Liederhalle in Stuttgart, the Chapelle Royale de Versailles, the Cité de la Musique in Paris, the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, the KKL in Lucerne, l'Auditori in Barcelona and the Philharmonie in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Valer Sabadus began his vocal training at the age of 17 at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Munich with Prof. Gabriele Fuchs and completed his training as a member of the Bayerische Theaterakademie August Everding in the master class for musical theatre in 2013 with distinction.

In 2020, Valer Sabadus was awarded the Handel Prize of the City of Halle and in 2022 the Bavarian Culture Price.

Please use this authorized biography of Weigold & Böhm only, Season 2024/2025.

Contacts

Concerts

Projects

  • Further dates upon request

    Valer Sabadus (Countertenor) & Spark, die klassische Band

    Closer to Paradise – Die Sehnsucht als Klangerlebnis

    Program:

    AURE DOLCI INTORNO A ME
    Andrea Ritter (*1978) - The Arrival (2016) - angelehnt an Georg Friedrich Händels Die Ankunft der Königin von Saba aus Salomon HWV 67
    Georg Friedrich Händel (1685-1759) - Augelletti, che cantate - Arie der Almirena aus Rinaldo, HWV 7
    Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) / arr. Ritter – Sinfonia - Ouvertüre aus Giustino RV 717
    Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) - Vedrò con mio diletto - Arie des Anastasio aus Giustino RV 717
    Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)- Allegro aus: Concerto g-Moll Op. 3 No. 2 RV 578

    LA VOIX DOUCE
    Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) / arr. Ritter - Rigaudon aus: Le Tombeau de Couperin (1914-17/1919)
    Erik Satie (1866-1925) - Les Anges aus: Trois Mélodies (1887)
    Kurt Weill (1900-1950) / arr. Koschitzki - Youkali aus: Marie Galante (1934)
    Lev „Ljova“ Zhurbin (*1978) - Tango Heavy (2007)
    Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) / arr. Plumettaz - Au bord de l’eau (1875)
    Léo Ferré (1916-1993) / arr. Fritz - Écoutez la chanson bien douce (1964)

    PAUSE

    AUF SCHWINGEN DER NACHT
    Michael Nyman (*1944) - Vermeer’s Wife (1985)
    Robert Schumann (1810-1856) / arr. Fritz - In der Fremde aus: Liederkreis Op. 39
    Deutsches Volkslied / arr. Koschitzki - Ich hab die Nacht geträumet (vor 1775 / 2011)
    Oliver Riedel (*1971) / arr. Plumettaz - Seemann (1994)

    DREAM AND DEVOTION
    Chiel Meijering (*1954) - Dreams (2007)
    Victor Plumettaz (*1986) - Scotch Club (2017)
    Martin Gore (*1961) / arr. Ritter - One Caress (1993)
    Daniel Koschitzki (*1978) - Closer to Paradise (2019)

  • Further dates upon request

    Valer Sabadus (Countertenor) & Akemi Murakami (Klavier)

    Auf Flügeln des Gesanges

    Program:

    Henry Purcell - Music for a while Z583
    Giovanni Battista Pergolesi - Se tu m‘ami
    Christoph Willibald Gluck - O del mio dolce ardor (aus der Oper Paride ed Elena)
    Georg Friedrich Händel - Svegliatevi nel core (aus der Oper Giulio Cesare)
    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Fantasia K.397
    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Abendempfindung an Laura
    Joseph Haydn - Kantate: Arianna à Naxos (1789)
    --
    Hector Berlioz - La Villanelle (aus „Les nuits d’été“)
    Reynaldo Hahn - A Chloris
    Reynaldo Hahn - L’Heure exquise
    Reynaldo Hahn - L’enamourée
    Reynaldo Hahn - Dans la nuit
    Gabriel Fauré - Le Secret op. 23-3
    Gabriel Fauré - Mandoline op. 58-1
    Gabriel Fauré - Clair de lune op. 46-2
    Frédéric Chopin - Nocturnes op.9 Nr. 2
    Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy - Auf Flügeln des Gesanges
    Robert Schumann - Mondnacht op. 39-5
    Gustav Mahler - Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen

    Dauer: ca. 90 Minuten plus Pause

  • Capella Gabetta - Andrés Gabetta (Dirigent) – Valer Sabadus (Countertenor)

    Baroque quintessence of Handel & Vivaldi

    Program:

    Henry Purcell (1659 - 1695)
    „Curtain tune on a ground“ from Timon of Athens“ , Z. 632

    Georg Friedrich Händel (1685-1759)
    Alcina: “Mi lusinga”
    Giulio Cesare in Egitto: “L’angue offeso mai riposa”

    Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
    Concerto for violin RV 208 “Grosso Mogul”

    Nicola Porpora (1686-1768)
    Polifemo: “Alto Giove”

    Georg Friedrich Händel (1685-1759)
    Rinaldo: “Venti turbini”

    Interval

    Pietro Locatelli (1695–1764)
    Concerto Grosso Op1 XI

    Christoph Willibald Gluck (1741-1788)
    Semiramide Riconosciuta: “Non saprei qual doppia voce”

    Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
    Il Giustino: “Vedrò con mio diletto”
    Violin concerto RV 190
    Farnace : “Gelido in ogni vena”
    Juditha triumphans : “Armatae, face et anguibus”

  • PRJCT Amsterdam (15 Musiker) – Valer Sabadus (Countertenor) - Maarten Engeltjes (Countertenor & Leitung) - Daan Esch (Moderation)

    Voci Bianche

    Program:

    Vor knapp einem Jahrhundert starb mit Alessandro Moreschi der letzte Star-Kastrat. Drei Jahrhunderte lang, herrschten diese Diven auf allen großen Bühnen Europas, um dann verstoßen zu werden. Aber was wissen wir wirklich über diese musikalischen Dodos? Die Aufführung beleuchtet das Leben von Farinelli und Senesino. Sie zeigt den Preis von Ruhm und Verstümmelung, den Mann hinter dem Monster - den Triumph wie auch die Tragödie der Kastraten. Daan Esch, Schöpfer des erfolgreichen Klara-Podcasts De Castraten und Autor des Buches Stem, lässt die Sänger und ihre Impresarios über diese lange verdrängte Praxis erzählend zu Wort kommen. Maarten Engeltjes und Valer Sabadus interpretieren die für diese Megastars geschriebene Musik in einer mit Licht und Visuals inszenierten Aufführung.

    Programm:
    Händel - "Lascia ch’io pianga" aus Rinaldo
    Porpora - "Alto Giove" aus Polifemo
    Mozart - "Gia dagli occhi" aus Lucio Silla
    Händel - "Al lampo dell’ Armi" aus Giulio Cesare
    Händel - "Stille Amare" aus Tolomeo
    Lotti - "Discordi Pensieri"
    Händel - "De torrente in via bibet" aus Dixit Dominus
    Broschi - "Ombra fedele"
    Hasse - "Dov’e? Si affretti" aus Artaserse

    Dauer: Ca. 90 min ohne Pause (60 min Musik, 30 min Text)

  • Further dates upon request

    Venice Baroque Orchestra (6 Musiker) – Valer Sabadus (Countertenor) - Andrea Marcon (Dirigent)

    Barock im Taschenformat

    Program:

    Domenico Gabrielli - from San Sigismondo: „Aure voi de‘ miei sospiri“ (Strings, Continuo+ Cello Solo) (6')
    G. F. Händel -
    from „Giulio Cesare“: „L’angue offeso mai riposa“ (5’30)
    G. F. Händel - Sonata for 2 Violins, Alto and Basso continuo G-Major HWV399 (12')
    N. Porpora - from „Polifemo“: „Alto Giove“ (8')

    G. F. Händel - from „Rinaldo“: „Venti turbini“ (4’30’’) (Violin +Cello solo + Bassoon Solo)
    -
    Intermission-

    A. Vivaldi -
    from „Il Giustino“: „Vedrò con mio diletto“
    Chr. W. Gluck -
    from „Semiramide riconosciuta“: „Non saprei qual doppia voce“ (for strings and Solo Cello and Violin) (9')
    Johann Gottlieb Goldberg
    - Sonata for 2 Violins, Alto and Basso continuo c-minor (12')
    G. F. Händel
    - from “Alcina”: “Mi lusinga” (7’)
    A. Vivaldi -
    from „Juditha triumphans“: “Armatae, face et anguibus” (C minor) (4')

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