Bernhard Landauer

The countertenor Bernhard Landauer was born in Innsbruck and lives now in Salzburg.

After his first concert and stage experience as a soprano soloist in the Wilten Boys' Choir in Innsbruck, he studied voice with Helene Karusso and Kurt Equiluz at the Vienna University of Music. In addition, he received further lessons from Karl-Heinz Jarius in Frankfurt.

His wide variety of repertoire ranges from Medieval to Contemporary Music and is also including for countertenor unusual repertoire such as works by Franz Schubert, Richard Strauss or Iannis Xenakis.

As a sought-after interpreter of contemporary music, he sang world premieres of works by Giorgio Battistelli, René Clemencic, Christof Dienz, Richard Dünser, Sarah Nemtsov, Hèctor Parra, Alfred Schnittke, Lin Wang, Simon Wills, Stephan Winkler and others.

His collaboration with the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra under Ton Koopman, the Freiburger Barockorchester, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, The King's Consort and with the conductors Howard Arman, George Benjamin, Bertrand de Billy, Martyn Brabbins, René Clemencic, Laurence Cummings, Diego Fasolis, Thomas Hengelbrock, René Jacobs, Konrad Junghänel, Bernhard Kontarsky and Mstislaw Rostropowitsch document key stages in his career.

Productions by Philippe Arlaud, Calixto Bieto, Nicolas Brieger, Nick Broadhurst, Brigitte Fassbaender, Achim Freyer, Harry Kupfer and David Pountney took him to renowned festivals and opera houses such as Berlin State Opera, Bregenz Festival, Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Aalto-Theater Essen, Handel Festival of Halle, Innsbruck Festival of Early Music, Styriarte Graz, Frankfurt Opera, Munich Biennale, Opéra National de Nancy, Schwetzingen SWR Festival, Royal Stockholm Opera and to the Vienna State Opera and Volksoper.

With great passion he embodied roles such as Fyodor in Mussorgsky's "Boris Godunov", Oberon in B. Britten's "A Midsummer Night's Dream", Tolomeo in Handel's "Giulio Cesare", Sorceress in Purcell's "Dido and Aeneas" and the devil in Detlev Glanert's "Scherz, Satire, Ironie und tiefere Bedeutung".

Engagements in recent years include Angel 1/Boy in George Benjamin's opera "Written on Skin" at the Royal Opera Stockholm and under the direction of the composer in a concert performance in Toronto with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (Canadian premiere). This was followed by the pop opera "You Us We All" by Shara Worden at the Holland Festival and a sitcom opera series by the Austrian composer Bernhard Gander for the Bregenz Festival and the Festival wien modern. He sang the role of Emil in the world premiere of the opera "Wilde" by Hèctor Parra at the Schwetzingen SWR Festival (director: Calixto Bieito, conductor: Peter Rundel, libretto: Händl Klaus), went on tour in the USA with Shara Worden's pop opera "You Us We All", sang the role of James in H. Birtwistle's "The Last Supper" with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under Martyn Brabbins in Glasgow, the role of Autunno in A. Scarlatti's "La Gloria di Primavera" with the ensemble recreationBAROCK at the Styriarte Graz and the role of the countertenor in the world premiere of "Iyse" by Judith Unterpertinger at the Brucknerhaus Linz. Bernhard Landauer was heard as countertenor in the world premiere of "Schweres tragend" by S. Winkler under the direction of Juan Garcia Rodriguez in Salzburg. Also in Salzburg he sang the title role in the community opera "WAS BLEIBT oder die Geschichte eines Rattenfängers" (Austrian premiere) by Matthew King. He gave a guest performance in the role of Lord Stourton in the world premiere of the opera "Geisterritter" (Ghost Knight) by James Reynolds at the Bonn Opera, with this production he was subsequently also a guest at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf. Concerts with the Clemencic Consort under René Clemencic took him to the Musikverein in Vienna with works from the "Llibre Vermeil de Montserrat" (Songs and Dances of the Pilgrims of Montserrat, 14th century). In 2020-21 Bernhard Landauer sang the role of Hansl in the world premiere of the opera "Toteis" by Manuela Kerer with Neue Oper Wien. In 2021-22 he then gave a guest performance of "Toteis" at the Bolzano Theatre, Italy. In the same season he appeared at the Staatstheater Kassel as Doktor Interellektro in the world premiere of the opera "Blitze sprechen Deutsch" by Felix Leuschner with a libretto by Dietmar Dath. In 2023 the countertenor was engaged for the world premiere of "Im Dickicht" (Isabel Mundry), a planned co-production of the Schwetzingen SWR Festival with the Staatstheater Mainz (production cancelled). In 2023-24 Bernhard Landauer will give guest performances as Lord Stourton in "Geisterritter" at the Aalto-Musiktheater in Essen, in the opera "Humanoid" (Leonard Evers) at the Staatstheater Mainz and as Nanbot/Crocodile in the Austrian premiere of "Peter Pan - the dark side" (Wolfgang Mitterer) at the Tiroler Landestheater Innsbruck.

Since 2005 he has been a lecturer at the Austrian Masterclasses and gives his own workshops for voice and bodywork.