Biography

Horst Lamnek – bass-baritone

The Viennese bass-baritone Horst Lamnek finished his studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna with distinction. He received further training by Brigitte Fassbaender, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Nicolai Gedda, Wicus Slabbert, and David Jones among other.

Horst Lamnek joined the International Opera-Studio in Zurich and sang as a member of the ensemble at the theatre of Ulm (Germany). Since then, he has worked as a freelance singer appearing regularly at the Komische Oper Berlin. He also gave guest performances at the opera houses of Bonn, Essen, Wiesbaden, Leipzig, Chemnitz, at the [A1] music theatre in Linz, Opéra Grand Avignon, Opéra-Théâtre de Metz Métropole, Teatro alla Scala Milano, Teatro Verdi Trieste, Teatro Petruzzelli (Bari), Teatro Regio Turin, and at the New National Theatre Tokyo, among many others. He was also guest at music festivals, including Musikfestival Grafenegg (Austria), Seefestspiele Mörbisch (Austria), Tiroler Festspiele Erl (Austria), Oper Klosterneuburg (Austria), Opernfestspiele St. Margarethen (Austria), Daegu Opera Festival (South Korea), Cartagena Music-Festival (Colombia), Auckland Festival (New Zealand), Adelaide und Perth Festival (Australia), Festival de Pâques in Aix-en-Provence (France).

His operatic repertoire encompasses roles of a formidable breadth and diversity: from Early Music via Mozart’s „Le nozze di Figaro“ (Figaro and Bartolo), „Don Giovanni“ (Leporello), „Così fan tutte“ (Don Alfonso), Rossini’s „La Cenerentola“ (Don Magnifico) and Barbiere di Siviglia (Don Bartolo), Verdi’s “Rigoletto” (Monterone), Puccini’s “La Boheme” and “Tosca”, to Prokofiev’s “The Love for Three Oranges” (Leander), and contemporary opera (e.g. Neuwirth’s “American Lulu“). Horst Lamnek also regularly sings  operettas such as „Die Fledermaus“ (Frank) and Zeller’s “Der Vogelhändler” (Baron Weps), and Offenbach’s “La vie parisienne“ (Baron Gondremark). In recent seasons Horst Lamnek gave his debuts as La Roche in “Cappriccio” (Richard Strauss) and Klingsor in “Parsifal” (Richard Wagner).

The Bass-baritone worked with many directors incluing Andreas Homoki, Lutz Hochstraate, Reto Nickler, Nadja Loschky, Daniel Benoin, Robert Herzl, and Sven-Eric Bechtolf, and with conductors such as Alfred Eschwé, Michael Gielen, Henrik Nánási, Gerrit Prießnitz, Felix Bender, Johannes Klitzke, Stefan Soltesz, Stefan Blunier, Dirk Kaftan, Michael Guettler, Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Giovanni Antonini, Peter Schneider, Ulf Schirmer, Franz Welser-Möst, Gianandrea Noseda, Hartmut Haenchen, and Axel Kober.

Horst Lamnek’s concert repertoire ranges from Bach’s Passions, and the great romantic oratorios to world premieres. The Hugo Wolf’s oeuvre of songs is very close to his heart and many of his solo lied-recitals are dedicated to Wolf’s works. His continued preoccupation with Wolf resulted in his first solo CD “Humorous Wolf” released on Coviello Classics in 2017.

He has performed with orchestral ensembles, such as Wiener Symphoniker, Wiener Akademie, Camerata Salzburg, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie, Stuttgarter Kammerorchester, and I Barocchisti, in concert halls all over Europe – Vienna (Konzerthaus), Berlin (Philharmonie), Hamburg (Laeiszhalle), Bremen (Die Glocke), Athens (Megaron), and Madrid (Auditorio Nacional).

Highlights from the last seasons include performances at the Teatro alla Scala di Milano and the Teatro Petruzzelli (Italy) as 5th Jew “Salome,“ at the Classionata Musikfestival in Solothurn (Switzerland) as Baron Mirko Zeta in “The Merry Widow“  at the Theatre Biel Solothurn in Paul Burkhard’s opera “Casanova in der Schweiz,“ at the opera houses of Rennes and Avignon (France) as Frank in “Die Fledermaus,“ and in Reggio Emilia (Italy) as Bill in “Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny.“

In the upcoming season appearances in “Die Fledermaus“ are planned in Japan (New National Theatre, Tokyo) and France (Rennes, Nantes, Angers & Toulon). Additionally, Horst Lamnek looks forward to sing concerts at the Classionata festival in Solothurn again