Philip Mayer
bass-baritone
Austrian bass Philipp Mayer is distinguished above all by the breadth of his repertoire and his commanding stage presence. Most recently he appeared as King Heinrich (Lohengrin — Landestheater Niederbayern), Ochs von Lerchenau (Der Rosenkavalier — Staatstheater Cottbus, Stadttheater Bremerhaven), Daland (The Flying Dutchman — Staatstheater Cottbus, Theater Altenburg Gera), and as Sarastro and the Speaker (The Magic Flute — Staatstheater Cottbus).
In recent seasons the versatile, theatrically agile bass has also been engaged for roles such as Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), the King (The Love for Three Oranges), Zuniga (Carmen), Kaspar (Der Freischütz), Bartolo (The Barber of Seville), and Kecal (The Bartered Bride).
Guest engagements at Oper Zürich, Staatstheater Wiesbaden, Deutsche Oper Berlin, and Staatsoper Unter den Linden, along with permanent ensemble contracts at Oper Bern and Staatstheater Cottbus, mark his career.
He is a prizewinner of the Bad Orb Opera Academy and a two-time laureate of the Chamber Opera Schloss Rheinsberg.
As a concert artist he has appeared at the Berlin Cathedral, the Konzerthaus Berlin, and in song recitals with pianist Justine Eckhaut. The founding of the vocal ensemble Walhalla zum Seidlwirt, training in contemporary dance, and work as a cultural manager, festival director, stage director, and author all reflect the singer’s versatility.
He began his studies in classical percussion and classical voice at the Anton Bruckner Private University in Linz. In Berlin he continued under Roman Trekel, Anneliese Fried, and Albert Pesendorfer at the Hanns Eisler School of Music and the Berlin University of the Arts (UdK).
Reviews
Lohengrin, Landestheater Niederbayern
Role: King Heinrich
“An excellent performance by the young Upper Austrian Philipp Mayer as King Heinrich! This part requires not only depth but also heroic-baritonal heights — and the towering singer commands both; he also possesses splendid diction and technique and was a delightful surprise for me, someone you are happy to hear again and should keep an eye on.”
— onlinemerker.com
“For the opera singer of the King, Philipp Mayer, and for his Herald, Albin Ahl, there was rightly a great deal of applause. The two basses thrilled with their strong stage presence and powerful musical performance.”
— Passauer Neue Presse
“Rightly cheered were the two basses Philipp Mayer as King Heinrich and Albin Ahl as the Herald, both sonorous, well-rounded, and with great natural radiance.”
— Passauer Neue Presse
“These men also delight the ear and the eye: Philipp Mayer gives a powerful King Heinrich with a richly resonant bass …”
— Rabenstein Kultur-Blog
“Philipp Mayer as King Heinrich and Yitian Luan as Elsa sang creditably.”
— BR-Klassik
Der Rosenkavalier, Stadttheater Bremerhaven
Role: Baron Ochs von Lerchenau
“But Philipp Mayer does a splendid job; another singer one could easily expect to find at a larger house, with his powerful bass-baritone.”
— opernwelt.de
“... Philipp Mayer was a strong Ochs, also highly present as an actor. In the parlando his well-trained bass, right down into the depths, projected ideally.”
— Das Opernglas
“The voice was pleasant, used with a high level of musicality and well supported, especially in the lower register.”
— seenandheard-international.com
“Austrian bass saves the premiere. The tall native of Linz, with a slenderly guided bass-baritone capable of both hearty thunder and supple pianissimo crooning, delights in a convincingly authentic ‘Viennese’ patter.”
— Nordsee-Zeitung
Der Rosenkavalier, Staatstheater Cottbus
Role: Baron Ochs von Lerchenau
“Baron Ochs bursts into the bedroom scene. Philipp Mayer makes it properly repulsive — and sings excellently while doing so.”
— Der Märkische Bote
Repertoire
| Composer | Part | Opera |
|---|---|---|
| Beethoven | Rocco | Fidelio |
| Bizet | Escamillo, Zuniga | Carmen |
| Cavalieri | Mondo | La rappresentatione di Anima |
| Debussy | Un medicine | Pelleas and Melisande |
| Floros | Leander | Adriana |
| Humperdinck | Father | Hansel and Gretel |
| Janacek | Harashta | The clever little vixen |
| Menotti | Ben | The phone |
| Mozart | Figaro | Le nozze di Figaro |
| Papageno, speaker, | The Magic Flute | |
| Sarastro | ||
| Commendatore | Don Giovanni | |
| Nope | The tortured man | Intolleranza 1960 |
| Puccini | Zio Bonzo | Madama Butterfly |
| Sour cream | Kezal | The Sold Bride |
| Strauss | 5. Jew | Salome |
| Wagner | Hanns Schwarz | The Meistersinger of Nuremberg |
| Fasolt | the Rheingold | |
| Weber | Kaspar | The Freeshooter |