ANNA WERLE
Mezzo-soprano
““An unexpected bonus was the First Norn of the German mezzo-soprano Anna Werle, who was the Brangäne in Tristan und Isolde here last year. Her singing was sublime.””
»Anna Werle's Brangäne was convincing with a warm, round and balmy mezzo, which was able to convey the warning cries most satisfactorily.« (Das Opernglas): Quickly developing into dramatic repertoire like Wagner's Brangäne und Fricka, the repertoire of rapidly rising German mezzo-soprano Anna Werle still ranges from Baroque through Bellini to Strauss, Verdi and Wagner as well as to modern operas from Henze and Benjamin. In 2025, she will have her debut at Arena di Verona as Fenena in Verdi’s Nabucco, an exceptional honour for a non-Italian singer on one of Italy’s and the world’s leading stages.
In the season 2023/24 Anna successfully debuted at Deutsche Oper Berlin as Second Angel/Marie in »Written on Skin« under the baton of Marc Albrecht, at Osterfestspiele Salzburg as La Cieca (Cover) (»La Gioconda«) under the baton of Sir Antonio Pappano and as Adalgisa (»Norma«) at Opera på Skäret under the baton of Michael Balke. Moreover Anna returned to Sofia Opera as Angelina (»La Cenerentola«). She also appeared as a soloist at the New Year's Eve concerts with the Berliner Symphoniker and in the Cattedrale di Noto in Vivaldi's Stabat Mater.
Most recently Anna Werle debuted as Brangäne (»Tristan und Isolde«) at the Teatro Petruzzelli Bari under the baton of Marc Piollet and was invited in the same role to the Sofia Opera house under the baton of Constantin Trinks. Moreover she sang Waltraute (»Die Walküre«) at Opernhaus Zürich in a new production under the baton of Gianandrea Noseda, Charlotte (»Werther«), Marcellina (»Le Nozze di Figaro«) and Prinz Orlofsky (»Die Fledermaus«) at Theater Regensburg. Moreover Anna returned to the Staatsoper Stuttgart as Fricka (Cover) and Rossweiße (»Die Walküre«) under the baton of Cornelius Meister as well as to the Tiroler Festspiele Erl as Siegrune (»Die Walküre«). On the concert stage she has sung Oratorio de Noël (C. Saint-Saëns) with the Württembergische Philharmonie under the baton of Ariane Matiakh, Requiem (W.A. Mozart) with Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland Pfalz under the baton of Michael Francis, Messa da Requiem (G. Verdi) with the Vogtlandphilharmonie and Weihnachtsoratorium (J. S. Bach) with the Berliner Bachgesellschaft.
During the pandemic planned debuts as Brangäne (»Tristan und Isolde«) at the Opera Queensland in Brisbane/Australia under the baton of Pietari Inkinen and at Teatro San Carlo di Napoli (»La vedova allegra«) have been cancelled or postponed.
Other recent debuts include Hänsel, Rosina, Emilia (»Otello«), Maddalena, Cenerentola, Dorabella, Cherubino, Secretary (»The Consul«), Ganymed (»Die schöne Galathée«), 2. Dame and 3. Dame (»Die Zauberflöte«), Ramiro (»La finta giardinera«), La Ciesca (»Gianni Schicchi«), Fragoletto (»Les Brigands«), Viclinda (»I Lombardi alla prima crociata«), 2. Angel/Marie (»Written on Skin«), Rossweiße (»Die Walküre«) at theatres and festivals like the Komische Oper Berlin, Staatsoper Stuttgart, Staatstheater Nürnberg, the Aalto Theater Essen, Staatstheater Mainz, Oper Halle, Staatsoperette Dresden, the Opernfestspiele Heidenheim, the Tiroler Festspiele Erl and the Paphos Aphrodite Festival.
Anna Werle has worked with conductors like Gianandrea Noseda, Cornelius Meister, Marc Piollet, Thomas Guggeis, Ivan Fischer, David Crescenzi, Pavel Baleff, Ariane Matiakh, Erik Nielsen and Rossen Gergov. Stage directors Anna Werle has worked with include Andreas Homoki, Brigitte Fassbaender, Yannis Kokkos, Nicola Raab, Stephan Kimmig, Arila Siegert, Valentin Schwarz, Hinrich Horstkotte, Axel Köhler and Marco Štorman.
Anna Werle is also a sought after concert and Lied singer. Her vast repertoire ranges from Bach Oratorios to Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Dvorak and Verdi. Recitals and concerts led her to the Gewandhaus Leipzig, the Konzerthaus Berlin, the Berliner Dom, the Yuri Bashmet Festival during the Olympic games in Sochi, the RBB Sendesaal, the Festival Klosterneuburg, to a concert tour as contralto soloist of J.S. Bach's B-minor Mass under the baton of Helmuth Rilling in Italy (Teatro San Carlo Genova, Auditorium Manzoni Bologna, Teatro comunale Vicenza, Teatro comunale Siena, Castel S'Elmo Napoli). She regularly performs Mahler's orchestral songs including Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen and Das Lied von der Erde as well as Biblische Lieder by Antonin Dvorak, Wagner's Wesendoncklieder and Verdi's Messa da Requiem.
Anna Werle studied singing at the University of Arts in her hometown Berlin. She has won numerous competitions including Concorso Bellini and International Concert Competition of VdKC and has been finalist in the Montserrat Caballé Competition, the Richard Strauss Competition and the Marie Kraja Competition.
