Karen Huffstodt, Soprano

Karen Huffstodt
Soprano

Referring to her Lady Macbeth of Mzensk the press wrote: “Her focused, fully developed dramatic soprano conveys passion and unrestrained energy. With her attractive appearance and lustrous, radiant voice of remarkable intensity, Karen Huffstodt authenticates this Katarina in an ideal manner.” This description relates to the artist in all her roles. Great intensity in her portrayal, her extraordinary stage appearance, along with a voice that perfectly embodies the strong women of Wagner and Strauss; such are the accolades of the critics, who have been accompanying her since her change in genre. In the past season, Karen Huffstodt was highly praised as Kundry in “Parsifal” at the prestigious Richard Wagner Festspiele in Wels and gave her tremendously successful debut as Elektra in a new production at the Baadische Staatstheater in Karlsruhe. The press commented: The hour of Elektra became the hour of Karen Huffstodt. Like a blazing flame she threw herself into the mad role. She has at her disposal completely astounding vocal reserves, that leave her fresh and unspent through to the murderous climactic final scene – a fantastic, rightly celebrated accomplishment.”

Karen Huffstodt has been internationally acclaimed in the world’s leading opera houses, such as La Scala, Milan, Vienna State Opera, Opéra National de Paris (Bastille), Staatsoper Berlin, Royal Opera Covent Garden, Hamburgische Staatsoper, Grand Théatre de Genève, San Francisco Opera and many others, as one of the most exciting performers performing in front of the public today. Known for her striking presence on stage, Karen Huffstodt has been especially identified with her portrayal of Richard Strauss’ Salome, which she has performed at the Bastille, Berliner Staatsoper, Théatre Royal de La Monnaie in Brussels, San Francisco Opera, Hamburgische Staatsoper, as well as in Genoa and Lyon, accompanied by such conductors as Chung, Mehta, Bychkov, Pappano, and Gerghiev. Karen Huffstodt has also recorded the rarely performed French version of Strauss’s opera (based on the original text of Oscar Wilde) under the baton of Kent Nagano for Virgin. An uncommonly versatile artist, Huffstodt has also been widely praised for her varying roles such as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Giulia in Spontini’s La Vestale, (with which she opened the 1993 La Scala season under Riccardo Muti and recorded for Sony), the title role in Puccini’s Tosca, Massenet’s Thais, Sieglinde in Die Walküre, and Chrysothemis in Elektra. The main focus of her activities are now centered on the works of Wagner and Strauss, along with the other dramatic roles of the Italian, German and Russian repertoire.

In the 1997/98 seasons, Karen Huffstodt added four new roles to her repertoire singing her first Minnie in Puccini’s La Fanciulla del West at the Teatro Comunale in Florence, followed by her first Isolde in Tristan and Isolde in Monte Carlo. The artist subsequently appeared in the title role of Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of Mzensk at the Florence Maggio Musicale under Semyon Bychkov. The artist then sang her first Elisabeth in “Tannhäuser” in Palermo, and returned to the Salzburg Festival as Leonore in “Fidelio”.

In the 1998/99 seasons Karen Huffstodt opened the Teatro Carlo Felice season in Genova as Isolde and sang her first Brünnhilde in Die Walküre at the Théatre du Capitol in Toulouse. In 2000/2001 she debuted at the Semperoper in Dresden in a new staging of Lady Macbeth of Mzensk, “Siegfried’s” Brünnhilde in Trieste, and Die Walküre in Geneva.

Born in Illinois, Karen Huffstodt first received International attention as a Mozartean in the role of Donna Anna, which played an especially significant part in the development of her career, including her debuts in Munich and Vienna, and in Paris and Tel Aviv (under Daniel Barenboim in a production by Jean Pierre Ponnelle), in Zurich under Harnoncourt, at the Ravinia-Festival under James Levine, as well as in Washington, Los Angeles, Miami, and Houston. The artist made her actual European debut in Cologne as Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail and was also heard singing this role at the Hamburger Staatsoper, and in Zurich under Harnoncourt. Huffstodt sang the Countess in Die Hochzeit des Figaro under Daniel Barenboim in Paris and Tel Aviv. The artist gave her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 1989 as Violetta in La Traviata and was also heard singing the role of Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus, which she has also performed at the prestigious New Year’s performances with the Vienna State Opera. Karen Huffstodt made her Covent Garden debut in June 1991 as Odabella in Attila.

A particular favorite of the French public and press, the artist won special acclaim in the title role of Massenet’s Thais, a role she performed in a new production conducted by Michel Plasson and staged by Nicolas Joel in Toulouse, Nancy, and at the Opéra Comique in Paris. She gave a sensational Bastille Opéra debut as Chrysothemis in Elektra, and has indeed in recent seasons turned her attention increasingly toward the German repertoire.

She was Chrysothemis in the new production of Elektra under the baton of Lorin Maazel, at the Salzburger Festspiele 1996, and guested in this role in Hamburg, Berlin, Toulouse and in Washington. Karen Huffstodt has appeared in the title role of Ariadne auf Naxos at the Nice Opera and at the Opéra Comique. In Catania, she sang the roles of Arabella and Agatha, and debuted as Senta in Der Fliegende Holländer at the Netherland’s Opera. She then bowed for the first time as the Kaiserin in Die Frau ohne Schatten at the Grand Théatre de Genève, where she also sang her first Marie in Wozzeck. Karen Huffstodt then added Sieglinde in Die Walküre to her repertoire, in a new production under Jeffrey Tate at the Châtelet in Paris, and subsequently appeared in this role at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden opposite Placido Domingo and at La Scala under Riccardo Muti. She sang her first Leonore in Fidelio in 1996 in Bonn. In the same season, she returned to La Scala in Schönberg’s Erwartung.

The artist has also appeared in Lyon in the title role of Busoni’s rarely performed Turandot, at the Aix en Provence Festival under Jeffrey Tate as Eglantine in a new production of Weber’s Euryanthe, in the title role of Puccini’s Tosca for a new production of the work for the Flemish Opera under the direction of Robert Carson. In 1994 at the Festival de Radio France in Montpellier, she sang the role of Fiora in Montemezzi’s L’Amore dei Tre Re. Karen Huffstodt debuted at the Teatro Comunale in Florence during the 1996 Maggio Musicale as the mother in concert performances of Dallapiccola’s Il Prigioniero under Zubin Mehta, which was subsequently brought to Salzburg. She also sang the role of Giorgietta in a new production of Il Tabarro at the Hamburger Staatsoper staged by Harry Kupfer, as well as for her debut in Buenos Aires in 1997. The highlight of her 2000/2001 season was her first Kundry in Parsifal, with Placido Domingo as Parsifal, at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. In 2002, she added two more dramatic roles to her repertoire, that of Mrs. Maurant in Kurt Weill’s Street Scene and Magda Sorel in Menotti’s The Consul. In spring 2003 she gave her American debut as Lady Macbeth of Mzensk in Baltimore in a co-production with the Semperoper, which received great applause by the press and public alike, returned to Pittsburgh as Chrysothemis in ELEKTRA, and gave her Japan debut with a Wagner concert in Tokyo. In May 2004 Karen Huffstodt sang Kundry in Wels at the prestigious Wagner-Festspiele, with Heikki Siukkola as Parsifal, under the baton of Hans Wallat. This was closely followed by her triumphant first Elektra at the Baadische Staatstheater. She returned in 2005 to repeat her successes as Kundry and Elektra, and made another stunning role debut as Turandot with Hawaii Opera Theatre.