Matti Salminen
Encyclopedia
Matti Salminen is a Finnish operatic bass
singer, who has sung at all of the most important opera house
s of the world, including the Metropolitan
and Bayreuth Festival
.
Salminen is distinguished by an imposing figure and height; an enormous, sonorous and dark voice; and an expressive face. According to one reviewer, in his prime Salminen was "... simply the largest bass voice in captivity. It is not just its roar in powering over Wagner's maximum orchestra, but the way he carves the sonority and forms the color."
He performed as Fafner and Hagen in the PBS video broadcast Ring Cycle from the Metropolitan Opera, for the largest viewing-audience of the Ring in history.
He sang in the premiere of Sallinen’s Kuningas Lear
in 2000 (King Lear, title role), and Jukka Linkola
's Robin Hood in 2011 (Sheriff).
Salminen has a contract at the Zurich Opera, and he also frequently performs in his native Finland
. Most of all he has been admired in such Wagner roles as Daland (The Flying Dutchman
), Gurnemanz and Titurel (Parsifal
), King Marke (Tristan und Isolde
), Fasolt and Fafner (Das Rheingold
/ Siegfried
), Hunding (Die Walküre
), and Hagen (Götterdämmerung
).
At the Bayreuther Festival he first appeared in 1976 (Titurel (Parsifal), Hunding (Walküre), Fasolt (Rheingold) and continued until 1989 adding Fafner (Rheingold, Siegfried), Daland (Fliegender Holländer), King Mark (Tristan und Isolde), Heinrich (Lohengrin), Pogner (Meistersinger), Landgraf (Tannhäuser) and Hagen (Götterdämmerung) to his roles there.
Other important roles are King Philip II (Don Carlos
by Giuseppe Verdi
), the Grand Inquisitor in the same work, Seneca in L'Incoronazione di Poppea, Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte, the Commendatore in Don Giovanni
, and the title roles of Boris Godunov
and Khovanshchina
.
Salminen is also one of the most videotaped opera singers in history. At least three different performances as Hagen are available on DVD; also two performances as the Commendatore, and two as Daland
.
In his youth he earned money for voice lessons by singing Finnish tangos in night clubs. He first caught public eye as a lucky understudy in the role of King Phillip II, which he continues performing (pirated recordings exist from as recently as 2008).
Bass (voice type)
A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C...
singer, who has sung at all of the most important opera house
Opera house
An opera house is a theatre building used for opera performances that consists of a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and set building...
s of the world, including the Metropolitan
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
and Bayreuth Festival
Bayreuth Festival
The Bayreuth Festival is a music festival held annually in Bayreuth, Germany, at which performances of operas by the 19th century German composer Richard Wagner are presented...
.
Salminen is distinguished by an imposing figure and height; an enormous, sonorous and dark voice; and an expressive face. According to one reviewer, in his prime Salminen was "... simply the largest bass voice in captivity. It is not just its roar in powering over Wagner's maximum orchestra, but the way he carves the sonority and forms the color."
He performed as Fafner and Hagen in the PBS video broadcast Ring Cycle from the Metropolitan Opera, for the largest viewing-audience of the Ring in history.
He sang in the premiere of Sallinen’s Kuningas Lear
Kuningas Lear
Kuningas Lear is an opera in three acts by Aulis Sallinen, with a libretto by the composer, based on the play by William Shakespeare and premiered in 2000; it was Sallinen’s sixth opera.- Background :...
in 2000 (King Lear, title role), and Jukka Linkola
Jukka Linkola
Jukka Linkola is a Finnish jazz pianist and classical composer. He has composed music for the Finnish National Opera and led several jazz Big Bands In addition he has won two Jussi awards for music.- External links :...
's Robin Hood in 2011 (Sheriff).
Salminen has a contract at the Zurich Opera, and he also frequently performs in his native Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. Most of all he has been admired in such Wagner roles as Daland (The Flying Dutchman
The Flying Dutchman (opera)
Der fliegende Holländer is an opera, with music and libretto by Richard Wagner.Wagner claimed in his 1870 autobiography Mein Leben that he had been inspired to write "The Flying Dutchman" following a stormy sea crossing he made from Riga to London in July and August 1839, but in his 1843...
), Gurnemanz and Titurel (Parsifal
Parsifal
Parsifal is an opera in three acts by Richard Wagner. It is loosely based on Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival, the 13th century epic poem of the Arthurian knight Parzival and his quest for the Holy Grail, and on Chrétien de Troyes' Perceval, the Story of the Grail.Wagner first conceived the work...
), King Marke (Tristan und Isolde
Tristan und Isolde
Tristan und Isolde is an opera, or music drama, in three acts by Richard Wagner to a German libretto by the composer, based largely on the romance by Gottfried von Straßburg. It was composed between 1857 and 1859 and premiered in Munich on 10 June 1865 with Hans von Bülow conducting...
), Fasolt and Fafner (Das Rheingold
Das Rheingold
is the first of the four operas that constitute Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen . It was originally written as an introduction to the tripartite Ring, but the cycle is now generally regarded as consisting of four individual operas.Das Rheingold received its premiere at the National Theatre...
/ Siegfried
Siegfried (opera)
Siegfried is the third of the four operas that constitute Der Ring des Nibelungen , by Richard Wagner. It received its premiere at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus on 16 August 1876, as part of the first complete performance of The Ring...
), Hunding (Die Walküre
Die Walküre
Die Walküre , WWV 86B, is the second of the four operas that form the cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen , by Richard Wagner...
), and Hagen (Götterdämmerung
Götterdämmerung
is the last in Richard Wagner's cycle of four operas titled Der Ring des Nibelungen...
).
At the Bayreuther Festival he first appeared in 1976 (Titurel (Parsifal), Hunding (Walküre), Fasolt (Rheingold) and continued until 1989 adding Fafner (Rheingold, Siegfried), Daland (Fliegender Holländer), King Mark (Tristan und Isolde), Heinrich (Lohengrin), Pogner (Meistersinger), Landgraf (Tannhäuser) and Hagen (Götterdämmerung) to his roles there.
Other important roles are King Philip II (Don Carlos
Don Carlos
Don Carlos is a five-act grand opera composed by Giuseppe Verdi to a French language libretto by Camille du Locle and Joseph Méry, based on the dramatic play Don Carlos, Infant von Spanien by Friedrich Schiller...
by Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
), the Grand Inquisitor in the same work, Seneca in L'Incoronazione di Poppea, Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte, the Commendatore in Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and with an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It was premiered by the Prague Italian opera at the Teatro di Praga on October 29, 1787...
, and the title roles of Boris Godunov
Boris Godunov (opera)
Boris Godunov is an opera by Modest Mussorgsky . The work was composed between 1868 and 1873 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is Mussorgsky's only completed opera and is considered his masterpiece. Its subjects are the Russian ruler Boris Godunov, who reigned as Tsar during the Time of Troubles,...
and Khovanshchina
Khovanshchina
Khovanshchina is an opera in five acts by Modest Mussorgsky. The work was written between 1872 and 1880 in St. Petersburg, Russia. The composer wrote the libretto based on historical sources...
.
Salminen is also one of the most videotaped opera singers in history. At least three different performances as Hagen are available on DVD; also two performances as the Commendatore, and two as Daland
The Flying Dutchman (opera)
Der fliegende Holländer is an opera, with music and libretto by Richard Wagner.Wagner claimed in his 1870 autobiography Mein Leben that he had been inspired to write "The Flying Dutchman" following a stormy sea crossing he made from Riga to London in July and August 1839, but in his 1843...
.
In his youth he earned money for voice lessons by singing Finnish tangos in night clubs. He first caught public eye as a lucky understudy in the role of King Phillip II, which he continues performing (pirated recordings exist from as recently as 2008).