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The German tenor, Ralph Eschrig, received early lessons in violin, piano and singing, and then studied singing from 1979 to 1984 at the Carl Maria von Weber-Musikhochschule in Dresden with Herta Maria Collum. In 1984 he was a prize-winner at the Leipzig International Bach Competition (3rd Prize), and in 1987 at the International Mozart Competition in Salzburg (Bärenreiter Prize).
In 1984, Ralph Eschrig began his stage career at the Staatsoper von Dresden (Semperoper), to which he belonged until 1987. Here he caused a stir in the opera The Nose by Dmitri Shostakovich. He was also engaged at the Landestheater in Salzburg. From 1987 to 1992, he was the first lyric tenor at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin. Here he was very successful, above all as a W.A. Mozart singer. He sang Belmonte in Entführung aus dem Serail, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Ferrando in Così fan tutte and Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, as well as Fenton in Nicolai's Lustigen Weibern von Windsor, Erwin in the Singspiel Erwin und Elmire by Reichardt and Châteauneuf in Zar und Zimmermann by Lortzing. In 1992-1994 he sang e.g. the Almaviva in Rossini's Barber of Seville, directed by Harry Kupfer and Belmonte in W.A. Mozart's Entführung aus dem Serail. He sang in the choir of the Deutsche Oper Berlin, of which he is a member since 1994. Here he appeared as a soloist as Thaddeus in the staging of Matthäus-Passion, as Giuseppe in La Traviata. In 2003, he starred as Trojaner in a production of W.A. Mozart's Ideomeneo with the Deutsche Oper Berlin.
At the same time, Ralph Eschrig has developed a great concert career. He was as an oratorio singer (Evangelist in works by J.S. Bach, sacred classical music), and he is well known as a Lieder interpreter (Schubert, Robert Schumann, Diary of One Who Disappeared by Janácek). Since 1995 he is director of the vocal group Societa' Corale. He has appeared as soloist with the Dresdner Kreuzchor, the Thomanerchor Leipzig, in radio and television programmes in East Germany and Finland (Rundfunkchor Berlin & Rundfunkchor Leipzig, Norddeutschen Rundfunk Chor). In 2001 he sang the tenor arias in J.S. Bach's Matthäus-Passion (BWV 244) in the Felix Mendelssohn version under the direction of Christopher Hogwood, directed by Götz Friedrich. He has appeared at the Dresdner Semperoper, the Leipziger Opernhaus, as well as at the Dresdner Philharmonie. In addition, he has performed in concert with orchestras around the world including in the USA, Japan, Israel, Sweden, the Netherlands and Denmark. In 1999, he gave a guest performance with Benjamin Britten's Les Illuminations and recitals at the Cape Town Philharmonie .
Recordings: Eterna (Felix Mendelssohn’s Motets, Bastien und Bastienne by W.A. Mozart) Berlin Classics (Mass in G minor by Johann Adolf Hasse). |
