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Klaus Mertens (Bass-Baritone) |
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Born: March 25, 1949 - Kleve, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany |
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The German bass-baritone, Klaus Mertens, received his first singing-lessons when still at school. After graduation he studied music and pedagogics and worked as a school teacher before deciding to embark on a singing career. He studied with the professors Else Bischof-Bornes and Jakob Stämpfli (Lied, concert, oratorio) and Peter Massmannn (opera) and graduated with distinction.
This was soon followed by a busy concert career both at home and abroad. Klaus Mertens has worked with renowned “early music” specialists such as Ton Koopman, Frans Brüggen, Nicholas McGegan, Philippe Herreweghe, René Jacobs, Sigiswald Kuijken, Gustav Leonhardt, Nikolaus Harnoncourt; as well as great conductors of the classical repertoire such as Gary Bertini, Herbert Blomstedt, Enoch zu Guttenberg, Peter Schreier, Kent Nagano, Hans Vonk, Christian Zacharias, Edo de Waart, Kenneth Montgomery, Gerard Schwarz, Iván Fischer and many others.
In addition he has very successfully worked with famous orchestras over the world, such as the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Concertgebouw-Orchester Amsterdam, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Berliner Philharmoniker, Gewandhaus-Orchester Leipzig, Dresdner Philharmonie, Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra and so on.
Klaus Mertens is also a regular guest at numerous international festivals such as the Mozart Festival Lille, Bach-Tage Berlin, Flanders Festival, Prague Spring, Schleswig-Holstein Festival, Handel Festival Oxford, Los Angeles Bach Festival, Ancient Music Festival Utrecht, Festival Liturgica Jerusalem, Bologna Festival Musica, Maggio Musicale Florence, European Music Festival Stuttgart, Klangbogen Festival Vienna, Salzburg Festival, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Festival de Beaune, Festival d’Ambronay, Lucerne Festival, Mostly Mozart Festival New York, BBC Proms, etc.
Klaus Mertens is known to be one of the most prominent and sought-after interpreter of the baroque oratorio and concert repertoire, and he has repeatedly recorded the great vocal works of J.S. Bach with many different conductors. The recording of the complete cantatas of J.S. Bach with the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra initiated by the conductor Ton Koopman has been finished in October 2003. Tilman Michael of the magazine fono forum remarked about his singing in the series that “...I don’t know any other bass but Klaus Mertens who is such an eminent interpreter of Bach.” The entire project, which took 10 years to complete and included concert tours throughout Europe, America, and Japan marked a significant highlight in his singing carrier; Klaus Mertens is the first and the only singer to have sung all of J.S. Bach’s vocal works for a complete CD recording series and also in concerts.
Klaus Mertens also devotes himself equally successfully to singing Lieder from early to modern times. His concert repertoire covers a great range from Monteverdi to contemporary composers, including some that were especially written for him.
A discography of more than 120 CD’s along with many international radio and television broadcasts testify to Klaus Mertens’ competence as a celebrated, versatile singer. Among his pupils and/or singers who have attended his master-classes: Robert Reichinek (Tenor). |
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Sources:
Office Klaus Mertens
Contributed by Office of Klaus Mertens (January 2003, February 2004) |
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Klaus Mertens : Short Biography | General Discussions |
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Recordings of Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works |
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Conductor |
As |
Works |
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Under his name |
Bass |
BWV 439-507 [w/ soprano Barbara Schlick] |
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Shalev Ad-El |
Bass |
Video: Recitatve & Aria from BWV 82 |
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Karl-Friedrich Beringer |
Bass |
BWV 1, BWV 78 [1st, Video], BWV 78 [2nd], ,BWV 140 [1st Video], BWV 140 [2nd], BWV 243 |
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Georg Christoph Biller |
Bass |
Radio: BWV 93, BWV 168
[CR-45] (1997, Radio recording): BWV 45
[R-2] (1997, Radio recording): BWV 102
BWV 232, BWV 244 [3rd, Jesus, Video], BWV 248 |
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Pierre Cao |
Bass |
BWV 232 [TV] |
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Diego Fasolis |
Bass |
[C-3] (2003): BWV 110; (2004): BWV 205
[V-2] (1997): BWV 232
[V-4] (1998): BWV 245 [Jesus, Arias]
[V-5] (2002-2003): BWV 248/1-6 |
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Dmitri Grigoriev |
Bass |
[CV-1] (2023, Video): BWV 166 |
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Matthias Grünert |
Bass |
BWV 232 |
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Gerd Guglöhr |
Bass |
[V-1] (1994): BWV 245 [Jesus] |
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Enoch zu Guttenberg |
Bass |
BWV 244 |
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Volker Hempfling |
Bass |
BWV 245 |
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Werner Hümmeke |
Bass |
BWV 244 |
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Ton Koopman |
Bass |
BWV 1, BWV 2, BWV 3, BWV 4, BWV 5, BWV 6, BWV 7, BWV 8, BWV 9, BWV 10, BWV 11, BWV 12, BWV 13, BWV 14, BWV 16, BWV 17, BWV 18, BWV 19, BWV 20, BWV 21, BWV 22, BWV 23, BWV 24, BWV 25, BWV 26, BWV 27, BWV 28, BWV 29, BWV 30, BWV 30a, BWV 31, BWV 32, BWV 33, BWV 34, BWV 36, BWV 37, BWV 38, BWV 39, BWV 40, BWV 41, BWV 42, BWV 43, BWV 44, BWV 45, BWV 46, BWV 47, BWV 49, BWV 56, BWV 58, BWV 59, BWV 60, BWV 61, BWV 62, BWV 63, BWV 64, BWV 65, BWV 66, BWV 67, BWV 68, BWV 69, BWV 69a, BWV 70, BWV 71, BWV 72, BWV 73, BWV 74, BWV 75, BWV 76, BWV 77, BWV 78, BWV 79, BWV 80, BWV 81, BWV 82, BWV 83, BWV 85, BWV 86, BWV 87, BWV 88, BWV 89, BWV 90, BWV 91, BWV 92, BWV 93, BWV 94, BWV 95, BWV 96, BWV 97, BWV 98, BWV 99, BWV 100, BWV 101, BWV 102, BWV 103, BWV 104, BWV 105, BWV 106, BWV 107, BWV 108, BWV 110, BWV 111, BWV 112, BWV 113, BWV 114, BWV 115, BWV 116, BWV 117, BWV 119, BWV 120, BWV 120a, BWV 121, BWV 122, BWV 123, BWV 124, BWV 125, BWV 126, BWV 127, BWV 128, BWV 129, BWV 130, BWV 131, BWV 132, BWV 133, BWV 135 [1st recording], BWV 136, BWV 137, BWV 138, BWV 139, BWV 140, BWV 143, BWV 145, BWV 146, BWV 147, BWV 149, BWV 150, BWV 151, BWV 152, BWV 153, BWV 154, BWV 155, BWV 156, BWV 157, BWV 158, BWV 159, BWV 162, BWV 163, BWV 164, BWV 165, BWV 166, BWV 167, BWV 168, BWV 171, BWV 172, BWV 173, BWV 173a, BWV 174, BWV 175, BWV 176, BWV 178, BWV 179, BWV 180, BWV 181, BWV 182, BWV 183, BWV 185, BWV 186, BWV 187, BWV 188, BWV 190, BWV 192, BWV 194, BWV 195, BWV 196, BWV 197, BWV 198, BWV 201, BWV 203, BWV 205, BWV 206, BWV 207a, BWV 208, BWV 211, BWV 212, BWV 213, BWV 214, BWV 215
VHS/DVD: BWV 56, BWV 106, BWV 131, BWV 140, BWV 147, BWV 211
[F2020-M4/3] [O-11] (2020, Video): BWV 135 [2nd recording]
[F2022-C1]/[O-12] Bachfest Leipzig (2023, Video): BWV 4.2 [2nd recording], BWV 66.3 [2nd recording], BWV 37 [2nd recording], BWV 104 [2nd recording]
[V-2] (1994): BWV 232 [1st recording]
[V-20] (2017, Audio): BWV 232 [4th recording]
[V-21] (2018): BWV 232 [5th recording]
BWV 233, BWV 234, BWV 235, BWV 236, BWV 243 [1st], BWV 243 [2nd, Video], BWV 244 [1st], BWV 244 [2nd], BWV 244 [3rd, CD/DVD]
[V-17] (2018, Audio): BWV 244 [4th recording]
BWV 245 [1st ], BWV 245 [2nd, Jesus & arias], BWV 247 [1st], BWV 247 [2nd, DVD]
V-10 (1996): BWV 248/1-6 [1st recording]
V-16 (2012): BWV 248/1-4 [2nd recording]
BWV 249, BWV 439-507, BWV 524
DVD: BWV 10, BWV 243a; BWV 82 (Mvts. 2&3), BWV 203, BWV 445, BWV 452, BWV 465, BWV 475, BWV 476, BWV 478, BWV 508, BWV 514, BWV 515a, BWV 518 |
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Roderich Kreile |
Bass |
BWV 248/1-3 [3rd] |
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Sigiswald Kuijken |
Bass |
BWV 49, BWV 58, BWV 82, BWV 244 [1st, 1989, Video] |
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Gustav Leonhardt |
Bass |
BWV 244 [1st], BWV 244 [2nd] |
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Martin Lutz |
Bass |
BWV 245 |
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Rudolf Lutz |
Bass |
DVD/CD: BWV 30, BWV 47, BWV 56, BWV 80 [2016], BWV 97, BWV 159, BWV 181, BWV 214
[V-2] (2016): BWV 232 |
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Joachim Carlos Martini |
Bass |
BWV 232 [2nd] |
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Hermann Max |
Bass |
BWV 244 |
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Horst Meinardus |
Bass |
BWV 244 |
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Kenneth Montgomery |
Bass |
R. Keiser: Brockes-Passion |
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Kent Nagano |
Bass |
BWV 150 |
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Ralf Otto |
Bass |
BWV 248 |
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Patrick Peire |
Bass |
BWV 142 |
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Michael Reif |
Bass |
BWV 248 |
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Gerda Schaarwächter |
Bass |
BWV 247 [Jesus] |
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Gotthold Schwarz |
Bass |
Member of Bachfest-Family-Chor:
[F2020-V1] [V-4] (2020, Video): BWV 245: Chorales |
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Gerhard Weinberger |
Bass |
[V-2] (2013): BWV 243 |
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Links to other Sites |
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24 Hours Bach: Klaus Mertens
Romanischer Sommer Köln: Biographie Mertens, Klaus [German]
Biographie - Klaus Mertens (EOP) [French]
Klaus Mertens (Farao Classics)
Klaus Mertens (JRP Dynu) [French]
Klaus Mertens, Biography, Discography (Goldberg)
Klaus Mertens - Biography (AMG)
Göttinger Händel Gesellschaft: Klaus Mertens
Klaus Mertens (Opera-Base) |
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