Dorothee Mields (Soprano)

Born: April 15, 1971 - Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

The German soprano, Dorothee (Blotzky-) Mields, was born to German/Ukrainian parents. As a child she learned violin and piano. She received her first singing lesson from Therese Maxsein in Essen and thereafter acquired experience in various choruses. She later studied at the College of Arts in Bremen (Hochschule für Künste Bremen) with Elke Holzmann. There she discovered her love for the music of the 17^th and 18^th centuries. She continued her studies in Stuttgart with Harry van der Kamp and Gabriele Schreckenbach. After passing successfully her graduate examinations, she studied with Julia Hamari in Stuttgart.

Dorothee Mields is one of the leading interpreters of 17^th- and 18^th-century music and is beloved by audiences and critics alike for her unique timbre and moving interpretations. Her flawless technique and the ethereal clarity of her voice also make her ideally suited for works by contemporary composers. In addition to numerous concerts in Germany and abroad, including appearances with the Telemann-Kammerorchester Michaelstein and the Balthasar-Neumann-Chor and Ensemble, her intensive collaboration with Ludger Rémy and Thomas Hengelbrock has resulted in favourably reviewed CD recordings, such as Georg Philipp Telemann’s oratorios Die Auferstehung and Der Tod Jesu. Contemporary music also forms an increasingly important part of her repertoire. Her wide-ranging repertoire comprises works of Monteverdi, J.S. Bach and W.A. Mozart to compositions by Pierre Boulez, Grisey and Beat Furrer.

Dorothee Mields has sung and played in many opera and theatre productions under important directors, such as Euridice in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo with the Viennese Festival Weeks and co-operated with conductors such as Thomas Hengelbrock, Philippe Herreweghe and Gustav Leonhardt.

Dorothee Mields' special inclination however applies for the Lieder singing. Among her companions on the piano can be found Ludger Rémy and Grigori Pantijelew. With them she has unfolded the different connections of language and music in the Lieder literature, from the 17^th century into the modern time. Outside of the Baroque genre, her great love is the late-romantic French art-song. She has successfully performed the moving song-cycle Clairières dans le ciel by composer Lili Boulanger.

Dorothee Mields has become a much sought-after soloist - and interpreter of Baroque music, in particular - and is in demand at many international festivals, including the Bachwoche Ansbach; Köthener Bach Festtage, Bachfest Leipzig, Halle and Göttingen Händel Festivals, Suntory Music Foundation Summer Festival, Boston Early Music Festival, Tanglewood Festival, Music Festival of Bremen, Vienna Festival Weeks, Flanders Festival in Bruges; and various other festivals in Feldkirch, Rheingau, Schleswig-Holstein, Schwetzingen, and Vienna.

Dorothee Mields appears regularly with Collegium Vocale Gent, Bach Collegium Japan, Nederlandse Bachvereniging, Freiburger Barockorchester, RIAS-Kammerchor, Orchestra of the 18^th Century, L'Orfeo Barockorchester (Director: Michi Gaigg), Lautten Compagney Berlin, Flanders Recorder Quartet, Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, Leipziger Concert Ensemble, and Klangforum Vienna, under such conductors as Stefan Asbury, Ivor Bolton, Frans Brüggen, Beat Furrer, Paul Goodwin, Martin Haselböck, Wolfgang Helbich, Philippe Herreweghe, Gustav Leonhardt, Kenneth Montgomery, Helmut Müller-Brühl, Emilio Pomárico, Hans-Christoph Rademann, Stephen Stubbs, Masaaki Suzuki and Jos van Veldhoven.

Highlights of concerts during the early 2000’s included recordings of Joseph Schuster’s opera Demofoonte under the baton of Ludger Rémy; Haydn’s Creation with Thomas Hengelbrock (2001); chamber cantatas of Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel; J.S. Bach's Cantatas BWV 91, BWV 121 & BWV 133 with Philippe Herreweghe (2001); and W.A. Mozart’s Exsultate Jubilate at the Rheingau Music Festival. Additionally, Dorothee Mields produced her first recording for the Naxos Label - a performance of two Te-Deum compositions by George Frideric Handel under the direction of Wolfgang Helbich (2001). In January 2003, she toured Europe with Philippe Herreweghe and the Collegium Vocale Gent, performing Monteverdi’s Marienvesper. Further projects are planned, including W.A. Mozart’s Exsultate Jubilate in Tokyo as well as numerous CD productions. She sang the role of Phaedra in Johann Georg Conradi’s Ariadne at the Boston Early Music Festival. In 2004 she sang the title role in the premiere of Johannes Maria Staud's opera Berenice at the Munich Biennale. She premiered Beat Furrer's Invocation III (the third scene of invocation) for soprano and ensemble on words from the 16^th century on September 17, 2004, in Innsbruck, with the Klangforum Wien conducted by the composer.

2006-2007 season's highlights included J.S. Bach's St. John Passion (BWV 245) with Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra in Canada, Grisey Quatre Chants pour franchir le seuil with Klangforum Vienna under the baton of Simone Young in Hamburg, J.S. Bach’s Cantata Weichet nur, betrübte Schatten with Freiburger Barockorchester, Igor Stravinsky’s Threni with the RIAS-Kammerchor and the Deutsches Symphonieorchester Berlin under the direction of Stefan Asbury, as well as Gustav Mahler’s Symphony N° 4 with the Orchestre des Champs Elysées under Philippe Herreweghe's baton. Engagements 2007-2008 include her debut at the Salzburg Festival with Klangforum Vienna (August 2007/Grisey Quatre Chants/conductor: Emilio Pomárico), a solo recital with Sinfonieorchester Aachen (October 2007/G.F. Handel arias) as well as concert tours with Collegium Vocale Gent (November 2007 and May 2008/conductor: Philippe Herreweghe; December 2007/conductor: Masaaki Suzuki) and the Nederlandse Bachvereniging (March 2008/conductor: Jos van Veldhoven). ///In 2009 Dorothee Mields and the tenor Andreas Karasiak were the soloists in the requiem composition Schwarz vor Augen und es ward Licht by Harald Weiss dedicated to the Knabenchor Hannover, premiered on October 31, 2009, with the North NDR Sinfonieorchester Hamburg.

Besides several concert tours with Collegium Vocale Gent and the Nederlandse Bachvereniging, highlights of the 2012-2013 season include appearances at the Vézelay Festival, Musikfest Erzgebirge, Utrecht Oude Muziek Festival, Mendelssohn Festtage Leipzig, Handel Festival Halle, a recital with Ludger Rémy in Dresden, as well as her debut with the Tonhalle Orchestra Zürich (May 2013, J.S. Bach's Cantatas BWV 51 und BWV 207a).

Today a steadily growing discography of over 40 recordings and many broadcast productions, some of which have won awards, documents Dorothee Mields' active concert career and wide repertoire. Numerous international radio stations (e.g., BBC, Evangelische Omroep Holland, Klara Belgien and several broadcasting services of the ARD) and CD-labels (e.g., Sony Classical, BIS, BMG, Harmonia Mundi, DHM, MDG, HMF, cpo, Naxos and Koch) are currently broadcasting and recording her work. She has already produced first-edition recordings of heretofore unknown treasures from the Baroque period, including operas, oratorios and cantatas. Her recordings of Baroque oratorios and cantatas, including those of G.P. Telemann, Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel, Rolle and Benda, for the label cpo - all performed under the direction of Ludger Rémy - were positively received by the critics, as was her production of Antonio Lotti's Requiem, performed under Thomas Hengelbrock’s baton. Recent releases of “In Darkness Let me Dwell” and “Loves Alchymie” (with Hille Perl and Lee Santana, Sony/dhm) and Purcell “Love Songs” (with the Lautten Compagney Berlin, Carus) have received great critical acclaim. A recording of Frédéric Chopin Lieder (with pianist Nelson Goerner) for the Fryderyk Chopin Institute Warszawa has been released in summer 2011.

Dorothee Mields currently lives with her daughter near Hagen, Germany. She taught Baroque vocal technique at the Hochschule für Musik "Franz Liszt" in Weimar until the early 2000’s. Among her pupils and/or singers who have attended her master-classes: Jonathon Adams (Baritone).

“The ineffable soprano aria ‘Dissolve, my heart, in tears, the grieving crux’ of the work, was heartbreakingly conveyed by the young German soprano Dorothee Mields” - (The Globe and Mail, March 31, 2007)

More Photos

Sources:
Naxos Website (September 2001), English translation by Aryeh Oron (November 2002)
K.D. Schmid Website (2004-2005, 2007-2008, 2012-2013)
Photos 11-14: Annelies van der Vegt; Photo 15: Uwe Arens
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (November 2002, April 2005, April 2008, December 2012)

Recordings of Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works

Conductor

As

Works

Hans-Christoph Becker-Foss

Soprano

BWV 11, BWV 106, BWV 249

Pieter Jan Belder

Soprano

BWV 4 [1^st, Video], BWV 4 [2^nd], BWV 80 [1st, Video], BWV 80 [2^nd], BWV 88, BWV 153

Frans Brüggen

Soprano

BWV 232 [2^nd], BWV 232 [3^rd]

Michi Gaigg

Soprano

BWV 199, BWV 204, BWV 1127

Michael Goede

Soprano

BWV 469

Wolfgang Helbich

Soprano

BWV 15, BWV Anh. 21, BWV Anh. 25, BWV Anh. 26

Thomas Hengelbrock

Soprano

BWV 4,
J.K. Kerll: Missa Superba
C-5 (2011): BWV 206
V-2 (2000): BWV 243a [1^st recording], A. Lotti: Missa Sapientiae in G minor

Thomas Hengelbrock

Soprano

Member of Balthasar-Neumann-Chor:
C-2 (2001): Kyrie c-Moll BWV Anh 26 / Christe g-moll BWV 242, nach Francesco Durante, BWV 4, J.K. Kerll: Missa Superba

Philippe Herreweghe

Soprano

BWV 11 [2^nd], BWV 21 [2^nd], BWV 21 [3^rd, Video], BWV 23, BWV 27, BWV 68, BWV 84, BWV 91, BWV 95, BWV 121, BWV 127, BWV 133
CD-20 (2010): Bachfest Leipzig 2010: BWV 197, BWV 192, BWV 120 [2^nd recording], BWV 119 [2^nd recording]
C-23 (2013): BWV 44 [2^nd], BWV 73 [2^nd]
C-24 (2016): BWV 101, BWV 115
[C-25] (2017): BWV 80 [2^nd recording], BWV 4, BWV 79
[C-26] (2020): BWV 198 [2^nd recording]
[C-27] (2023, CD): BWV 99, BWV 6 [3^rd recording], BWV 147
U-5 (2014, Video): BWV 43 [2^nd recording], BWV 6 [1^st recording], BWV 11 [3^rd recording]
U-10 (2014, Video): BWV 6 [2^nd recording]
BWV 225-230 [2^nd]
[V-15] (2011): BWV 232 [3^rd recording]
[V-21] (2014): BWV 232 [4^th recording]
[V-18] (2017, Audio): BWV 232 [5^th recording]
[V-23] (2023, Audio): BWV 232 [6^th recording]
V-9 (2010, Video): BWV 244 [4^th recording]
[V-20] (2017, Audio): BWV 244 [6^th recording]
[V-19] (2018, Audio): BWV 245 [4^th recording, solo]
[V-22] (2018): BWV 245 [5^th recording, Arias]
BWV 248 [2^nd, DVD], BWV 249 [3^rd]

Philippe Herreweghe

Soprano

Member of Collegium Vocale Gent:
C-18 (2006/2007): BWV 27, BWV 84, BWV 95, BWV 161
C-19 (2007): BWV 22, BWV 23, BWV 127, BWV 159
C-23 (2013): BWV 44 [2^nd], BWV 48, BWV 73 [2^nd], BWV 109
C-24 (2016): BWV 101, BWV 115, BWV 103
[C-25] (2017): BWV 80 [2^nd recording], BWV 4, BWV 79
[C-26] (2020): BWV 45, BWV 118, BWV 198 [2^nd recording]
[C-27] (2023, CD): BWV 99, BWV 6 [3^rd recording], BWV 147
[V-22] (2018): BWV 245 [5^th recording]

Ton Koopman

Soprano

Bachfest Leipzig 2012: BWV 199 [2^nd], BWV 202 [3^rd]
[O-9] (2012, Video): BWV 202 [4^th recording]

Leipziger Concert Ensemble

Soprano

C-1 (2000): Movements from BWV 68, BWV 140

Rudolf Lutz

Soprano

DVD/CD: BWV 80 [2016]
DVD/CD (2018): BWV 21
BSSG [D16-14] (2022, Video): BWV 28

Stephan MacLeod

Soprano

[V-1] (2019): BWV 244 [Ancilla I]

Kenneth Montgomery

Soprano

R. Keiser: Brockes-Passion

Hans-Christoph Rademann

Soprano

[C-5] (2016): BWV 126, BWV 79, BWV 236
[BA21-3] (2021, Video): BWV 11, BWV 74, BWV 172 BWV 34
BWV 232 [1^st, 2011]

Andreas Reize

Soprano

[TV-2] (2022, Video): BWV 244 [2^nd recording]

Shunske Sato

Soprano

NBV-AOB [AB-13] (2021, Video): BWV 13
NBV-AOB [AB-49] (2021, Video): BWV 49
NBV-AOB [AB-60] (2021, Video): BWV 60
NBV-AOB [AB-168] (2021, Video): BWV 168

Gotthold Schwarz

Soprano

[V-3] (2018, 2-CD/Blue-ray/2-DVD]: BWV 248/1-6

Christoph Spering

Soprano

[C-7] (2019): CD-1: BWV 137, BWV 140, BWV 26; CD-2: BWV 41, BWV 115, BWV 95

Masaaki Suzuki

Soprano

BWV 3, BWV 38

Masaaki Suzuki

Soprano

Member of Bach Collegium Japan:
Sacred Cantstas Vol. 29: BWV 2, BWV 3, BWV 38, BWV 135

Han Tol

Soprano

G.P. Telemann: Cantata Hier ist mein Herz, geliebter Jesu, TWV 1:795

Jos van Veldhoven

Soprano

BWV 110 [1^st], BWV 232 [2^nd], BWV 243
AOB Video: BWV 106, BWV 131, BWV 196 [2^nd]

Gerhard Weinberger

Soprano

[V-2] (2013): BWV 243

Links to other Sites

Dorothee Mields (Official Website) [German]
Dorothee Mields - Bio (Naxos)
Ensemble Newsic: Theophano [German]
Dorothee Mields - Biografie, Diskografie (CPO/JPC) [German]