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The Romanian-German counter-tenor, Valer Barna-Săbăduș, also Valer Sabadus, was born born in Arad (Romania), near the Hungarian border. He is the child of a pianist and a cellist. His father died in 1990 when Valer was four years old. In 1991, after the end of the Ceaușescu regime, his family emigrated to Germany and he grew up in Landau an der Isar, Lower Bavaria. He received his first musical education in violin and piano. At the age of 17, he began his studies as a counter-tenor at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München with Gabriele Fuchs. In 2009, he became a member of the Bayerische Theaterakademie August Everding, where he completed his postgraduate studies with distinction in 2013.
Valer Sabadus debuted as early as 2009 under Riccardo Muti at Salzburg Whitsun Festival in a production of Demofoonte (Niccolò Jommelli), which transferred to the Ravenna Festival and the Opéra National de Paris. He also enjoyed great success as Sesto in Günter Krämer’s production of W.A. Mozart La Clemenza di Tito at the Mozart summer festival in Schwetzingen, as Ruggiero in Antonio Vivaldi's Orlando furioso and as Endimione in La Calisto by Francesco Cavalli at the opera house in Frankfurt. His first appearance at the Handel Festival in Halle was in the title role in George Frideric Handel's Rinaldo with the Lautten Compagney in 2011. Other engagements have taken him to the opera house in Cologne in the title role of Leucippo (Johann Adolf Hasse), to the Staatsoper Berlin, the Semperoper Dresden and the Opéra Royal de Versailles.
Valer Sabadus came to international fame in 2012 for his outstanding interpretation of the role of Semira in Leonardo Vinci’s opera Artaserse at the opera houses in Nancy, Lausanne and Cologne, the Theater an der Wien, the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, the Opéra Royal de Versailles, and the Concertgebouw Amsterdam. The production also appeared on CD and DVD, and won countless prizes. In the same year, German music critics awarded him a prize for his solo CD ‘Hasse Reloaded’ (Oehms Classics). In addition, he reaped considerable international acclaim as Menelao in Francesco Cavalli’s rediscovered opera Elena at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence; the production also appeared on DVD. In 2013, he made his brilliant debut in the title role of G.F. Handel's Serse at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in a production by Stefan Herheim. In 2015 and 2016, he shone in the title role of Teseo at the Handel Festival in Karlsruhe, for which he received rave reviews. He enjoyed an outstanding debut in terms of both role and venue when he appeared as Emperor Nero in Claudio Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea at the Theater an der Wien in September 2015. He 2016, he appeared in the role of Orpheus in Orfeo ed Euridice by Christoph Willibald Gluck under Michael Hofstetter at the Internationale Gluck-Opern-Festspiele. In 2016 and 2017 he performed compositions by Monteverdi's student Francesco Cavalli. In Cavalli’s early Baroque operas Eliogabalo as Giuliano and the title role of Giasone as he made his debut in Opéra national de Paris, at the Grand Théâtre de Genève and the Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam. In January 2018 he appeared in several performances in the role Ange in Claus Guth's production of G.F. Handel's oratorio Jephta at the Opéra National de Paris.
After many years in Munich Valer Sabadus settled in Cologne in 2018. In recent years, he has enjoyed great success not only with his albums, including the 2018 release of "Caro Gemello" with Concerto Köln, but also with major concert tours and a portrait cycle at the Cologne Philharmonie. In addition to concerts across Europe, tours in 2019 also led to his very successful debut appearances in Japan and Russia.
In 2020, Valer Sabadus was awarded the Handel Music Prize of the city of Halle. The award ceremony was planned to take place after the concert with the Venice Baroque Orchestra on May 30, 2020 in the Händelhalle. This award is of great importance to the countertenor not only as it is this composer in particular who has consistently played a key role in his career as a singer and artist but also because he has maintained a long-standing, rewarding concert tradition with the International Handel Festival in Halle. Further highlights in the 2019-2020 season include concerts at the Handel Festivals in Karlsruhe and Halle, as well as at the SWR Festival in Schwetzingen with the Venice Baroque Orchestra and Nuovo Aspetto. With the ensemble L'Arpeggiata and thrilling programs such as "Himmelsmusik" and "La Lyra d'Orfeo", Valer Sabadus was planned to make guest appearances at the Laeiszhalle Hamburg, the Konzerthaus Dortmund and the Opéra royal de Versailles. The season culminates in extraordinary concerts with the classical band SPARK and the hugely successful cross-genre program "Closer to Paradise" in Giessen and a tour of France in June with concerts in Froville etc.
November 15, 2020 marked the ERATO Warner Classics release of the album "La Lyra d’Orfeo" on which Valer Sabadus can also be heard. he has become known for his unconventional collaborations and programs. Several projects boast exciting trailers including "Closer to Paradise" with SPARK, "Continuum" with rapper Sammy Deluxe and ensemble Musica Alta Ripa as well as "Love Songs" with singer Dima Orsho and ensemble Musica Alta Ripa.
In addition to his busy life as an opera singer, Valer Sabadus also adores the concert and oratorio repertoire. He has performed evening recitals of lieder and arias at events such as the Lucerne Festival, the Schubertiade in Hohenems, and the ‘Winter in Schwetzingen’ Festival. He has already given solo performances at the Philharmonie concert halls in Essen and Cologne, the Frauenkirche in Dresden, the Chapelle Royale de Versailles, the Laeiszhalle in Hamburg, at Grafenegg Festival and at Innsbruck Festival of Early Music. Valer Sabadus has frequently teamed up successfully with leading early music ensembles, including Concerto Köln, Kammerorchester Basel, Hofkapelle München, L’Arpeggiata ensemble and Il Pomo d'Oro.
The production of Johann Adolf Hasse's Didone abbandonata, which he recorded with Johann Adolf Hasse and Michael Hofstetter, was to prove a major milestone in his career. The richly varied discography of Valer Sabadus ranges from early Baroque works by Claudio Monteverdi and Francesco Cavalli to Italian sacred music and opera, and contemporary works by Enjott Schneider. He has been awarded several prestigious prizes for his recordings, including the ECHO Klassik 2012 and 2015, and in 2013 he was selected by the ICMA as its Young Artist of the Year in the Vocal category. |
