Pape, René

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Pape, René

Pape, René, German bass-baritone; b. Dresden, Sept. 4, 1964. After singing in the Dresden Kreuzchor (1974–81), he pursued vocal training at the Dresden Hochschule für Musik. In 1987 he made his debut as the Speaker in Die Zauberflöte at the Berlin State Opera, where he also sang Capellio in 1993. In 1994 he appeared as Hunding in Philadelphia and as Masetto at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich. He portrayed Rocco, Ramfis, and Fafner in Berlin in 1995, and then was engaged as Sarastro in Bonn in 1996. In 1997 he sang Pope Pius IV in Galestrina and King Heinrich in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg at London’s Covent Garden.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire