KUPFER, JOCHEN - baritone
SALA, OFELIA - soprano
BUTER, ANNE - mezzosoprano
MEES, REINILD - piano

F. Schreker
Die Rosen und der Flieder (Otto Gruppe);
Des Meeres und der Liebe Wellen (Richard Weitbrecht);
Zwei Lieder, Op. 2; Das hungernde Kind (from: Des Knaben Wunderhorn);
Fnf Lieder aus den 'Mutterliedern' (Mia Holm);
Zwei Lieder auf den Tod eines Kindes (Mia Holm) Op. 5;
Fnf Lieder, Op. 4;
Fnf Gedichte von Paul Heyse, Op. 3;
Acht Lieder, Op. 7

Jochen Kupfer, born 1969 in Grimma (Germany) started his vocal training already at the age of 10. As from 1989, he studied with Professor Helga Forner at the Musikhochschule Leipzig. He followed masterclasses with amongst others Aldo Baldin, Theo Adam and Elio Batthaglia. He completed his studies with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf. The artistic development of Jochen Kupfer resulted in several prizes and awards: winner of the 1991 Mozart-Fest-Wettbewerb in Wrzburg, special award of the Academia Vocalis Tirolensis 1991, prize-winner at the International J. S. Bach Competition in Leipzig 1992, first prize at the VDMK-Bundeswettbewerb in Berlin 1992, first prize at the Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Competition in Berlin 1993, scholarship of the Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes, award of the Richard Wagner stipend 1994, 2nd prize at the Meistersnger competition Nrnberg 1995. In the concert-field Jochen Kupfer sings works from Bach and Handel through Mendelssohn to Britten. He is regularly heard with the Thomanerchor Leipzig, the Berliner Singakademie and with the Bachchor Salzburg, conducted by Howard Arman. He especially likes to sing Lieder. In January 1996 he performed the 'Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen' of Mahler, with the Gewandhauserorchester Leipzig, conducted by Kurt Masur. Jochen Kupfer sang at several international festivals, for instance the Nuits Romantiques at Aix-les-Bains, the Rossini Festival and the Salzburger Festspiele (Udo Zimmerman 'Der Schuhu und die fliegende Prinzessin'). During the 1995/96/97 seasons he was engaged at the Staatstheater Meiningen, where he performed a.o. Graf Almaviva in 'Le Nozze di Figaro' and Wolfram von Eschenbach in 'Tannhuser'. As from the 1997/98 season he joins the Semperoper Dresden.

Ofelia Sala was born in Valencia/Spain and studied with Prof. Ana Luisa Chova, obtaining the Superior Degrees in Singing, Piano and Music Theory in Valencia Superior Concervatoire with outstanding record, winning the Conservatoire Final Honnor Prize by unanimity. On grants by Spanish Ministry of Culture and, successively, by the Alexander von Humbold Foundation, she undertakes a post-graduate Meisterklasse (Oratorio-, Lied and Opera specialities) at the Hochschule fr Musik in Munich with the renowned teachers Prof. Daphne Evangelatos, Prof. Helmut Deutsch and Donald Sulzen, obtaining also the Honour Prize and the Claire-Gelda Prize. She has attended courses with a.o. Victoria de Los Angeles, Elly Ameling, Udo Reinemann, Renata Scotto, Albert Attenelle and Pascal Rog a.o. Ofelia Sala has been awarded prizes in various national and international competitions, as the First Great Prize in de XI Verviers International Singing Competition, organised by the Royal Opera of Wallonie (Belgium), the First Prize in the Jeunesse Musicales National Singing Competition in Spain, the First Prize in de second edition of the Montserrrat Caball-Bernab Marti Competition in Zaragoza, and the Third Prize in de Queen Sonja Competition in Oslo and Francisco Vias International Competitions in Barcelona. The young musician is undergoing a promising professional career in recitals, concerts and Opera. She has performed at the Schubertiade in Barcelona, Musicades at the Opera in Lyon, Opera and Gewandhaus in Leipzig, National Auditorium and Teatro Monumental Madrid, Palau de la Musica Barcelona, Teatro Principal and Palau de la Musica Valencia, Prinzregententheater Munich, Cairo Opera House, Opra Royal de Wallonie, Wiener Kammeroper as well as in other famed musical cities a Hamburg, Kln, Bonn, Frankfurt, Oslo, Prag und Lisbon.

The outstanding young German mezzo-soprano Anne Buter, was born near Cologne. Her voice studies include masterclasses with Professors Daphne Evangelatos, Margret Bence and Brigitte Fassbender. A superb interpreter of Lied, she perfected techniques in masterclasses with Wolfram Rieger and Professor Helmut Deutsch. She was winner of a Pfitzner lied prize in 1994 and of the International Bach Prize in Leipzig in 1996. Also in that year she became a member of the Munich Liedtrio. Ms. Buter is also an active opera performer. Among recent notable roles was Dorabella in Mozart's 'Cosi Fan Tutte', a study production with Sir Colin Davis. She made her opera debut as Niklas in 'Tales of Hoffmann' at the Grtnerplatztheater in Munich in 1995. In the last opera season she appeared as Annius in Mozart's 'La clemenza di Tito' at the Opera House in Luzern. She has performed oratorios, chamber music and lieder on radio and international concerts with Christopher Eschenbach, Christian Ivaldi, Pascal Devoyon, Bruno Guiranna, Alain Meunier, Isabelle Faust and Reinild Mees. An avid chamber musician, Ms. Buter is a quest at international festivals in Lyon at 'Les Musicades', at the Traunsteiner Orgelwochen and in Saraota/Florida at the international chamber music festival 'La Musica'.

(...) Een bescheiden, maar uitstekende pianiste (...) (...) dertig juweeltjes, die vooral tot uiting komen in de harmonisch soms zeer verrrassende pianopartij. (...) (...) De zangers lijken uitstekend raad te weten met deze liederen. (...) (...) Jochen Kupfer stelt zich met deze opname nadrukkelijk kandidaat voor een glansrijke liedcarrire. Luister, June 1998
(...) deze muziek verdient zeer beslist een groter publiek dat ze tegenwoordig heeft. (...) (...) de luisteraar kan zich verbazen over de melodische kwaliteiten die de jonge Schreker tentoonspreidt. (...) (...) Mooie cd, wij zien uit naar het vervolg , als de latere, gerijpte Schreker aan bod komt. Parool, June 1998
(...) de zoetgevooisde bariton leent zich het beste voor de romantische sfeer van deze liederen en de pianiste blijkt een volgzaam begeleider die veel kleur geeft aan de soms wat primitieve pianopartij. Noord-Hollands Dagblad, June 1998
(...) de stem van de bariton Jochen Kupfer: een echte ontdekking. Pianowereld, Oktober 1998
(...) De zangers zorgen met Reinild Mees voor een genietelijk wegdromen (...) Trouw, June 1998
(...) (...) Wir hoffen das auch die frhen Chorwerke Schrekers produziert werden. FonoForum
() these performances are extraordinary. All three vocalists communicate words and emotions superbly. Fanfare