INTRODUCTION
Hanne Fischer, Knight of the Dannebrog, is a much sought-after Danish mezzo-soprano: at home, where she frequently performs at the Royal Danish Opera and abroad. Her strong presence of expression is often highlighted. Her role interpretations range from baroque to Wagner to contemporary music.
RECENT AND FUTURE ENGAGEMENTS
Recent engagements at the Royal Danish Opera Copenhagen include, among others: Larina/Eugene Onegin, Brangäne/Tristan und Isolde, Serena Joy/The Handmaid’s Tale, Fricka/Die Walküre, Pelageya/Nose, Marthe/Faust, Magdelone/Maskarade, Auntie/Peter Grimes, 3rd Maid/Elektra.
In the 2024/2025 season at the Royal Danish Opera, she performed as La Frugola/Il Tabarro, La Badessa/Suor Angelica, and La Ciesca/Gianni Schicchi in Puccini’s Il Trittico, and Magdalena/Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. She also joined the Royal Summer Opera tour in summer 2024 and performed in the Royal Danish Opera’s New Year’s concert in December 2024.
In the 2025/2026 season, Hanne Fischer will take on the roles of Giovanna/Rigoletto and Mère Marie/Dialogues des Carmélites at the Royal Danish Opera.
Among Hanne’s other notable recent and future engagements are: Larina/Eugene Onegin at the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet; Fricka/Die Walküre at the Greek National Opera in Athens; Niels W. Gade’s romantic cantata Elverskud with the Copenhagen Phil; Duruflé’s Requiem and a Danish Opera Gala with the Aarhus Symfoniorkester; Duruflé’s Requiem with the Copenhagen Royal Chapel Choir; Verdi’s Requiem with the Copenhagen Cantate Choir.
BIOGRAPHY
Past engagements of Hanne Fischer in recent years include Sister Helen Prejean in Dead Man Walking at the Opera in Copenhagen (she has received a great amount of star reviews), Waltraute in the concert performance of Götterdämmerung in Odense, under the direction of Alexander Vedernikov and Blanca/The Exterminating Angel at Royal Danish Opera Copenhagen in 2018.
At the Royal Opera House Copenhagen, she has performed many roles, such as The Composer in Ariadne auf Naxos, Melibea in Journey to Reims, Charlotte in Werther, Penelope in Odysseus, Ottavia in Poppea’s Coronation, and La Frugola in Puccini’s Il Tabarro, and also Carmen.
During the period 1993-1997, Hanne Fischer was part of the ensemble at Opera Kiel. She also performed at Glyndebourne Festival in England, at Staatsoper Berlin, Hamburger Staatsoper, Opera in Antwerp and Ghent, and at Théâtre de Champs-Élysées.
Since 2005, when the Royal Danish Opera inaugurated its new waterside Opera House in Copenhagen, she was among the first performers in the world premiere of Shakespeare’s Sonnets, composed by Poul Ruders and dedicated to Hanne Fischer.
After her success as Fricka in Wagner’s Das Rheingold and Valkyrie in Strasbourg, Hanne Fischer debuted in 2011 as Waltraute in Wagner’s Götterdämmerung under the direction of David McVicar. She received great critical acclaim from international opera magazines, who all praised her unique voice character with poignant expression abilities, and also her strong role interpretation.
As a concert singer, Ms. Fischer has performed with all major Danish Orchestras and internationally in the big concert halls in Amsterdam, München, Berlin, Paris, and London. In 2009, on the 60th birthday of the European Council, she performed Mahler’s 3rd Symphony under the direction of Marc Albrecht. She has also performed with many other great conductors, such as Daniel Barenboim, Andrew Davis, Mark Elder, Marko Letonja, Mark Minkowski, Giancarlo Andretta, Hartmut Haenchen, Manfred Honeck, Michael Jurowski, Ton Koopman, Susanna Mälkki, Leif Segerstam, Michael Schönwandt, Yuri Temirkanov, Alexander Vedernikov, Carlo Rizzi, and Kirill Petrenko.
Her discography includes CDs with The Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra (Lehar’s Tatjana) and Aalborg Symphony Orchestra. She also performs Verdi’s Requiem in a recording of Trinitatis Kantori og Orkester.
On DVD, she performs in the production of Wagner’s Ring, Carl Nielsen’s Masquerade, and also in Selma Jezkova (Dancer in the Dark) by Poul Ruders.
AWARDS
Ms. Fischer has received numerous awards and prizes, including the Noilly Prat Price in 1993, the Elisabeth Dons Memorial Award in 1995, the Danish Music Critics Artist Award in 2004, the Holger Bruusgaard Award of the Royal Orchestra in 2007, and the Axel Schiøtz Award in 2010. She has been nominated many times for the Reumert award with her performances of Sextus in Mozart’s Titus, Orpheus in Orpheus and Eurydice, and Händel’s Jephta. In 2014, she received the Ellen Gilbert scholarship.
OPERA
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Delius, F. | A Village Romeo and Juliet | Wild girl |
Gluck, C.W. | Orfeo ed Euridice | Orfeo |
Gounod, C. | Faust | Siebel |
Humperdinck, E. | Hänsel und Gretel | Hänsel |
Janacek, L. | The Cunning Little Vixen | the fox |
Korngold, E.W. | Die tote Stadt | Lucienne |
Lehar, F. | Tatjana | Raisa |
Ligeti, G. | Le grand macabre | Amando (Spermando) |
Massenet, J. | Werther | Charlotte |
Monteverdi, C. | Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria | Penelope |
L’incoronazione di Poppea | Ottavia | |
Mozart, W.A. | Cosi fan tutte | Dorabella |
Die Zauberflöte | Zweite Dame | |
Don Giovanni | Zerlina | |
Idomeneo | Idamante | |
La clemenza di Tito | Annio | |
Sesto | ||
Le nozze di Figaro | Cherubino | |
Nielsen, C. | Maskerade | Pernille |
Offenbach, J. | La Perichole | La Perichole |
Les contes d’Hoffmann | The Voice | |
Nicklausse | ||
Poulenc, F. | Dialogues des Carmélites | Mère Marie |
Prokofiev, S. | L’amour des trois oranges | Smeraldina |
Puccini, G. | Madama Butterfly | Suzuki |
Rossini, G. | Il viaggio a Reims | Marchesa Melibea |
La Cenerentola | Angelina (Cenerentola) | |
Le comte Ory | Isolier | |
Ruders, P. | Kafka’s Trial | Washer Woman |
Hunchback | ||
The Handmaid’s Tale | Serena Joy | |
Schönberg, A. | Moses und Aron | Solostimme II |
3. Jungfrau | ||
Strauss, R. | Ariadne auf Naxos | The composer |
Der Rosenkavalier | Octavian | |
Salome | Page | |
Tchaikovsky, P.I. | Eugene Onegin | Larina |
Pikovaya dama | Polina | |
Verdi, G. | Rigoletto | Giovanna |
Wagner, R. | Das Rheingold | Flosshilde |
Fricka | ||
Die Walküre | Waltraute | |
Fricka | ||
Götterdämmerung | Second Norn | |
Waltraute | ||
Tristan und Isolde | Brangäne |
CONCERT
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Bach, J.S. | Johannes-Passion | |
Magnificat | ||
Matthäus-Passion | ||
Weihnachtsoratorium | ||
Beethoven, L.v. | C major Mass | |
Symphony no. 9 | ||
Berlioz, H. | Les nuits d’ete | |
Britten, B. | The Rescue of Penelope | |
Duruflé, M. | Requiem | |
Dvorak, A. | Requiem | |
Stabat Mater | ||
Fauré. G. | Requiem | |
Gade, N.W. | Elverskud | |
Händel, G.F. | Messiah | |
Haydn, J. | Harmoniemesse | |
Langgaard, R. | Sfærernes Musik | |
Mahler, G. | Das Lied von der Erde | |
Des Knaben Wunderhorn | ||
Kindertotenlieder | ||
Rückert-Lieder | ||
Mozart, W.A. | Alma grande e nobil core | |
Ch’io mi scordi di te? | ||
Coronation Mass | ||
Requiem | ||
Vesperale solennes de confessores | ||
Nordby, E. | Rilke-Lieder | |
Pape, A. | Vølvens spådom | |
Rosing-Schow, N. | Archipel des Solitudes | |
Rossini, G. | Petite messe solennelle | |
Stabat Mater | ||
Ruders, P. | Shakespeare Songs | |
Schumann, R. | Des Sängers Fluch | |
Vom Pagen und der Königstochter | ||
Sibelius, J. | Orchestral Lieder | |
The Tempest | ||
Vivaldi, A. | Gloria |
AUDIO & VIDEO
Hanne Fischer – Die Walküre by R. Wagner – Act II Duet (Excerpt) – Mar. 2022
Hanne Fischer – Götterdämmerung by R. Wagner – Höre mit Sinn
REVIEWS
Die Walküre at the Greek National Opera, Athens – March 2024