Portrait Michael Nagy

Michael Nagy

Baritone
© Gisela Schenker
General Management

The Stuttgart-born baritone with Hungarian roots began his musical career with the Stuttgart Hymnus Boys' Choir and studied voice, art song interpretation, and conducting with Rudolf Piernay, Irwin Gage, and Klaus Arp in Mannheim and Saarbrücken.

Michael Nagy has continuously evolved on the world's major stages: from Wolfram in Tannhäuser (Bayreuth Festival) to Stolzius in Zimmermann's Die Soldaten and Amfortas in Parsifal (under the baton of K. Petrenko) at the Bavarian State Opera, Kurwenal (Tristan und Isolde) in Baden-Baden and Berlin under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle, Dallapiccola's Il Prigioniero in Copenhagen under the baton of Gianandrea Noseda (released on CD by Chandos in 2020), the world premiere of Scartazzini's opera Edward II in Berlin, as Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte at the Salzburg Festival, as Beckmesser in a new production of Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg at the Frankfurt Opera (directed by Johannes Erath, musical direction by Sebastian Weigle), as Amfortas (Parsifal) under the baton of Philippe Jordan and as Alberich in Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen under the baton of Franz Welser-Möst at the Vienna State Opera, as well as the Count (Le Nozze di Figaro) in Toulouse.

In the 2024/25 season, he will return to the Bavarian State Opera as Nekrotzar in Ligeti's Le Grand Macabre under the baton of Kent Nagano. He will make role debuts as Giovanni Morone in Pfitzner's Palestrina at the Vienna State Opera under the baton of Christian Thielemann and as Šiškov in Janáček's From the House of the Dead at the Frankfurt Opera under the baton of Robert Jindra. Additionally, he will perform as Amfortas in Parsifal at the Tyrolean Festival Erl under the baton of Asher Fisch and at the Bayreuth Festival as Sixtus Beckmesser in a new production (directed by Matthias Davids) of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg under the baton of Daniele Gatti.

Michael Nagy is also in high demand worldwide in the concert and oratorio repertoire. Engagements have taken him to internationally renowned orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, NHK Symphony Orchestra Tokyo, Orchestre de Paris, Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and to various festivals, including Schleswig-Holstein, Rheingau, Salzburg Festival, Tanglewood Festival (USA), Bayreuth Festival, and Grafenegg.

The 2024/25 concert season offers a wide repertoire with performances including Arnold Schoenberg's Gurre-Lieder on the occasion of the composer's 150th birthday under the baton of Alan Gilbert and Schoenberg's Jakobsleiter under the baton of Ingo Metzmacher at the Elbphilharmonie. He will sing The Creation with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Thomas Hengelbrock, Brahms' Requiem in Utrecht and Amsterdam under the baton of Karina Canellakis, Mahler's Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen in Warsaw under the baton of Jacek Kaspszyk, as well as Mahler's 8th Symphony with the Boston Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Andris Nelsons and at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam under the baton of Klaus Mäkelä.

For further information, please visit www.michaelnagy.net.




15. December 2024 - 18:30

Wien, Wiener Staatsoper

Hans Erich Pfitzner: Palestrina

Info & Tickets



18. December 2024 - 19:00

Helsinki, Musiikkitalo

Joseph Haydn: Die Schöpfung Hob. XXI:2

Info & Tickets



19. December 2024 - 19:00

Helsinki, Musiikkitalo

Joseph Haydn: Die Schöpfung Hob. XXI:2

Info & Tickets



  • "Nur wenige Jahre nach diesen Werken komponierte Gustav Mahler seine Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, schrieb musikalisch wie auch als Textdichter sich seine von einer Sopranistin am Hoftheater Kassel nicht erwiderten Gefühle von der Seele. Michael Nagy, einer der zurzeit „reifsten“ Baritone und als Wagner-Sänger ebenso gefragt wie als Liedgestalter, begeisterte in den subtilen Schattierungen des Schmerzes, wenn der Schatz Hochzeit macht, wie in der Strahlkraft des Sonnenscheins, mit dem die Welt zwischenzeitlich zu funkeln beginnt. Frappierend vor allem seine natürliche Tongebung: kein manieriert-gewolltes Tönebasteln, kein Schummeln bei Registerwechseln oder aufgedrehtes Forcieren störten den Fluss: klagendes Lied, auffahrende Traumgestalten und Hoffnungsschimmer aus Blütengestöber des Lindenbaums in höchster Konzentration. Ein absolut fesselnder Mittelpunkt eines wundervollen Konzertabends der Bamberger Symphoniker, der auf weitere Entdeckungen neugierig macht!"
  • "From Michael Nagy’s clever, manipulative Ratefreund to Wolfgang Koch’s sonorous Prometheus, this is a top-drawer cast, and all of them sing as if they were expecting to pick up repeat engagements of their roles across the world any day now. Would that they could."
  • "Noseda and his Danish forces offer a thrilling account of this masterpiece, its all-important orchestral detail meticulously realised… as the prisoner, Michael Nagy is alive to every nuance of the role. A thrilling disc, splendidly recorded."



Elisabeth Ehlers

Elisabeth Ehlers

Director, General Management
e-mail
+49 89 44488790
Sophie Kurzbauer

Sophie Kurzbauer

e-mail
Assistant Artist Manager
+49 89 444887910

  HIGHLIGHTS 2023/2024