Maria Weiss has studied singing at the National Conservatory of Florence (Italy) and at the University of Music and Dramatic Arts Graz (Austria). She has specialized in early and contemporary music, especially in the repertoire of baroque music.
For her Solo-Debut-Album favola in musica. early new music she was awarded with the Ö1 Pasticcio Prize and enthusiastic reviews.
“Her voice is tremendous, and the continued suspense of her stage presence is breathtaking“, “a marvelous mezzo-soprano with organ-like depths” or “a vocal and acting synthesis of arts” are excerpts of reviews about the Austrian mezzo-soprano Maria Weiss.
With a repertory focusing on early and contemporary music, she is dedicated in particular to premiering (forgotten) early music and contemporary compositions.
Maria studied voice at the national conservatory “Luigi Cherubini” in Florence and concluded her studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz under the guidance of Kammersängerin Joanna Borowska. Master Classes with Angelika Kirchschlager, Teresa Berganza und Jorge Sirena followed. Since then, Maria Weiss has worked and studied with the mezzo-soprano Glenys Linos.
With an emphasis on Baroque repertoire, she has sung, amongst others, the roles of Bradamante or Gismonda (Händel), Megalce (Vivaldi), Lisinga (Gluck), contemporary music as the opera by W. Rihms ”Jakob Lenz” (Voice) or Baiana in the European premiere of the Brasilian opera “Pedro Malazarte” of Mozart C. Guarnieri. Examples of premieres of rediscovered works in the Baroque repertoire are Palante in the Austrian premiere of “La Guerra de los Gigantes”, Júpiter in “El imposible mayor en amor le vence Amor” (S. Durón) or Aurora in the European premiere of “L’Oracolo del Fato” (F. Gasparini).
Her opera spectrum includes not only the most important Mozart pieces, and extends from the rarely performed Renaissance and Baroque repertoire until Jacques Offenbach’s operettas. She has worked with stage directors such as Frank Castorf, Philippe Arlaud, Seollyeon Konwitschny, John Lloyd Davies or the Baroque-Gesture- Specialist Sigrid T’Hooft.
Musical cooperation with directors and musicians such as Stefan Asbury, Michi Gaigg, Domingo Hindoyan, David Levi, Rubén Dubrovsky, Luca Pianca, Gérard Korsten, Rogério Gonçalves, Jörg Zwicker, Thomas Platzgummer, Wolfgang Mitterer, James Pearson or Franco Pavan and musical partners such as Bach Consort Wien, Klangforum Wien, L’Orfeo Baroque Orchestra, Ensemble Claudiana, Harmony of Nations Baroque Orchestra, Il Concerto Tivoli, Camerata Argentea, A Corte Musical, Capella Leopoldina, Grazer Philharmonisches Orchester or Symphonieorchester Vorarlberg.
Further engagements saw Maria Weiss perform, amongst others, at Wiener Festwochen, Konzerthaus Wien, Theater an der Rott, Opernhaus Graz, “trigonale. festival für alte musik”, Bregenzer Festspielhaus, Feldkirch Festival, Festspielhaus Dornbirn, Kammeroper Graz, Klagenfurter Konzerthaus, Donaufestwochen im Strudengau, BOV Opera Festival to the Teatru Manoel in Valetta (Malta) or Ateneu Barcelonés in Spain.
With regard to her lied repertoire, Maria Weiss, under the guidance of Teresa Berganza and Isabel Aragón, has specialized on Spanish and Latin American repertoire (especially songs of De Falla, Granados, Guridi, Montsalvatge, Rodrigo, Leon und Villa-Lobos).
Her stage presence has been described, amongst others, as that of a “gifted singer-actress” (in a review by the ‘Kritisches Journal für Alte Musik’). Maria Weiss studied acting at the Lee Strasberg Film & Theatre Institute in New York (US). She can frequently bee seen in short films and feature films. Her most recent feature film “Spanien” by Anja Salomonitz was premiered at the Berlinale 2012.
The award-winning CD, the first recording of the Baroque opera “La Guerra de los Gigantes” by S. Durón (Label Panclassics) with ensemble “A Corte Musical”, has received excellent reviews.
Maria Weiss has recently released Solo-Debut Album. „favola in musica. early new music“ was awarded amongst others with the Ö1 Pasticcio Prize and recieved enthusiastic reviews. Her album includes 3 world premiere recordings of early music and 2 world premiere recordings of contemporary music composed by Wolfgang Mitterer.
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musik an sich | Ingo Andruschkewitsch
Maria Weiss has founded favola in musica. early new music a biannual cultural project producing concerts and CD’s accompanied by fairy-tale inspired digibooks. The first CD Hardcover Digibook was awarded with the Ö1 Pasticcio Prize.
– Monteverdi as the composer and example of an early master, who was also a modern visionary and innovator, as the artistic dimension
– Novelties: “recitar cantando”, the revoluationary “seconda practica [1]” in L’Orfeo, interwoven with traditional techniques, with a focus on the essence, “word and sound”, as the musical dimension
– Orpheus and his existential search and journey, as the spiritual dimension,
– The title in its literal and metaphoric interpretation as the visual dimension: fairy tales and their archetypal potential; the opening up of spaces of time, sound and experience for encounters with our primary humanity.
The CD booklet’s photography and graphic design give it a fairy-tale-character, illustrating our journey into the “primary”. A music video has been realized with the same in mind. A church with special acoustic properties on top of a 1059 metres mountain, for recording the music, and an unknown castle, tucked away in a forest, as backdrop for the images, provide the geographical context for this project:
“favola in musica. early new music” is a creative music project, merging early and contemporary music in concert performances and on a CD:
The project involves EARLY and “early, new music” (world first recordings and world first performances of unearthed forgotten compositions), as well as “new, early music” (contemporary compositions that are specially commissioned for this project and inspired by early masters).
Photographs on the top of the page © Stefan Schweiger | trigonale
