News
Julian Habermann will appear in the 300th anniversary performances of Johann Sebastian Bach's St Matthew Passion with the Thomanerchor Leipzig and the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig under the direction of Andreas Reize. The performances will feature an internationally acclaimed cast including Nikola Hillebrand, Ema Nikolovska, Julian Prégardien (Evangelist), Dingle Yandell (Christus), and Alex Ashworth.
The anniversary project commemorates the 300th anniversary of the work's first performance in 1727 and includes performances in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, culminating in two performances in Leipzig's St. Thomas Church, the historic venue of the premiere.
Julian Habermann made his US debut at the Oregon Bach Festival in Eugene, Oregon, appearing as the tenor soloist in Haydn's The Creation under the direction of Jos van Veldhoven.
During the festival, he also performed in J. S. Bach's secular cantatas Der Streit zwischen Phoebus und Pan (BWV 201) and Vereinigte Zwietracht der wechselnden Saiten (BWV 207), and appeared in a Liederabend with soprano Ilse Eerens, bass Tobias Berndt, and pianist David Riley, performing works by Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Berg, and Wolf.
The performances received critical acclaim. Writing for Oregon ArtsWatch, Daryl Browne praised Habermann's singing:
"He did not disappoint in a piece that lay quite high yet seemed to be in Habermann's sweet spot, the challenging melismas just spooling out like satin ribbon."
Paul Abraham's Fairy Tale at the Grand Hotel (Märchen im Grandhotel) at the Mainfranken Theatre Würzburg, directed by Tristan Braun, was honoured with the prestigious BR-KLASSIK "Operetten-Frosch" Award.
In its review, the jury singled out Julian Habermann's performance:
"Irresistibly entertaining... Vero Miller, as the flamboyantly over-the-top queen-to-be, and Julian Habermann, as the clumsy, love-struck waiter, throw themselves into their hopeless flirtation with infectious enthusiasm. No embarrassment is spared, no rug is left untripped over, and no sentimental tune goes unsung with full-hearted passion. It is hilariously over-the-top—and all the more delightful because of it."