Werner Marschall

Tenor
Haute-Contre
Countertenor
Discant

Deutsch

Page by Christian Panse

Why this page?

Such fascinating, variable voices are very rare today. Combined with an absolute stilistic accuracy and a manner to sing that serves the music, not the self-celebration, one may speak of a real musical event.
I think, Werner Marschall must be more well-known, or even famous. And this page shall be my contribution to that goal.

Repertoire & Activities

• Joined many famous ensembles as a soloist and/or favorite singer:
  • Capella Fidicinia, Leipzig
  • Musicalische Compagney
  • Clemencic Consort, Vienna
  • Gioia della Musica, Prague
• Activities in all style epoques:
  • Medieval: Member of the group Musica Mensurata
  • Renaissance: Productions with ensembles like Capella Fidicinia, Ludus Venti, Clemencic-Consort
  • Early and Late Baroque: as alto and tenor, and in evangelist parts of the whole oeuvre of Bach and his contemporains. His special ability is the "voix mixte", the knowledge of which makes him the optimal singer for parts being too high for tenors but too low for altos, especially haute-contre parts of the French baroque era.
  • Classical, Romantic and Modern Era: concert, oratorio- and lieder singer as a light lyric tenor, but e. g. in works of L. Bernstein and A. Pärt also as countertenor
• stage parts as a tenor (selection):
  • Dance master in "Ariadne auf Naxos" by R. Strauss
  • Baron Kronthal in "Der Wildschütz" by A. Lortzing
  • Second Priest and first knight in "The Magic Flute" by W. A. Mozart
  • Caramello in "A Night In Venice" by J. Strauß
  • Andreas, Cochenille, Franz and Pitichinaccio in "Hoffmanns Erzählungen" by J. Offenbach
  • Prof. Süffle and Graf Stanislaus in "Der Vogelhändler" by C. Zeller
  • Gaston in "La Traviata" by G. Verdi
  • Elénor in "Die listigen Frauen" by J. Offenbach
• stage parts as a countertenor / haute-contre (selection):
  • Cortez in "Montezuma" by C. H. Graun (first countertenor of the GDR on an opera stage)
  • Castor in "Castor and Pollux" by J. Ph. Rameau
  • Narbace in "Merope" by C. H. Graun
• Productions for record/CD, radio and TV (see discography)

Sound samples (MP3)

• Heinrich Schütz: "Paratum cor meum" (16 seconds, 121 KB)
• Joseph Bodin de Boismortier: Start of the cantata "Ixion" (18 seconds, 139 KB)
• Johann Sebastian Bach: "Der Held aus Juda siegt mit Macht" (St. John Passion) (16 seconds, 121 KB)
• Carl Orff: "Olim lacus colueram" (Live-Mitschnitt) (38 seconds, 289 KB)

Discography

Production	W. M.	Other Interprets	Label	Remarks
"Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott" - Music of the  reformation with works by Luther, Walter, Müntzer, de Févin, Forster, Othmayr, Desprez	Discantus, tenor in the plainchant schola	Capella Fidicinia, H. Grüß	Berlin Classics	2 CD
"Ein neues Lied wir heben an" - Music of the  reformation with works by Werken vonLuther, Walter, Creuziger, Puschmann, Senfl, Othmayr, Ducis, de Bruck	Discantus, tenor in the plainchant schola	Peter Schreier, Capella Fidicinia, H. Grüß	Berlin Classics
Claudio Monteverdi: Vespro della beata vergine	Altus und Tenor	Dresdner Kreuzchor, M. Flämig; Capella Fidicinia, H. Grüß	Berlin Classics	2 CD
Samuel Scheidt: Concertus Sacri (selection)	Discantus	Dresdner Kreuzchor, M. Flämig; Capella Fidicinia, H. Grüß	Berlin Classics
Heinrich Schütz: Schwanengesang	Discantus	Jochen Kowalski, Capella Sagittariana Dresden, D. Knothe	by that time Capriccio, today Berlin Classics	2 CD - world premiere recording of Schütz' opus ultimum
Cantatas of the elder Bachs' archive - Works by Georg Christoph Bach, Johann Christoph Bach und Johann Michael Bach	Alto in the ensemble	Capella Fidicinia, H. Grüß	Capriccio
"Eine Hausmusik bei Bach" / "Music in the Bach Household"	Alto in the soloists' quartet	Capella Fidicinia, H. Grüß	Capriccio
Heinrich Schütz: Symphoniae Sacrae I	Discantus	Peter Schreier, Capella Fidicinia, H. Grüß	by that time Capriccio, today not available (I hpoe not for long!)	2 CD
Ars Antiqua & Ars Nova		Musica Mensurata Berlin
Johann Hermann Schein: Fontana d'Israel	Alto-favorito	Dresdner Kreuzchor, M. Flämig; Capella Fidicinia, H. Grüß	Berlin Classics
J. S. Bach: Cantata 198	Alto (Aria "Wie stark die Heldin")	(Eisenacher Bach-Haus)
"Es tanzen die Englein" - Christmas music from several centuries		Divertimento Vocale
"Was wird es doch des Wunders noch" - German renaissance music		Divertimento Vocale, Ludus Venti Cologne
Joseph Bodin de Boismortier: Cantata "Ixion"	Haute-Contre	Instrumentalists directed by  Andreas Kröper	Koch
Polyphony of the gothic era		Musica Mensurata Berlin
Christmas music of the renaissance		Ludus Venti Cologne
Music for the Passion from renaissance and early baroque		Ludus Venti Köln
J. S. Bach: St. John Passion	Alto	Gioia della Musica,  A. Kröper	Allegro/Pickwick	2 CD - because Pickwick went bankrupt not available by now
Carl Orff: Carmina Burana (variant for pianos and percussion)	Tenor ("Olim lacus...")	Ölberg choir Berlin, I. Schulz	edited privatly

About Werner Marschall

• "World champion of the voix mixte" (Professor C. Grube, Master of the Berlin State- and Dome choir)
• "Extraordinary applause for the the countertenor Werner Marschall from Berlin ... the soloist mastered even the highest notes effortlessly..." (Süddeutsche Zeitung)
• "Brilliant solistic achievements, especially of the soloist Werner Marschall" (Wiesbadener Kurier about a performance of Monteverdi's "Vespro")
• "But the absolute highlight of this evening was the Contribution of the tenor Werner Marschall ... with ... a stilistic subtlety of the coloraturas. By this, Werner Marschall turned the works of Marini, Caccini, Frescobaldi und Monteverdi into gladdening preciousnesses." (Die Rheinpfalz)
• "The surprise ... is Werner Marschall as Ferdinand Cortes ..., a male voice reaching in the highest notes the alto and the soprano range ... His coloraturas succeed as played on a flute." (Panorama)
• "An ideal performance was provided by ... Werner Marschall with his very high countertenor voice which extends into the soprano range in the part of Cortez." (M. Schubert)
• "Enduring impressions mediated in the role of Castor the countertenor Werner Marschall, who filled the qualities of the music with an extraordinary intensity and ability of figuration." (Landshuter Zeitung about "Castor und Pollux" by Rameau)

... more to be translated ...

Contact

If you would like to contact Werner Marschall, click here.