RÚNI BRATTABERG, BASS
About Rúni
Rúni Brattaberg is an internationally renowned Wagner singer. The bass originates from the Faroe Islands and has gained worldwide recognition, especially for his performances in the dramatic repertoire of Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss.
Baron Ochs at the Metropolitan Opera
Rúni Brattaberg achieved his international breakthrough in the role of Baron Ochs at the Metropolitan Opera in New York under the direction of Edward Gardner. He participated in a total of eight productions, including at the Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam under the direction of Sir Simon Rattle.
Showreels from Der Rosenkavalier as Baron Ochs
Hagen, Hunding, Fasolt, and Fafner
A major focus of his work is the bass roles in Richard Wagner’s “Ring Cycle.” He has participated in Ring productions in Kassel, Leipzig, and Mannheim, sang the role of Hagen at Müpa in Budapest in 2016, and appeared as Hunding in “Die Walküre” at Teatro San Carlo in Naples in 2019. In 2022, Rúni Brattaberg once again impressed as Fafner in “Das Rheingold” and “Siegfried,” as well as Hagen in “Götterdämmerung” in the Ring Cycle production by the Dresden Philharmonic under the baton of Marek Janowski.
Ring Cycle Helsinki 2024
International Career
In the course of his international performances, he has portrayed roles such as Sarastro, Osmin, Commendatore, Padre Guardiano, Il Grande Inquisitore, and Sparafucile, and has appeared at venues such as the Opéra national de Paris, the Hamburg State Opera, the Bavarian State Opera, the Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam, La Monnaie in Brussels, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the Opéra de Lausanne, among many others.
Role Debuts in Lübeck
With his Wagner repertoire as a background, Rúni Brattaberg has accepted a permanent contract at Theater Lübeck to work on new repertoire. He made his debuts as Vodník in Rusalka, Orest in Elektra, Archibaldo in Italo Montemezzi’s L’amore dei tre re, Méphistophélès in Gounod’s Faust, Fiesco in Simone Boccanegra, and Gremin in Eugene Onegin. Rúni Brattaberg’s interpretation of Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro particularly benefits from his experience as the humorous Baron Ochs and the formidable Hagen.
Future Engagements
JAPAN 2025, JULY – AUGUST
Hyogo Performing Arts Centre, Daland in The Flying Dutchman
DENMARK 2025, JUNE & AUGUST
Den Ny Opera, Esbjerg, Hagen in Götterdämmerung
LÜBECK 2025, DECEMBER – FEBRUARY
Theater Lübeck, König Marke in Tristan und Isolde
2024 - 2025
GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG – WAGNER – HAGEN
Finnish National Opera May 17 – June 4, 2024
LE NOZZE DI FIGARO – MOZART – BARTOLO
Theater Lübeck March 24 – May 31, 2024
ELEKTRA – STRAUSS – OREST
Theater Lübeck January 27 – April 12, 2024
FAUST – GOUNOD – MÉPHISTOPHÉLÈS
Theater Lübeck November 17, 2023 – May 09, 2023/24
Press Reviews
“Another great personality on stage is Rúni Brattaberg. His powerful deep bass, his strong physique, and his almost threatening stage presence make him an ideal cast for the two villains in these works, Hunding and Hagen.”
Andreas H. Hölscher, Opernnetz
“Especially King Marke, the big bass, when he stepped on stage to sing his first line, you could have heard a pin drop. It was incredible how he commanded the stage, you felt: this was a man, who understood the role, who understood the temperament, that was required. He brought the so-called ‘regalness’ to it, and had the power with his voice to back it up. His diction was the best, and he was very clearly in full ownership of this role.”
Uwe Grodd for Radio NZ Concert
“Rúni Brattaberg thrilled with true basso profondo tones as Titurel — his voice emanating from high up in the Met ceiling.”
Eli Jacobsen, GC News, Metropolitan Opera House New York