Kristian Benedikt, dramatic tenor, is internationally recognized for his performances in renowned European theaters. He has distinguished himself as one of the leading international interpreters of Verdi's Otello, having sung this challenging role over 115 times. He has performed at theaters such as the Opera de Bellas Artes in Mexico, Teatro Filarmonico in Verona, Wiener Staatsoper, Bavarian State Opera in Munich, Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, among others.
His recent engagements include his debut as Samson at the MET (Samson et Dalila), Samson at Vilnius City Opera, André Chenier in Trieste, Calaf in Buenos Aires, Don Jose (Carmen), Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly), Cavaradossi (Tosca), Canio (Pagliacci), Herman (The Queen of Spades). Additionally, he awaits the release of his first CD by DELOS.
Among his recent highlights are the role of Samson at the Mariinsky Theatre with V. Gergiev and O. Borodina, at Vilnius City Opera; his debut at the Royal Covent Garden Opera in London as Canio (conducted by A. Pappano, directed by Ch. D. Micheletto). In the past two years, he has sung Otello at Wiener Staatsoper (conducted by M. Armiliato, directed by Ch. Mielitz), Hungarian National Opera, Al Bustan Festival (conducted by G. Marciano), Salzburg Easter Festival (with K. Thielemann), performed Samson in Torino Regio (conducted by P. Steinberg, directed by H. De Ana), Herman at Hungarian National Opera (conducted by B. Kocsar), debuted at the Macedonian National Opera as Calaf (production by G. Del Monaco), and also performed as Siegmund in Odense (conducted by A. Vedernikov), Otello at the Savonlinna Festival, and gave a gala concert at the Jurmala Festival.
In the 2017/18 season, he portrayed Don Jose at the Lithuanian National Opera, Cavaradossi in Llangollen (Wales), alongside B. Terfel and K. Opolais, Siegmund at the Odense New Opera House, Herman at the Bolshoi Theatre, and Eleazar in Konstanz. He can be heard in gala concerts in Copenhagen and Tbilisi, and performing Otello in Mexico (Bellas Artes), at the Verona Theater, Dresden, and the Plovdiv Festival (Bulgaria), and as Canio in Palanga and Georgia, Samson at Vilnius City Opera.
Among the highlights of previous seasons are Don Jose (Carmen), Cavaradossi (Tosca), Samson (Samson et Dalila), Calaf (Turandot), Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly), Canio (Pagliacci), as well as roles like Eleazar (La Juive), Manrico (Il Trovatore), Dick Johnson (La Fanciulla del West), Edgardo (Lucia di Lammermoor), the title roles in "Andrea Chenier," "Ernani," "Rienzi," "Lohengrin," and Hoffmann in "Les Contes d'Hoffmann." He has sung in theaters in Munich, St. Petersburg, Santiago de Chile, Mexico, Beijing, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Tallinn, Barcelona, Bergamo, Palermo, among others.
He began his career at the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre, where he interpreted over 20 different roles. Starting as a lyric tenor, he gained his first international experiences recording Ponchielli's "La Gioconda," conducted by Marcello Viotti, alongside Plácido Domingo, and in "Don Carlo" in Amsterdam, conducted by Riccardo Chailly. Later, he was invited to the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg and to most opera houses in the Baltic countries.
He has performed under the baton of conductors such as Antonio Pappano, Marco Armiliato, Marcello Viotti, Riccardo Chailly, Maurizio Barbacini, Paolo Carigniani, Asher Fisch, Renato Palumbo, Valery Gergiev, and others. In addition to opera performances, Benedikt is also an acclaimed concert singer, with notable performances in works such as Verdi's Requiem, Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde, and Rachmaninoff's The Bells. With his versatile talent and captivating stage presence, Kristian Benedikt continues to captivate audiences worldwide with his interpretations of Wagnerian characters and his impressive vocal range.
São Paulo, SP, Brazil
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