Versatility is an essential characteristic of Felicitas Breest, who, having grown up in a family of musicians, was drawn to both theatre and singing as a child.
Her artistic path led her first to the stage of the theatre and after her first production engagements, among others at the theatre in Bremen, to the ensembles of the Staatstheater Meiningen, the theatre in Krefeld-Mönchengladbach and to tasks at the Deutsches Nationaltheater Weimar. Even then, she was always popular in musical productions, e.g. as Polly in Brecht’s “Threepenny Opera”, as Fantine in Schönberg’s “Les Misérables”, or as Janet in O’Brien’s “Rocky Horror Show”.
After working on her first own recitals and taking part in master classes with Prof. Cheryl Studer, she began to complement her previous theatre work in 2012 by studying singing with Prof. Studer in Würzburg. Since then she has been steadily building up her classical repertoire, which testifies to an unusual range of her vocal and musical abilities:
In 2010 she appeared at the Opernloft Hamburg both as the Queen of the Night and as Papagena in the local version of Mozart’s “Magic Flute”, and in 2014 at the Kammeroper Hamburg in the title role of Puccini’s “Turandot”(for children). In 2017 she sang parts of the role of Judith in Bartok’s “Duke Bluebeard” at the Halle Opera House. As part of a “Carmen” project based on Bizet’s opera of the same name, she embodied both the title role of Carmen and Micaela. Bel canto arias such as Casta Diva from Bellini’s “Norma” or verismo (Verdi, Puccini) are also part of her repertoire.
She also appears regularly in theme projects by the renowned film composer George Kochbeck, where she also convinces as a soul, jazz and blues voice. And she even has a programme of church music in her repertoire.
Her special love, however, is singing Lieder. In recent years, accompanied by the pianist Siegfried Gerlich, she has developed programmes in which she addresses a theme with all the artistic means at her disposal: Under the title “Der Welt abhanden gekommen” (Lost to the World), for example, she has performed compositions by Clara Schumann and Alma Mahler and their husbands Robert and Gustav (excerpts recorded on CD). The evening “Lenz auf Winterreise” in turn interlocks Schubert’s “Winterreise” and Büchner’s story “Lenz”, read by the actress Hannelore Hoger, in a chamber-musical manner.
This enormous versatility predestines Felicitas Breest, together with Masha Dimitrieva at the piano, to make Gordon Sherwood’s highly demanding song oeuvre known. The world premiere recording on the CD “Gordon Sherwood: The Complete Songs Vol. I” (Sonus Eterna 2019), received excellent reviews. The recording of the entirety of Sherwood’s songs will continue from 2020.
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