Rainer Trost

Born: 1966 - Stuttgart, Germany

The German tenor, Rainer Trost, was a member of the Stuttgarter Hymnus-Chorknaben for ten years. From 1987 to 1991 he studied at the High School for Music in Munich, with Prof. Adalbert Kraus. Between 1991 and 1995, Rainer Trost was a member of the Niedersächsische Staatstheater in Hannover.

At the beginning of 1992, when he was only 26, Rainer Trost burst onto the international stage, singing performances of Ferrando in the new production of Cosi fan Tutte at the Hamburg State Opera. Immediately after his Hamburg début, he took part in a three month tour with the Monteverdi Choir & Orchestra (John Eliot Gardiner) in Lisbon, Amsterdam, Ludwigsburg, Ferrara and Paris, in further performances of Cosi fan Tutte. The final performances were recorded live by Deutsche Grammophon for CD and also for television and video by Cameras Continentales.

Invitations to all the leading European opera houses soon followed and over the following years Rainer Trost's career began increasingly to gravitate around the axis Vienna-Salzburg-Munich, gradually establishing him among the leading Mozart tenors of his generation. In early 1993, he sang performances of Ferrando in another new production of Cosi fan tutte, this time at the Cuvilliestheater in Munich and in the summer of 1993, repeated the role in further performances at the Munich Opera Festival. In July 1993, he sang the role of Don Ottavio at the Semper Oper in Dresden, in a new production of Don Giovanni by Willy Decker. Another important miletone during the 1992-1993 season for Trost was his highly-successful debut, as Don Ottavio, at the Vienna State Opera. In the 1993-1994 season, Rainer Trost sang Tamino in the Geneva production of Die Zauberflöte. In the same season, he also sang guest performances in Dresden and Munich and, in the 1994-1995 season, performed the roles of Tamino and Ferrando at the Hamburg State Opera. In the autumn of 1994 Rainer Trost sang performances of Die Zauberflöte at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and in the summer of 1995 he made his début in the role of Eginhard in Schubert's Fierrabras at the Maggio Musicale in Florence.

On the concert platform during 1994-1995, Rainer Trost appeared with the Monteverdi Choir & Orchestra (Mozart's Mass in C Minor); the Hamburg Philharmonic (Die Schöpfung); Norddeutscher Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra (Bach's Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248)); Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (St. Matthew Passion (BWV 244)); Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra (Die Schöpfung). At the beginning of the 1995-1996 season, he sang Tamino, in a new production of Die Zauberflöte by Andreas Homoki at the Cologne Opera and he made his début at the Opera National in Paris in the role of Ferrando in Cosi fan tutte at the Paris Opera National de Paris. A new production of Idomeneo (produced by Andreas Homoki), Don Giovanni and Cosi fan tutte at the Munich State Opera, Die Zauberflöte at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and at the Hamburg State Opera and Don Giovanni at the Dresden State Opera.

In the 1996-1997 season Rainer Trost sang performances of Don Giovanni and Die Entführung aus dem Serail at the Hamburg State Opera, further performances of Idomeneo, Cosi fan tutte and Die Zauberflöte in Munich, Don Giovanni for the Netherlands Opera in Amsterdam and he made his long-awaited début at The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden as Ferrando in Cosi fan tutte. During the 1997-1998 season, Rainer Trosts' engagements included performances of Die Zauberflöte, Don Giovanni and Entführung at the Vienna State Opera, Don Giovanni and Zauberflöte at the Hamburg State Opera, Cosi fan tutte in London and Munich and the world premiere of Mannfred Trojahn's Was ihr wollt at the Munich State Opera. In the summer of 1998 Trost sang the role of Kudrjasch in a new production of Katja Kabanowa at the Salzburg Festival. In the 1998-1999 season, Trost returned to Munich (Was ihr wollt), Vienna (Entführung, Don Giovanni, Zauberflöte), Dresden (Zauberflöte), Hamburg (Don Giovanni), Paris (Die Zauberflöte, Don Giovanni), concert performances of Tristan und Isolde with the Berlin Philharmonic (Claudio Abbado). In the 1999-2000 season, performances include Zauberflöte and Fidelio in Munich, Cosi fan tutte at the Salzburg Festival (with Claudio Abbado) and at the Grand Théâtre in Geneva, Katja Kabanowa for the Netherlands Opera and concert performances of Die schöne Müllerin for the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Vienna and Mozart's Mass in C-Minor at the Salzburg Easter Festival.

So far, plans for 2000-2001 include performances of Don Giovanni, Zauberflöte, Cosi fan tutte, Fidelio and a new production of Falstaff in Munich, Entführung and Zauberflöte at the Vienna State Opera, the revival of Cosi fan tutte in Salzburg, a new production of Henze's Boulevard Solitude at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Die Zauberflöte in La Coruna, and concert performances of Tristan und Isolde with the company of the Salzburg Easter Festival on a guest visit to Japan and Beethoven's Missa Solemnis with the Tonhalle Orchestra of Zürich, a Schumann concert with the Bayrische Rundfunk. In 2001-2002 and beyond, Trost's plans include further performances of Falstaff, Cosi fan tute, Vom Pagen und der Königstochter and Fidelio with the Bavarian State Opera (the latter being on tour in Japan with the company) Katja Kabanowa in Brussels and Barcelona, Don Giovanni at Covent Garden and Barcelona, Die Entführung aus dem Serail in Florence, Die Zauberflöte, Cosi fan tutte, Don Giovanni and Falstaff at the Vienna State Opera and the revival of Cosi fan tutte, Beethoven's Choral Fantasy and Fidelio (including a recording for EMI) at the Salzburg Festival. In addition Trost will be singing Beethoven IX in Berlin and Vienna, Britten's Serenade for Tenor, Horn and String for the Hamburger Ballet, Capriccio in la Cagliari, La Clemenzo di Titto for the Semper Oper, Lobgesang with the Berlin Philharmonic, Cosi fan tutte in Barcelona and Don Giovanni for the Metropolitan Opera.

To date, Rainer Trost has also sung from his current Mozart repertoire (Tamino, Ferrando, Belmonte, Don Ottavio, Idamantes, Tito) in: Covent Garden, The MET, Operá Bastille, Operá Garnier, Semperoper Dresden, Het Muziekteater Amsterdam, Deutsche Oper Berlin and the maggio musicale in Florenz.

Rainer Trost's future engagements include not only Mozart in Vienna and Munich; but also Alfonso in Schubert's Alfonso and Estrella in Cagliari; Fenton in Munich and in a new production at the Vienna Stateopera. As well as his premiers as Capriccio (Flamand) in Paris, Idomeneo in Tokyo, Meistersinger (David) in Toulouse and the operette Der Graf von Luxembourg at the ‘Theater an der Wien'.

Rainer Trost is an established concert and recital singer, and appears in the world's leading concert halls, with the major orchestras and conductors of our time.

Additionally, he has recorded for DGG and EMI: Cosi fan tutte, Die Lustige Witwe, Fidelio.