“Norbert Ernst shone brightly as the fire demi-god Loge in his Met debut. His shimmering tenor perfectly suited the character’s vibrant disposition, and his physicality added depth to the role.” — OperaWire
Current and recent engagements include Loge Das Rheingold in the new production of Der Ring des Nibelungen and Shuysky Boris Godunov at Teatro alla Scala, the title role in Tannhäuser at the Royal Ballet and Opera (Covent Garden), Ein Tanzmeister Ariadne auf Naxos, and Paul Die tote Stadt at Wiener Staatsoper, Erik Der fliegende Holländer at Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Tristan Tristan und Isolde with Slovenská filharmónia, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Prague Philharmonia, and Gurre-Lieder at the Teatro alla Scala.
In earlier seasons, he appeared as Tristan Tristan und Isolde at Wiener Kammeroper, Siegmund Die Walküre at Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in Valencia, Lohengrin at Opéra de Marseille and Opéra National de Montpellier, and Florestan Fidelio at the St. Galler Festspiele.
Renowned for his interpretation of Loge Das Rheingold, Norbert Ernst has sung the role at leading houses including the Wiener Staatsoper, Opéra national de Paris, Bayerische Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper am Rhein, The Metropolitan Opera, and the Bayreuther Festspiele.
His discography includes the solo album Live no God (Decca), featuring arias by Beethoven, Weber, and Wagner, and the Lieder album Wohl fühl ich wie das Leben rinnt (Gramola), recorded with pianist Kristin Okerlund. Numerous DVD releases from the Vienna State Opera, Gran Teatre del Liceu, Theater St. Gallen, and the Bayreuther Festspiele and Salzburger Festspiele document the breadth of his operatic work.
He has performed in concert and recital at leading venues including the Musikverein Wien, Carnegie Hall, Philharmonie de Paris, Suntory Hall and Bunka Kaikan Tokyo, Brucknerhaus Linz, Philharmonie am Gasteig Munich, Philharmonie Berlin, and the Concertgebouw Amsterdam.
Norbert Ernst has collaborated with conductors such as Franz Welser-Möst, Christian Thielemann, Kirill Petrenko, Philippe Jordan, Semyon Bychkov, Peter Schneider, Bertrand de Billy, Simone Young, Pierre Boulez, and Kent Nagano.