Daniel Barenboim was a staunch supporter of René Pape from the very beginning as Artistic Director in Berlin and invited him to sing roles such as King Marke in Tristan und Isolde, King Heinrich in Lohengrin, Sarastro in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Pogner in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Rocco in Beethoven’s Fidelio, Fasolt in Das Rheingold, Hunding in Die Walküre, and the title role in Don Giovanni at the Staatsoper. Pape was also seen in Berlin as Ramfis in Verdi’s Aida, Figaro in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, Leporello in Don Giovanni, and Orest in Strauss’ Elektra. In 2006, he expanded his repertoire with the title role in Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov, which earned him the Quarterly Prize of the German Record Critics.

Regarding his portrayal of Boris in New York, Anthony Tommasini of The New York Times wrote: “With his impressive stature and unpretentious aura, Pape looks regal and imposing. Yet with his vacant gaze, gaunt facial expression, stringy long hair, and lumbering gait, he appears, fitting for the role, as a broken man plagued by doubt and guilt. Pape possesses the charismatic voice with its dark and penetrating tone that is perfect for the part… His articulation is clear; Pape gives the words deep meaning in every language.”

Highlights of the 2019–20 season included Don Carlo and Parsifal at the Vienna State Opera, Don Carlo and Boris Godunov at the Opéra national de Paris, Tristan und Isolde at the Staatstheater Wiesbaden, Die Lustigen Weiber von Windsor, Die Zauberflöte, and the New Year’s concerts featuring Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony at the Berlin State Opera.

He also gave song recitals with Camillo Radicke at the Graz Musikverein and the Vienna State Opera, where he additionally performed at the awarding of the European Culture Prize Pro Europa.

Highlights of the 2018/2019 season included Tristan und Isolde at the Opéra national de Paris, Elektra, Die Zauberflöte, and Parsifal at the Vienna State Opera, Fidelio, Elektra, Die Zauberflöte, Macbeth, and Tristan und Isolde at the Berlin State Opera, a new production of Thamos in Salzburg, and Parsifal at the Bavarian State Opera.

In 2011, Pape made his song recital debut in Los Angeles, about which Mark Swed of the Los Angeles Times wrote: “Vocally, Pape is a consummate singer. His lows vibrate with a convincing buzz, his highs have the gentleness of a baritone. He makes no fuss. Wolf’s Michelangelo Lieder achieved near-operatic passion; they are exemplary in expressing inconsolable soul torment. Pape ended the first half with Schubert’s Prometheus, in which Goethe describes the desperate poet’s cry against the god Zeus. I wouldn’t want to be the Zeus challenged by Pape.”

In 2009, Pape wrote an important chapter in his career with a sold-out song recital at Carnegie Hall in New York. He had selected German-language songs for the evening, and the reviews overflowed with praise. He was also part of the final performances of Otto Schenk’s legendary Ring production from the 1980s at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

René Pape released his first solo album Gods, Kings & Demons in 2008 on Deutsche Grammophon with his hometown orchestra, the Staatskapelle Dresden, conducted by Sebastian Weigle. The CD earned him an ECHO Award.

As early as 2004, Pape began recording for DG when his childhood friend, the composer Torsten Rasch, asked him to interpret the song cycle Mein Herz brennt, based on songs by the rock group Rammstein. In addition, Pape appears on numerous opera recordings, many also on DVD, such as Die Zauberflöte with Claudio Abbado for DG; Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde (Marke) with Plácido Domingo for EMI Classics; or the Verdi Requiem with Rolando Villazón, also for EMI Classics. In 2010, the Mariinsky Theatre label in St. Petersburg released Valery Gergiev’s first Wagner recording, Parsifal, with Pape as Gurnemanz.

Pape made his debut at the Bayreuth Festival in 1994 as Fasolt in Das Rheingold, in 1997 at the Royal Opera Covent Garden in London as King Heinrich in Lohengrin, in 1998 at the Opéra national de Paris as King Marke in Tristan, and in 1999 at the Chicago Lyric Opera as Pogner in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. He also performed at the Orange Festival, in Glyndebourne, at Avery Fisher Hall in New York, and on tour in Japan with the Metropolitan Opera. In 2004, he was among the interpreters selected by James Levine for the “Schubertiade” at Carnegie Hall.

Pape began his musical education in the Dresdner Kreuzchor and studied at the Dresden University of Music. His first international recognition came in 1995 with Sir Georg Solti’s invitation to the Salzburg Festival to sing Sarastro. Musical America named him Singer of the Year in 2001, and in 2006 he was one of the five most honored opera stars at the Opera News Awards.

For decades, René Pape has collected rubber ducks. In 2017, he released a limited-edition collection of “PapeDucks” modeled after himself.