PRESS
DRESDNER PHILHARMONIE, Kulturpalast, conductor Jonathan Stockhammer
THEMENTAGE DEUTSCHE EINHEIT
"Der emphatic Bariton Robert Koller, ...a weekend, which was a milestone..."
FAZ, 6.10.2021
JENA PHILHARMONIC
Honegger, Danse des Morts
Highlight in the music life of Jena
"With warmth and lyrical power bass-baritone Robert Koller gave strong expression to the „human voice“ in the Lamento. It was a highlight of this symphonic concert, when he added his large solo to the course oft the oratorio."
https://www.jenaer-philharmonie.de/kritiken/sternstunde-im-jenaer-musikleben.html
MENDELSSOHN, ELIAS
KULTURCASINO BERN
With long breath
"The quality of the musical gradations is also beautifully evident in the silent passages... the words of Elias „I journey hence to the wilderness“ resound in a breath-taking pianissimo."
Berner Zeitung, 26.12.2019
ALTE OPER FRANKFURT
ENSEMBLE MODERN, EMILIO POMARICO
Goldberg-Variationen Musikfest
"Heinz Holliger had an outstanding ensemble for his piece: The Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart and the profound baritone Robert Koller who already sang in the opera in Frankfurt. The baritone emerges from the depth strongly."
Frankfurter Neue Presse
ZELLERBACH HALL, SAN FRANCISCO
LAEISZHALLE, HAMBURG
ANDREA MARCON
** HAENDEL "Siroe"**
"Swiss bass Robert Koller, as King Cosroe, looked and sounded very regal indeed, especially in his show-stopping lament, 'Gelido, in ogni vena'...."
Michael McDonagh, culturevulture.com
"Far piangere cantando... is precisely what the five prime soloists have managed to do when bringing Georg Friedrich Haendel's nearly forgotten opera 'Siroe, Rè di Persia' back to life with their concert performance last Sunday at the Musikhalle. The character of Siroe's father Cosroe lent Robert Koller his eloquent bass-baritone..."
Peter Krause, Die Welt
SEMPEROPER DRESDEN
"...'El Cimarron' .. is about a maltreated and punished black man from the Cuban sugar plantations, who, through an impressive text by Hans Magnus Enzensberger, discovers his inner self. Impressive, not least, thanks to the Swiss baritone Robert Koller's intense vocal incorporation of the title role."
Peter Hagmann, Neue Zürcher Zeitung
PUCCINI, MESSA DI GLORIA
ST. GALLEN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, TONHALLE ST. GALLEN
An rich italian piece of abundant sensuality. The tenor Nino Aurelio Gmünder and the bass Robert Koller are very convincing with their sensitive Belcanto-passages.
St. Galler Tagblatt, 26.11.18
MAX BRUCH, LEONIDAS
BASEL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
The high-carat cast also has a positive impact on the cantata "Leonidas" by Max Bruch: Here baritone Robert Koller rears up in the role of the warrior Leonidas before he dies the heroic death.
Basler Zeitung, 5/5/18
TONHALLE ZUERICH, HEINZ HOLLIGER
".. the Collegium Novum Zürich, the Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart and the baritone Robert Koller, directed by Heinz Holliger, delivered with subtle and artful precision which made for this impressive experience."
Felix Michel, Neue Zürcher Zeitung
BEETHOVEN 9th SYMPHONY
KULTURCASINO BERN
"For its 50th anniversary, the Bach Choir Bern enlightened the Casino with Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. 'Oh friends, not these sounds! But let us sing more pleasant and joyful ones', Robert Koller's powerful bass replied to the orchestra and ignited the choir of about 120 persons in his back."
Der Bund, 16/5/2017
TONHALLE ORCHESTER ZURICH, TONHALLE ZUERICH**
FELIX MENDELSSOHN "WALPURGISNACHT"
"(...) with an abundant sound the bass baritone Robert Koller in the final."
Herbert Büttiker, Der Landbote, 30.05.2016
LUCERNE FESTIVAL 2016
Opera "Die künstliche Mutter"
"Dr. Schöllkopf, in a superbe impersonation by the baritone Robert Koller (...)"
Simon Bordier, Luzerner Zeitung, 04.09.2016
"Dr. Schöllkopf (an outstanding performer, the baritone Robert Koller) remembers the myths of the Gotthard."
Jenny Berg, bz Basel, 05.09.2016
"(...) Robert Koller brilliant in the role of the suffering privat lecturer"
Elias Zimmermann, www.kulturteil.ch, 06.09.2016
"A grandios incorporation of Dr. Schöllkopf by the baritone Robert Koller."
Basler Zeitung, 19.10.2016
STYRIARTE GRAZ
JORDI SAVALL, Charpentier
"You don't listen to church music rarities on a top level every day. For this reason, we should thank the Styriarte, but especially Jordi Savall, for a great moment in this subject. The wonderfully gentle sound of the historical instruments and the six flawlessly soft, slender voices (angelic the sopranos Maria-Christina Kier, Judit Scherrer-Kleber and Adriana Fernandez; with the same perfection the gentlemen Cyril Auvity, Jean Francois Novelli and Robert Koller) were quite appropriate to express the loveliness of the mother of God, but in the texts of the Stabat Mater you could also sense the dark side of life. In this concert, everything was perfect, even the location - the church in Pöllau was partly responsible for a feeling like in heaven."
Jolanthe Heinz, kleine Zeitung
LUCERNE FESTIVAL, KKL
GEORG-FRIEDRICH HAAS "Nacht"
"magnificently played and sung by Michael Feyfar und Robert Koller... The audience thanked the artists with vigorous ovations for this great piece of theatre."
Christian Flury, bz
KLOSTERKONZERTE MAULBRONN
Bach and Mendelssohn, conducted by Benjamin Hartmann
"...the in every respect
convincing baritone Robert Koller..."
Dietmar Schnabel, Mühlacker Tagblatt, 27.9.2022
MUSIKFESTTAGE FRANKFURT
500 years Martin Luther
Celebrated: Howard Griffiths, GMD of the Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester, composer Siegfried Matthus, and the soloists Michaela Kaune and Robert Koller
"Robert Koller mastered the challenging part of Luther with powerful, comprehensible diction. He knew how to lend his figure the lyrical dedication as well as the confident attitude and the self-doubt. Michaela Kaune played the sensual wife Katharina von Bora very credibly."
MOZ, 6/3/2017, Peter Buske, http://www.moz.de/artikel-ansicht/dg/0/1/1557188
STADTCASINO BASEL
BACH "Kreuzstab" Cantata, BLOCH "Avodath Hakodesh"
".. Robert Koller's solo part is richly challenging. And he masters it with bravour. Outstanding are his remarkable vocal range and his refined skills of powering his well-guided bass-baritone to enormous intensification. For obvious reasons, the versatile singer doesn't lack national and international success. Strong and continuous ovation at the end."
Paul Schorno, bz
AUDI-SUMMER CONCERTS - AUDI-FORUM INGOLDSTADT
ZDF theaterkanal
World premiere of a climate opera
"... The expressive baritone Robert Koller, lead performer of the evening, smoothly transitioned between roles, from impersonating the character of the Egg Musher to the Mayor of Dawson City..."
ddp correspondent Georg Etscheit
19. ITTINGER PFINGSTTAGE
HEINZ HOLLIGER
"....the Ensemble der Ittinger Pfingstkonzerte, an assembly of soloists and string quartets forming this string orchestra under Hollinger's direction, were the highlights... Interesting encounters of the "Elegy" for baritone (Robert Koller), string orchestra and harp (Ursula Holliger) by Sándor Veress to poems by Walther von der Vogelweide.."
Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Walter Zimmerlin
ORCHESTRE DES PAYS DE SAVOYE
LYON, GRENOBLE, ANNECY
ULLMANN "Kaiser von Atlantis"
"... The six artists perform their Danse Macabre in the dark stage space designed by Mirella Weingarten.. It's quite rare that a vocal performance satisfies to such an extent.. the bass Robert Koller nuances his 'Death on strike' with an ample and always well-led voice and geniously juxtaposes it with the irresistible counterfeit of his other on-stage-character 'the Loudspeaker' - to laugh your heads off!"
Bertrand Bolognesi, www.operabase.com
STADTCASINO BASEL, BRAHMS REQUIEM
Impressive requiem by Brahms - those soloists are ready to take on the bigger parts
".. Robert Koller's baritone effortlessly reaches profound bass notes as well as skillfully climbing to deliver heroic tenoral heights: a full and mature voice with character and expressive performance quality."
Paul Schorno, bz
BRANDENBURGISCHES STAATSORCHESTER
A. Felder, "Delaram" under Szolt Hamar
"Robert Koller, the baritone in the premiere on February 13th, 2015, filled this big gesture with his robust warm voice in an admirable way. And when the soloist even conjures the 'intoxication with love' at the grave and the music starts to circulate ecstatically, his figure on the podium seemed to be of an operatic vitality."
Schweizer Musikzeitung, 5/3/2015
28. DAVOS FESTIVAL
" ...'a valediction', six (exorbiantly difficult) songs for baritone and piano to texts by John Donne form the finale. Fabulous how Robert Koller and Zweginstow manage to give colour to the amber of this music unlike anything one ever seems to have heard before.."
Alfred Zimmerlin, Neue Zürcher Zeitung
BAYRISCHER RUNDFUNK (BR)
"El Cimarron"
Intensive experience
"Because of his acting abilities and his intensive engagement, one doesn't perceive him as 'narrator' but sees the 'Cimarrón'... The brutality of slavery has rarely been pictured as drastically as with the heavy chain that Koller smashes on the table again and again, the hypocrisy of the Cuban clergy has barely been aped as maliciously as in the pictures of this recital. Only masters of their subject can also carry out Henze's ideas: The baritone needs a vocal range of several octaves and has to be capable of overtones and chanting."
Nürnberger Nachrichten, Cora Uitting, 21/10/2016
RUHRTRIENNALE 2010
STADTCASINO BASEL
BERND ALOIS ZIMMERMANN, basel sinfonietta
"The basel sinfonietta's grand concert is a reminder of our own transiency... to the sounds of the orchestra, the outstanding bass singer Robert Koller and the speakers Helmuth Vogel and Peter Schweiger produce an implacable dialogue between the voice of the Preacher and the harshness of the Inquisitor. Parting from life is horrendous but can be magnificent at the same time. Overwhelming. .."
Nikolaus Cybinski, bz
MAURICIO KAGEL IN BASEL
".....His fantastic stage presence landed the young singer Robert Koller a sensational success in 'Phonophonie' by M. Kagel..."
Stefan Häussler, Dissonanz
MAURICIO KAGEL, Fax from 23.3.2007
"In January 2007 I had the chance to attend a stage production of my piece 'Phonophonie' at the cultural centre 'Gare du Nord' in Basel, Switzerland. I was seriously impressed by the performance of the baritone Robert Koller. He is a highly gifted artist, not only as a singer but also when it comes to his stage presence. Jürg Henneberger, who was in charge of the musical direction, demonstrated his accuracy and experience in the mis-en-scene of this score.
I can recommend both artists with enthusiasm and without hesitation to be cast in any future performances of 'Phonophonie'."
Mauricio Kagel