Biography
The baritone Richard Haan made his debut at the National Theatre in Prague on 3 March 1982, performing the role of Petr Vok (Jiří Pauer: Zuzana Vojířová) at the Smetana Theatre (today’s State Opera). He has since appeared as a permanent guest at Prague’s opera houses. His flagship roles at the State Opera Prague included the Dutchman (Der fliegende Holländer), Scarpia (Tosca), Iago (Otello), Amonasro (Aida), Rigoletto and Nabucco (a part he sang from 28 November 1993, the production’s premiere, to 29 October 2011 on 216 occasions, including during the company’s performances at the festival in Aspendos, Türkyie, and at the Stadttheater Fürth, Germany). Richard Haan took private voice lessons from René Tuček and Jitka Švábová, and he also studied with Ilia Yosifov within a residency at the International Vocal Studio in Sofia. His first engagement as a soloist was with the opera company in Ústí nad Labem, where he debuted as Escamillo (Bizet: Carmen). Subsequently, he was engaged in Olomouc, before joining the National Theatre in Brno, where he remained for almost two decades. He also spent several seasons with the Slovak National Theatre in Bratislava. He has appeared at numerous opera houses and concert venues in Europe (Vienna, Salzburg, Berlin, Leipzig, Hamburg, Paris, Madrid, Luxembourg, Gent, Amsterdam, Budapest, Palermo, Edinburgh, Monte Carlo, etc.), as well as in Israel, Venezuela, Japan and the USA. His repertoire encompasses over 120 baritone roles. His portrayal of Sebastian (Eugen d'Albert: Tiefland), at the National Theatre in Brno, earned him the prestigious Thalia Prize (2010).