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Biography |
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A career which transcends the boundaries of the conventional genres of classical and popular music, television and theatre, entertainment and presenting: in many respects Björn Casapietra's career defies categorization, and this directly reflects the cultural polarity of his origins. His very famous mother, Celestina Casapietra, was not only the primadonna assoluta of what was once East Germany, but her unmistakable silvery high soprano and her charm meant that she was also an opera star in the West, performing at La Scala in Milan, in Chicago, at the Vienna State Opera, and in her unforgettable role in Zeffirelli's film version of 'Andre Chenier', where she sang Magdalena alongside Franco Corelli. Björn's famous father, the conductor and General Musical Director, Herbert Kegel, represented on the other hand the German Kapellmeister tradition: intellectual rigour and seriousness, precision and devotion to the nurturing of classical music. For fifteen years he led the Dresdner Philharmonic Orchestra, and before that he accompanied the Leipziger Rundfunk Choir on their journey to world fame. He made over 100 CD recordings including opera, oratorios and symphonies. To round off his profile he also made many 'modern classical music' recordings.<br>What would become of a youngster growing up in such a talented family environment? It is little wonder that after leaving school in 1986 Björn Casaspietra went through (and suffered from) several years of disorientation. First he wanted to be an illuminator or a businessman, then a music supplies dealer. Fortunately he was blessed with a talent for acting and a good operatic tenor voice. As is well known, the latter is a rare species, and so from 1993 Casapietra began training with the Milan singing teacher Ruggiero Orofino. <br>When in 1999 he took on the masked main role in the highly successful Hamburg musical 'Phantom of the Opera' he had already been a star for some time. His TV appearances to date range from the RTL soap 'Unter uns' (Amongst ourselves) to large-scale TV films such as 'Die Gefesselten' and 'Der Kopp'. He also made a guest appearance on the Harald Schmidt show. His debut as Alfredo in La Traviata in Milan and Monza was to follow, as well as an extensive number of concerts, including venues such as the Berlin Philharmonic, the Frauenkirche Dresden, the Deutsches Theater Munich, and the Theater des Westens Berlin. <br>In 2000 Björn Casapietra released his first solo album and this was so successful that it set the further course for his career. Music delighted him more than ever - not least as a result of the new focus to his artistic profile and his newly-found self-confidence. There were then further TV performances for the José Carreras Gala, and the Rampenlicht Studio guided him from the 'Zauberhaften Heimat' (Magical Native Land) to the 'Straße der Lieder' (Street of Songs) and on to other well-known musical productions. In 2001 Casapietra gave further concerts in Vienna, Innsbruck and Berlin. His non-stop career path also took him on to the 'Traumschiff' (Ship of Dreams) and even to the police show 'SoKo München'. The fact that in the same year he also had time to give a new look to a ZDF prime time series is indicative of his high work rate and record-breakingly busy schedule: in the title role of Georg Ritter in 'Nicht ohne meinen Anwalt' (Not without my lawyer) Björn Casapietra ultimately becomes a super star of sophisticated TV entertainment. <br>In 2002 he released his second CD entitled 'Silent Passion'. The songs, including a duet with Mama Celestina, were anything but 'silent'. They reveal a tenor at the top of his form, and evidence of new vocal potential which Casapietra will be able to develop even more over the next few years under the guidance of his professor in Milan and his mother. <br><br>From 2002 onwards Casapietra brought a breath of fresh air to the venerably dusty TV institution ZDF, where he hosted programmes focusing on the kaleidoscope of various musical styles and new locations. In 2003 his fans were able to share the experience of his presenting the ZDF Summer Night Music festival on Leipzig Marktplatz. However, they did have to wait another year before he took on his first major film role. Although it was filmed in 2003, the family adventure film entitled 'The Dagger of Batu Khan' did not appear at the cinema until 2004.<br>In addition to the first DVD entitled 'Silent Passion - Across Europe' the year was also marked by a milestone in the family history: 'Passion in Italian' was celebrated by Casapietra in the course of an extensive live tour, with none other than his mother at his side - a very pleasant reunion for the audience after many years. The programme consisted of arias and duets (Rigoletto, Othello, Fedora, Madame Butterfly), and the climax of the tour was unquestionably the completely sold-out concert in the Leipzig Gewandhaus.<br>In 2005 another album was released, this being the result of several years work, meticulous repertoire research and exquisite musical fine-tuning. It is also the result of further in-depth vocal studies, for a great singer has never finished learning. A great voice always remains a 'work in progress', and must not only be nurtured but also further developed. This is also true for a career as a film star, and 2005 was the year in which Björn Casapietra stood in front of the cameras for an international film production in Scotland, co-starring with celebrities such as Jacqueline Bisset, Franco Nero and Sinead Cusack.<br>Björn's greatest ambition is and remains the operatic stage, and this is why in 2005 he<br>released a CD recording of operatic arias including works from 'Eugene Onegin', 'Faust', <br>'Romeo and Juliet', 'La Boheme', 'Madame Butterfly' and 'La Traviata'. |
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