Derek Welton returned to the stage as Der Wanderer in Siegfried in the Wagner Days at the Müpa Budapest in June 2026, following his withdrawal from Fidelio at the Opernhaus Zürich due to illness. His portrayal of the Wanderer there was also received enthusiastically by the press:

‘Derek Welton is the perfect choice to portray Wotan—a figure who has already lost his power, who contemplates rather than reigns, who wanders as a pilgrim instead of a god, and who seeks redemption.’ – Prae

‘Derek Welton is a Wanderer of noble restraint, capable of conveying the character’s tragic stature through measured means.’ — Le Salon Musical

‘Both of this year’s Wotans were excellent: the Australian Derek Welton, making his debut here as the Wanderer in Siegfried.’ — Magyar Kurír

His return to the Hamburg State Opera after 11 years as Wotan in Die Walküre was met with widespread acclaim. Reactions included:

‘Derek Welton’s rich, dark-toned Wotan is entirely convincing in his despair over his many self-created predicaments’ — Hamburger Abendblatt

‘With a deep, heroic baritone, perfect diction and a powerful stage presence, Derek Welton portrayed his role as the authoritarian father of the gods, as Fricka’s resigned and defeated husband, but also as the emotional, loving father of his favourite daughter, Brünnhilde, during the farewell scene, and with great power towards the end during the Magic Fire Music.’ — IOCO

‘Derek Welton mastered these enormous floods of text with impressive command; indeed, he did not merely master them but with perfect phrasing imbued them with the necessary depth.’ — Oper Aktuell

‘Wotan is sung by Derek Welton, who seems to have been handed a voice specifically designed for the role. It is warm and lyrical, but still has plenty of punch and crystal-clear diction. And when he really lets the sound fly, his overtones seem to float all the way up towards the ceiling and hang around there for a while.’ — Blogfløjten

‘Derek Welton is establishing himself as a leading bass-baritone for Wotan, with a sonorously robust voice sturdy enough to retain the strength for the farewell outburst ‘Leb wohl’ to ring gloriously with the unrestrained orchestra.’ — Seen & Heard International

‘Derek Welton portrays Wotan with his marvellous voice, presence and charisma: his stage presence is compelling right from the start, thanks to his imposing stature alone. This father of the gods embodies every facet: he is a shaper of events, a man groveling before Fricka, a punisher, a lover, a man in despair. Derek Welton effortlessly covers the entire spectrum. Vocally, I experience a credible, flawlessly singing, noble, authoritative, emotional, loving father. How does he manage, after those powerful outbursts of rage at the end, to conjure up such a heartfelt, emotional farewell that one can scarcely hold back tears?’ — Klassik begeistert

An unexpected further Wagnerian event was Welton’s assumption of the title role of Der fliegende Holländer at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, taking over the vocal aspect of the role midway through the premiere. Once again he received recognition for this from a delighted press and public:

‘Derek Welton: with magnificently rounded voice, blossoming with hope’ — Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

‘The powerful-voiced Derek Welton sang from the side, for which he earned loud cheering’ — B.Z. Berlin

‘Derek Welton, who takes over the singing of the Dutchman brilliantly’ — Concerti

‘Derek Welton: rich and full of romantic warmth’ — Tagesspiegel

‘Derek Welton stood in superbly from the duet in the second act onwards’ — BR Klassik

‘Derek Welton was a first-class replacement, springing into action from the wings’ — Neue Musikzeitung

‘Derek Welton impresses with powerful presence from the side of the stage’ — BachTrack

‘The excellent replacement Dutchman (Derek Welton had to take over for the indisposed Tomasz Konieczny in the middle of the performance)’ – Jüdische Allgemeine

‘Ovations for the last-minute substitute Derek Welton’ — Klassik.com

‘Derek Welton is able to give the Dutchman the dramatic impact he needs’ — Berliner Morgenpost

Derek also appeared in concert at the BBC Proms, singing Beethoven’s Symphony No 9, and with the Oslo Philharmonic, singing Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius. His next engagement, again showing his considerable versatility, is Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal.

Photograph © Bernd Lammer