Paul Esswood

Last updated

Paul Esswood
Born (1942-06-06) 6 June 1942 (age 82)
Education Royal College of Music
Occupations
Website www.esswood.co.uk

Paul Lawrence Vincent Esswood (born 6 June 1942) is an English countertenor and conductor. He is best known for his performance of Bach cantatas and the operas of Handel and Monteverdi. Along with his countrymen Alfred Deller and James Bowman, he led the revival of countertenor singing in modern times.

Contents

Life and career

Esswood was born in West Bridgford, England. He studied at the Royal College of Music in London from 1961 to 1964 after which he sang in the choir of Westminster Abbey. His professional debut was in a performance of Handel's Messiah for Angel Records, conducted by Charles Mackerras (1967).

Esswood has participated in over 150 recordings, including the alto parts of many Bach cantatas in the complete Teldec series by conductors Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Gustav Leonhardt. He has recorded Messiah four times, as well as extended works by Henry Purcell, Claudio Monteverdi, Francesco Cavalli, Marc-Antoine Charpentier and others. Among the roles in contemporary works written for Esswood are the title role in Akhnaten by Philip Glass and Death in Penderecki's Paradise Lost . He also sang in the premiere of Schnittke's Second Symphony.

Paul Esswood is a co-founder of Pro Cantione Antiqua, an all-male a cappella group specializing in early music. He has also established a reputation as a conductor of Baroque opera. [1] In particular, Esswood has worked extensively in Poland as both a conductor and teacher. [2] In Krakow he has conducted Capella Cracoviensis in works such as Purcell's The Fairy Queen and Vivaldi's Gloria , while in Bydgoszcz he has conducted the Capella Bydgostiensis in works including Handel's Messiah. Other positions Esswood has held in the country include Visiting Professor of Baroque Vocal Music at the Academy of Music in Gdańsk and Chief Conductor of the Polish Orchestra of the XVIII Century.

In 2020 he conducted Lully's Armide for the Warsaw Chamber Opera. [3] In 2023 he helped to inaugurate the Poznań Grand Theatre's artistic season by conducting Handel's Jephtha . [4]

Recordings

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nikolaus Harnoncourt</span> Austrian conductor (1929–2016)

Johann Nikolaus Harnoncourt was an Austrian conductor, known for his historically informed performances. He specialized in music of the Baroque period, but later extended his repertoire to include Classical and early Romantic works. Among his best known recordings are those of Bach, whose 193 cantatas he recorded with Gustav Leonhardt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">René Jacobs</span> Belgian musician (born 1946)

René Jacobs is a Belgian musician. He came to fame as a countertenor, but later in his career he became known as a conductor of baroque and classical opera.

Carolyn Watkinson is an English mezzo-soprano, specialising in baroque music. Her voice is alternately characterized as mezzo-soprano and contralto.

Dominique Visse is a French countertenor and founder of the Ensemble Clément Janequin.

Concentus Musicus Wien (CMW) is an Austrian baroque music ensemble based in Vienna. The CMW is recognized as a pioneer of the period-instrument performance movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Les Arts Florissants (ensemble)</span> French musical ensemble

Les Arts Florissants is a Baroque musical ensemble in residence at the Théâtre de Caen in Caen, France. The organization was founded by conductor William Christie in 1979. The ensemble derives its name from the 1685 opera Les Arts florissants by Marc-Antoine Charpentier. The organization consists of a chamber orchestra of period instruments and a small vocal ensemble. Current notable members include soprano Danielle de Niese and tenor Paul Agnew, who has served as assistant conductor since 2007. Jonathan Cohen is also on the conducting staff; Christie remains the organization's artistic director.

Daniel John Taylor, is a Canadian countertenor, conductor and early music specialist. Taylor directs the Trinity Choir, the Theatre of Early Music and is Professor of Opera, Voice and Early Music at the University of Toronto.

Robin Blaze is a British countertenor.

The Arnold Schoenberg Choir is a Viennese/Austrian choir which was founded 1972 by Erwin Ortner, who is still its artistic director. The choir has a high reputation both among conductors and among critics and the musical scene in general. All members of the choir have broad experience and expertise in vocal music; most of them have graduated from or are currently studying at the Vienna University of Music and Performing Arts. The choir is named after Viennese composer Arnold Schoenberg.

John Joseph Elwes, is an English tenor singer.

Howard Crook was an American lyric tenor who lived and worked in the Netherlands and France beginning in the early 1980s.

Charles Daniels is an English tenor, particularly noted for his performances of baroque music. He is a frequent soloist with The King's Consort, and has made over 25 recordings with the ensemble on the Hyperion label.

Agnès Mellon is a French soprano who specializes in baroque music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Max van Egmond</span>

Max van Egmond is a Dutch bass and baritone singer. He has focused on oratorio and Lied and is known for singing works of Johann Sebastian Bach. He was one of the pioneers of historically informed performance of Baroque and Renaissance music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kurt Equiluz</span> Austrian classical tenor (1929–2022)

Kurt Equiluz was an Austrian classical tenor. He was a member of the Vienna State Opera as a tenor buffo from 1957 until 1983, remembered for roles such as Pedrillo in Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail. He appeared regularly at the Salzburg Festival, including world premieres such as Rolf Liebermann's Penelope in 1954. He recorded works by Johann Sebastian Bach with conductors such as Michel Corboz, Helmuth Rilling and Charles de Wolff, and prominently as the Evangelist in the first recording of Bach's St John Passion on period instruments with the Concentus Musicus Wien in 1965, conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt.

Patrick Van Goethem is a Belgian countertenor, known for performing early music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Les Musiciens du Louvre</span>

Les Musiciens du Louvre is a French period instrument ensemble, formed in 1982. Originally based in Paris, since 1996 it has been based in the Couvent des Minimes in Grenoble. The Guardian considers it one of the best orchestras in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monteverdi-Chor Hamburg</span>

The Monteverdi-Chor Hamburg is a mixed choir in Hamburg, the chamber choir of the University of Hamburg since 1961. Founded in 1955 by Jürgen Jürgens and directed by him until 1994, it is one of Germany's most famous concert choirs. The choir is well known for its interpretations of Baroque and Renaissance music, but covers choral music from the Renaissance to contemporary music. Since 1994, the conductor has been Gothart Stier.

Oliver Widmer is a Swiss operatic bass-baritone whose international career has encompassed lieder, opera, and oratorio. In 1998 he created the role of Jäger in Heinz Holliger's opera Schneewittchen.

Kacper Filip Szelążek – Polish singer, countertenor.

References

  1. "Paul Esswood (Counter-tenor)" . Retrieved 21 December 2011.
  2. "Biography - Paul Esswood". The Musicke Companye. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  3. "Jean-Baptiste Lully - ARMIDE" . Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  4. "Director of the Grand Theatre in Poznań: The difficult season is about to start". Poland Daily 24. Retrieved 20 June 2023.