2016-08-30 featured press

Classique mais pas has been – Philippe Jaroussky : “Le public est plus exigeant” – Translation to English

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2016-08-30, Classique mais pas has been, by youkaalii

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* This is a fan translation; no infringement of copyright is intended, no profit is being made. Translation by GM*

Philippe Jaroussky: The public is more demanding

INTERVIEW – The countertenor opens the festival Musique en Côte-basque with arias from baroque Italian operas that made him a star. Always open to audacious projects, Philippe Jaroussky has told us about his next challenge.

This summer you had to cancel some concerts. What is it like to lose your voice?

PJ: I had a bronchitis, this happens to me every ten years. I have already experienced this at the beginning of my career when I had less experience and more stress. This time I stayed calmer, even calmer than my fans on Facebook who seemed to be very worried (laughs). I prefer the public to be disappointed because they could not hear me than because they did hear me. And I don’t want to be a slave of my voice, to keep a normal life… or nearly normal.

Does the countertenor voice still provoke strong reactions?

The countertenor voice shows a different aspect of the male sensitivity. It is a voice that always provokes strong reactions – fascination or rejection – because it is not “natural”. My success was a big surprise. Although even after my final exams I planned to have a career in music I did not expect to be so exposed. I notice that the reactions changed over time. Proof of this is the new generation of countertenors who are emerging at the moment. These young singers can dream more about a career. The time is very open; never before has so much baroque opera been sung. The experience of the public is richer; the public is still fascinated but also demands dramatic qualities.

Which programme are you going to perform at Musique en Côte-Basque?

I’m returning to my first love, to arias of the first operas, from Monteverdi to Steffani passing Cavalli. The pieces are from 1640 to 1680, forty years of an immense musical richness going from the comical to the warrior to laments. I am surrounded by twelve musicians, and we link together arias and instrumental pieces.

On 29th July at the BBC Proms in London you sang… David Bowie.

A beautiful experience! I sang “Always crashing in the same car” (scroll down for video) in a ethereal version, a little like film music, very far from the original. I accepted because I am fascinated by Bowie. He was androgynous but his voice wasn’t. He needed his unbelievable costumes but at the bottom he was not so exuberant. I find this appealing; singing countertenor is a form of eccentricity.

You like taking unexpected paths, like singing the mélodie françaises. Is this sensible?

It is very tiring to be sensible (laughs). And I am daredevil enough… I will soon sing Les Nuits d’Eté from Berlioz, the entire cycle! [a cycle of mélodies for tenor or mezzosoprano, the editor]. I will attract critics, I know, but there is an irrepressible desire. They have great phrases, parts that are on the lower-middle register of the voice; this demands a patina. I have to work on things that I don’t do often and paradoxically this gives me more ease in the baroque repertory. Each style demands a lot of preparation. When I have to sing a big opera by Mozart, I don’t start preparing two weeks before the event! For Bérlioz I have given myself a year before singing Les Nuits d’Eté on stage.

2016-08-28 featured press

Place de l’Opera – Jaroussky’s return to Utrecht is a big party – English Translation

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2016-08-29, Place d’Opera, original by Martin Toet
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* This is a fan translation; no infringement of copyright is intended, no profit is being made. Translation by RvO*

Jaroussky’s return to Utrecht is a big party

(Jaroussky’s retour in Utrecht is groot feest)

In seventeenth-century Italy, the roles of performer and composer were often united in one person. With unprecedented joyful and outside-the-box [the dutch as well as the German word “vogelvrij”/”vogelfrei” means “outlawed” as well as literally “free as a bird”] musicianship, Philippe Jaroussky and his ensemble Artaserse somewhat made these times come to life on Saturday at the Festival TivoliVredenburg. A memorable concert of a vocal superstar.

“Che città!” What a city! This Saturday, countertenor Philippe Jaroussky sang this almost as surprised as the errant page wandering through Fez in Cavalli’s L’Ormindo. The exasperated sigh could also hint at Venice, the theme of the Festival Old Music in Utrecht. Or at the Cathedral City itself… The overwhelming offer in numerous locations is hard to overlook, even for the true enthusiast. The bulky program book and the numerous helpful staff at the cozy Festival Center provide some help.

Ten years ago, Jaroussky surprised at the Utrecht festival with jazzy interpretations of Claudio Monteverdi’s madrigals. This time, with his own ensemble Artaserse, he performed music from the Italian “Seicento,” music from the seventeenth century at  the TivoliVredenburg, [a program] centered around the lively opera scene in Venice.

With the opening of the first commercial theatre in Venice in 1637, the young art form became full-fledged, shedding its ideological feathers. They were done with the sublime, Arcadian themes served for the nobles and humanists in Florence or Mantua. In Venice with its lagoons and islands, everything centered on the the mortal man, with all his passions and weaknesses, nowhere embodied better than in L’incoronazione di Poppea by Monteverdi. His pupil Francesco Cavalli continued the dramatic thread with a long series of successes.

From Poppea, Jaroussky sang “Oblivion soave,” a lullaby sung by the old nurse Arnalta – not in a light and comedic way, as it presumably was rendered in 1642, but with ear-caressing tenderness and unending sustained notes, dissolving in dying string sounds.

The theme of sleep dominated most slow numbers, such as Endimione’s night prayer to Diana in La Calisto, and – awakening from Amor’s grip – the one of the hero in Giasone. These two works by cavalli were right up Jaroussky’s street, but not because of his soporific singing! On the contrary, it is hypnotic how, seemingly effortless, his smooth golden sound ascends to heights that leave other countertenors gasping for breath. In every detail, Jaroussky showed his masterful interpretation of the text. With one word alone, “Fermate,” he aptly expressed Giasone’s overtired passion.

Exemplary phrasing and articulation also graced the big slumber scene from Giustino Legrenzi’s Giustino, a once wildly popular opera of the same name. Jaroussky went into the recitative with a fascinating dialogue with the viola da gamba of Christine Plubeau, a colleague of the first hour at [the ensemble] Artaserse. With twelve persons, the instrumental structure differed probably not so much from the “orchestra pit” in the Venetian theatres (the singers, at the time, used up most financial resources). But what richness of colours rose from this group of strings and the pluckers of harp, theorbo and guitar! Yoko Nakamura laid out a modest basis on the harpsichord and the organ, while two woodwinds with their (un)curved cornetti ensured color. Literally at the centre stood the playful percussionist Michèle Claude. Musical leader Jaroussky, during the instrumental intermezzi from, among others, Marco Uccellini, could watch the joy of playing with confidence.

Violinist Raul Orellana deserves a special mention for his rendition of the Sonata La cesta, by Pandolfi Mealli, composed in the “stylus phantasticus.” Fantastic indeed, these virtuosic but delicate antics, gradually supplemented by Plubeau in a typical Baroque lamento style on the gamba. The Sonata is a musical portrait of the composer Antonio Cesti, of whom Jaroussky performed a yearning plaint of love.

A diverse program indeed, but deliberately constructed with such a tight fit that applause had almost no chance. Of course, in between all the lamentations, there was also space for energetic fast paced numbers. After the break, Jaroussky’s coloraturas were  even smoother than before. Long live the surtitles, so that in Cavalli’s warlike “All’armi mio core,” it became clear how the strings and horns respectively symbolize whistling arrows and clattering weapons.

A pity that the translation was missing for the so expressively interpreted recitative of “Dal mio petto” from Agostino Steffani’s Niobe. Together with the intense lament from Luigi Rossi’s L’Orfeo, written shortly after the death of Rossi’s wife, this belonged to my personal highlights. Above all, that beautiful bridge passage to the da capo! In a powerful show of musicality, Jaroussky filled the relatively simple melodic lines with bold ornaments. Here blurred the border between composer and performer; each repeated phrase sounded like new and seemed to be improvised on the spot.

The enthusiasm of the audience knew no bounds, and was rewarded with three encores. Monteverdi’s immortal “Si dolce è’l tormento” I rarely ever heard worked out so subtly, in flawless interaction of singer, cornet player and violinist. As an official finale, Steffani’s ‘ Gelosia, lasciami in pace ‘ was already a swinging jam session, but in the reprise it was all brakes-off. Percussionist Claude stole the show and the exchange between her and a quasi-offended Jaroussky let everyone return home with a broad smile.

2016-08-28-featured-press

Journal21.ch – Weltklassisches in Gstaad

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2016-08-28, Journal21.ch, by Annettte Freitag

Es ist tief emotionale Musik, die jeden in der Seele berührt. Im wahrsten Sinne beglückt tritt man anschliessend in die laue Sommernacht hinaus, oben der weite Sternenhimmel, ringsum die schwarzen Bergumrisse und der Duft nach Heu und Sommer. […]

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2016-08-26 featured press article dutch

Utrecht Festival Program – Philippe Jaroussky keert terug naar Utrecht – English Translation

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* This is a fan translation; no infringement of copyright is intended, no profit is being made. *
2016-08-27, article in the online festival paper for the concert at the TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht, translation by RvO
Philippe Jaroussky returns to Utrecht
Apart from their Italian origin, names such as Cesti, Luigi Rossi, Uccellini, Steffani and Pandolfi Mealli, probably do not, or at least not quite, live up to the imagination. However, tonight, they will nest in your memory. That is, if you seat yourself in one of the 1717 chairs of the Grote Zaal, at 8 pm, at the TivoliVredenburg. None other than Philippe Jaroussky and his ensemble Artaserse will treat you to an opera program with Jaroussky’s personal favorites.
In a festival dedicated to Venice, the birthplace of commercial opera, the genre of course can not be overlooked. Since his last visit to Utrecht in 2006, Countertenor Philippe Jaroussky has become a true international star. He made a selection of his favorite 17th century operas of Cavalli and contemporaries. Jaroussky is looking forward to it:
“It is a musical-poetic journey through various stages of the development of the opera, without the feeling that you are listening the entire night to loose short pieces by different composers. With my ensemble I constantly experiment with the order, but also with the instrumentation that we choose for each fragment. 17th century music is so beautiful to colorize: here a theorbo, there a Baroque guitar, then a harpsichord. And we provide good dynamics, with enough variety: between slow and fast, between virtuoso and intimate, between understated and outspoken emotions.”
That Philippe Jaroussky owns his own instrumental ensemble also helps.
“These are people with whom I have been working for years, who understand why I make certain choices. A festival like this in Utrecht is the ideal place for this kind of thing to do. The public doesn’t only come to see Philippe Jaroussky, but also because it’s curious about the music by unknown composers. The operas of Cavalli start to become better known, but we can not emphasize enough how big the development of commercial opera was at the time. There is more and more interest in composers of the generation from after Monteverdi. And that is precisely the period in which there was a lot happening in Venice. The music for the general public provided big emotions. By putting different composers from that period next to each other, I would like to show this great development in my program.”
2016-08-27 featured press

Le Temps (CH) – Philippe Jaroussky et sa grâce étincelante

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2016-08-27, Le Temps, by Julian Sykes

Philippe Jaroussky et sa grâce étincelante

Le contre-ténor français a paru dans une forme éblouissante, jeudi soir au Gstaad Menuhin Festival. Il a chanté des airs d’opéra baroque avec l’Ensemble Artaserse …

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2016-08-06 featured press

Forum Opéra – Forum Opéra – Philippe Jaroussky, beau oui comme Bowie

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2016-08-06, Bachtrack, by Bernard Schreuders

L’arrangement du titre « Always Crashing in the Same Car » tiré de l’album Low (1977) que signait David Lang, avec accompagnement de harpe et de flûte alto, n’a pas convaincu le chroniqueur de la BBC, pour qui il ne fonctionne tout simplement pas, mais celui du Guardian salue l’audace de la démarche, qui réinvente entièrement la chanson, quand le journaliste du Telegraph confie avoir été surpris par la beauté du timbre et les sonorités chaudes de Philippe Jaroussky, non sans ajouter que David Bowie aurait certainement aimé cette réinterprétation pastorale de sa chanson. […]

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2016-08-01 featured press

Gramophone – The 2016 Gramophone Classical Music Awards Shortlist

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The 2016 Gramophone Classical Music Awards Shortlist
Gramophone Mon 1st August 2016
All is revealed: the top six recordings in each of the 12 categories as voted for by our esteemed panel of critics

The Gramophone Awards are the most prestigious in the world of classical music. Today, we are pleased to reveal the 72 shortlisted recordings that will be competing for honours in 2016.

This year, for the first time, there are two ways for you to enjoy the Gramophone Classical Music Awards Shortlist. Firstly, you can read and download our free digital magazine, which includes every review of every album, via the Gramophone app (for iPad and iPhone users) or the Exact Editions website. Alternatively, follow the links in the list below to read the original Gramophone reviews via the Reviews Database (for a limited time, you can read up to 10 reviews for free – subscribe for full access to the Reviews Database).

The top three recordings in each category will be revealed in the September issue, which goes on sale on August 12. Happy listening!

The Shortlist

Baroque Instrumental

‘Bach in Montecassino’ Luca Guglielmi (Vivat)

JS Bach Organ Works Masaaki Suzuki (BIS)

WF Bach Harpsichord Concertos Il Convito / Maude Gratton (Mirare)

Biber Rosary Sonatas Rachel Podger et al (Channel Classics)

Lawes The Royal Consort Phantasm (Linn)

Vivaldi Four Seasons etc Adrian Chandler / La Serenissima (Avie)

Baroque Vocal

JS Bach Magnificat in E flat etc Dunedin Consort / John Butt (Linn)

JS Bach Mass in B Minor Concerto Copenhagen (CPO)

JS Bach Mass in B minor Monteverdi Choir; EBS / Sir John Eliot Gardiner (SDG)

Handel Partenope Il Pomo d’oro / Riccardo Minasi (Erato)

Monteverdi Madrigali, Vol 1 – Cremona Les Arts Florissants / Paul Agnew (Les Arts Florissants)

‘Concert Royal de La Nuit’ Ensemble Correspondences / Sébastian Daucé (Harmonia Mundi)

Chamber

Beethoven Cello Sonatas Xavier Phillips; François-Frédéric Guy (Evidence Classics)

Berg Lyric Suite. Wellesz Sonnets Renée Fleming; Emerson Quartet (Decca)

Brahms Quartets Nos 1 & 3 Artemis Quartet (Erato)

Bruckner String Quintet. String Quartet Fitzwilliam Quartet; James Boyd (Linn)

Schubert String Quintet etc Quatuor Ebène; Gautier Capuçon (Erato)

Tippett String Quartets Heath Quartet (Wigmore Hall Live)

Choral

Beethoven Missa solemnis Soloists, BRSO & Chor / Bernard Haitink (BR-Klassik)

Bliss Morning Heroes etc BBC SO & Chorus / Sir Andrew Davis (Chandos)

Howells Collegium Regale etc Trinity College Choir, Cambridge / Stephen Layton (Hyperion)

Schoenberg Gurrelieder Gürzenich-Orchester Köln / Markus Stenz (Hyperion)

‘Amuse-Bouche’ I FagiolinI / Robert Hollingworth (Decca)

‘Poetry in Music’ The Sixteen / Harry Christophers (Coro)

Concerto

Bartók Violin Concerto No 1 Brahms Violin Concerto Janine Jansen; LSO, Santa Cecilia Orch / Sir Antonio Pappano (Decca)

Beethoven Piano Concerto No 3 Maria João Pires; Orchestra of the 18th Century / Frans Brüggen (NIFC)

Britten. Korngold Violin Concertos Vilde Frang; Frankfurt RSO / James Gaffigan (Warner Classics)

Dvořák Violin Concerto. Romance Suk Fantasy Christian Tetzlaff; Helsinki PO / John Storgårds (Ondine)

Martinů Rhapsody Concerto etc Maxim Rysanov; BBC Symphony Orchestra / Jiři Belohlávek (BIS)

Rachmaninov Variations Daniil Trifonov, Philadelphia / Yannick Nezet-Séguin (DG)

Contemporary

Abrahamsen let me tell you Barbara Hannigan; BRSO / Andris Nelsons (Winter & Winter)

Anderson In Liebliche Bläue, Alleluia etc LPO / Vladimir Jurowski (LPO)

Birtwistle Angel Fighter etc Soloists, London Sinfonietta / David Atherton (NMC)

Maxwell Davies. Panufnik Symphonies Nos 10 LSO /Sir Antonio Pappano (LSO Live)

Murail Le Partage des eaux, Contes cruels etc BBC SO, Netherlands Radio PO / Pierre-André Valade (Aeon)

Silvestrov To thee we sing Latvian Radio Choir / Sigvards Kļava (Ondine)

Early Music

Compère Magnificat, motets & chansons Orlando Consort (Hyperion)

Isaac Missa Misericordias Domini etc Cantica Symphonia / Giuseppe Maletto (Glossa)

Jacquet of Mantua Missa Surge Petre & Motets Brabant Ensemble / Stephen Rice (Hyperion)

Lantins Secular Works Le Miroir de Musique (Ricercar)

Taverner Western Wind Taverner Choir & Players / Andrew Parrott (Avie)

‘Scattered Ashes’ Magnificat / Philip Cave (Linn)

Instrumental

Bach. Beethoven. Rzewski Variations Igor Levit (Sony Classical)

Brahms Solo Piano, Vol 3 Jonathan Plowright (BIS)

Grieg Lyric Pieces Stephen Hough (Hyperion)

Ravel Complete Works for Solo Piano Bertrand Chamayou (Erato)

Scarlatti Sonatas Yevgeny Sudbin (BIS)

Ysaÿe Sonatas Alina Ibragimova (Hyperion)

Opera

Donizetti Les martyrs Sir Mark Elder (Opera Rara)

Leoncavallo Pagliacci Mascagni Cavalleria rusticana Christian Thielemann (Sony Classical)

Tchaikovsky The Queen of Spades Mariss Jansons (BR Klassik)

Verdi Aida Sir Antonio Pappano (Warner Classics)

Wagner Das Rheingold Sir Simon Rattle (BR-Klassik)

Zandonai Francesca da Rimini Fabrice Bollon (CPO)

Orchestral

Casella Orch Works, Vol 4 BBC PO / Gianandrea Noseda (Chandos)

Dutilleux Métaboles. Symphony No 2 etc Seattle SO / Ludovic Morlot (Seattle Symphony Media)

Elgar Symphony No 1 Staatskapelle Berlin / Daniel Barenboim (Decca)

Schubert Symphony No 9 Orchestra Mozart / Claudio Abbado (DG)

Shostakovich Symphony No 10 Boston SO / Andris Nelsons (DG)

Vaughan Williams Sea Symphony Hallé / Sir Mark Elder (Hallé)

Recital

‘Arie Napoletane’ Max Emanuel Cencic; Il Pomo D’Oro / Maxim Emelyanyachev (Decca)

‘Scene!’ Christiane Karg, Arcangelo / Jonathan Cohen (Berlin Classics)

Cavalli Heroines of the Venetian Baroque Mariana Flores, Cappella Mediterranea / Leonardo Garcia Alarcon (Ricercar)

Mozart & the Weber Sisters Sabine Devieilhe; Pygmalion / Raphäel Pichon (Erato)

‘Paris, mon amour!’ Sonya Yoncheva; Orquestra de la communicat Valenciana / Fréderic Chaslin (Sony Classical)

Puccini Album Jonas Kaufmann; Santa Cecilia Orch / Sir Antonio Pappano (Sony Classical)

Solo Vocal

‘Joyce & Tony’ Joyce DiDonato; Sir Antonio Pappano (Erato)

Beethoven Lieder und Bagatellen Werner Güra; Christoph Berner (Harmonia Mundi)

‘L’Heure Exquise’ Alice Coote; Graham Johnson (Hyperion)

Liszt. Shostakovich Michelangelo Songs Dmitri Hvorostovsky; Ivari Ilja (Ondine)

‘Musica e poesia’ Rosa Feola; Iain Burnside (Opus Arte)

‘Néère’ Véronique Gens; Susan Manoff (Alpha)

2016-07-23 featured press

Midi Libre – Nuits musicales d’Uzès : énorme succès du contre-ténor Philippe Jaroussky

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2016-07-23, Midi Libre, by n/a

 

Le retour de Philippe Jaroussky dans la cathédrale St Théodorit, lundi 18 juillet, pour l’ouverture du 46e festival des Nuits musicales, était assuré d’un énorme succès tant sa réputation est montée au firmament des contre-ténor du monde. […]

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2016-07-07 featured press

ResMusica – Aux racines de l’opéra avec Philippe Jaroussky

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2016-07-07,  ResMusica, by Charlotte Saulneron-Saadou

C’est un chant simplement beau et naturel, riche d’une qualité de phrasé, d’une diction nette et d’une évidence presque irréelle de la ligne de chant que nous livre Jaroussky. À l’image de ces admirables aigus en fin de phrases dans l’air « Adagiati, Poppea » (l’extrait de L’incoronazione di Poppea de Monteverdi n’était pas initialement prévu au programme), faibles en vibrato et de ce fait presque célestes, ces notes tenues très nuancées se meurent à travers une fin a capella qui les sublime. Ou à l’instar de cette fabuleuse aptitude à vocaliser notamment dans l’air « Sorge Anteo » de Steffani, où la virtuosité n’est seulement déployée que pour servir l’expression musicale. […]

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2016-05-29 featured press

Klassieke Zaken – Stem van de toekomst – Philippe Jaroussky – English Translation

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2016-05-29, Klassieke Zaken, by Hein van Eekert

Disclaimer

This is a fan translation – no infringement of copyright is intended. If you are the copyright holder and have any objections to this being online, drop us a line and we will remove it immediately. 

We believe the publication fulfills the conditions of “fair use,” for discussion and study.

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Klassieke Zaken – Voice of the Future – Philippe Jaroussky

With a contemporary piece, he was in our country. He returns with forgotten baroque composers. Also there are going to be DVD releases with Alcina and Theodora. Philippe Jaroussky tells us about the voice of the future.

When you think of the sometimes un-earthly voice of Philippe Jaroussky, you somehow expect him to come floating to the interview. Nothing like that: It’s a happy, friendly man, courteous, with a sociable presénce, and an enthusiasm that could be called child-like – if it wasn’t rooted in an impressive mountain of knowledge about his own work and that of others. Moreover, even if he knows a lot about the past, he is certainly not “retro.” He can’t be, he says, because “The countertenor is a voice of the future.”

We want to know more. The countertenor voice? The one that is often used to sing the Ancient music of the castrati? “The sound evokes the past, but it’s a modern voice type. It really came back en vogue since the sixties. During the past eight years, I got lots of offers to sing modern music. I often have to decline, because studying requires a lot of time for preparation, and I don’t always have that.” Jaroussky participated in Only the sound remains by Kaija Saariaho, because he know she wanted him and not just the ethereal, androgynous sound of any countertenor: “When I was asked, it was also agreed that this production would be taken on tour to different cities, including Amsterdam. She wrote two scenes for me because I wanted to audition. I wanted her to get to know my voice.” In the end, Jaroussky was cast in two roles in the opera, instead of only one he was originally planned for.

Next to the modern repertoire, there are earlier works. We talk about forgotten composers: there might be a reason why they are forgotten. Bach and Händel are great geniuses, but how about lesser-known names? “Geniuses are not always the greatest innovators,” Jaroussky says. “Agostino Steffani didn’t have Händel’s genius, but he has caused big changes. Alessandro Scarlatti is also very notable. They don’t always have the big hits, but they are bolder and more prone to trying out new things than Händel.”

“Geniuses are not always the greatest innovators”

Jaroussky does a concert tour which also takes him to the Netherlands, with a sample of the works by composers we don’t hear performed often enough. The arias he came up with himself: “I research in libraries, for manuscripts of arias that I want to include in the programs and if you’re looking for something, you often end up finding something even better. You read the sheet music of an aria, you turn the page, and there is suddenly a much more interesting piece.” This involves contemporaries of Bach and Händel as well as composers of an earlier time. “There are composers like Jomelli and Traetta that are yet to be discovered. I also like the era of early Baroque a lot; for example, many operas by Cavalli are being staged. His Ercole amante in Amsterdam was set in scene both modern and Baroque.” That’s meant as a compliment, because Jaroussky is fascinated by the combination of contemporary and historic. This is partly because our modern era allowed the sound of the old music to return in its full glory. “Cavalli has many recitativos: It is really dramatic. And think of Niobe by Steffani: A beautiful opera with da capo arias, dances, and comic relief characters. We now don’t only have the voices, but the orchestras as well, and that’s very important. Producing an opera like Vinci’s Artaserse wouldn’t have been possible without the virtuosity and the lightness of the modern Baroque orchestras. With the recording, we set out to prove that not all countertenors have the same colour of voice. I also discovered that there often is a sad, decadent note to the music written for castrati.” Händel, for example, wrote for the castrato Carestini: the title role in Ariodante as well as the role of Ruggiero in Alcina. “Ruggiero is an anti-hero, who is under Alcina’s thumb. It fits my character more than Ariodante, who I would have liked to sing, but it just doesn’t suit me.” There will be a DVD release, directed by Katie Mitchell: “What is great is that the staging is based on the libretto as well as Orlando Furioso by Ariosto. So Alcina and Morgana are old women, pretending to be young. It is modern and Baroque at the same time.” There it is again: modern and Baroque. The combination characterizes Jaroussky as well: the sound of the past, the voice of the future.

HEIN VAN EEKERT

 

NATURAL HIGH – PHILIPPE JAROUSSKY

The term countertenor has become common knowledge. Yet there are people who yet have to get used to the sometimes apparently unnatural high male voice. For these people, there is but one advice: Listen to Philippe Jaroussky. His voice, tone, and diction are so immediate and natural [vanzelfsprekend en natuurlijk] that they only invite to be surprised and delighted to hear so much beauty. On this compilation CD with some highlights from his oeuvre, every track is a hit. Of course, the French countertenor excels in the Baroque repertoire from Monteverdi to Vivaldi, but he equally feels at home in the early classical works by Johann Christian Bach or a nineteenth-century song by Reynaldo Hahn. And of course, he is surrounded by the best musicians and ensembles such as the Ensemble Matheus and L’Arpeggiata. An introduction for less than ten euros that will prove worth at least double the price. Jaroussky lovers should just buy a few as a gift when they visit friends to bring instead of flowers. Success is guaranteed.

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