2015-03-02_02-featured

ARTE Magazin – Ich brauche nicht immer Applaus

2015-03-02, ARTE Magazin

“Als wir den französischen Countertenor Philippe Jaroussky im Dezember zum Interview treffen, hat er am Vorabend das Hamburger Publikum mit Sakralmusik von Vivaldi begeistert. Heute gibt es erst einmal Kamillentee. Philippe Jaroussky kämpft mit der komplizierten Teesieb-Konstruktion – begegnet dem Kratzen im Hals aber gelassen”…

Source/Read more: Arte Concert


The following is not a professional translation; no profit is being made, no infringement of copyright is intended

 

Jaroussky: “I don’t always need applause”

The charismatic countertenor Philippe Jaroussky pleads for greater openness in music, talks shop about Lady Gaga – and explains why reverent silence can be a competition to any applause.  

In December, when we meet the French countertenor Philippe Jaroussky, he had just delighted the Hamburg audience with sacred music by Vivaldi the evening before. Today, first of all, there is chamomile tea. Philippe Jaroussky is struggling with the complicated design of the tea strainer, but is relaxed about his scratchy throat. Apparently, the star of  high range singing in can handle pressure quite well. The reason for our meeting is another sacred opus which he is going to perform a little later, together with the Hungarian soprano Emöke Barath, at the magnificent chapel of the Castle Fontainbleau: Pergolesi’s setting to music of the Stabat Mater.

ARTE: A glance at a list of your favourite music reveals: you also like to listen to Pop.
PHILIPPE JAROUSSKY: For me, it’s about an exciting mixture of Classical and Pop. Lorraine Hunt and Cecilia Bartoli next to Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars. I’m not particularly interested in Lady Gaga, but recently, I saw a performance of her on the internet. She was singing Nancy Sinatra’s “Bang Bang” wearing a vermilion leather suit, an enormous wig – but she sang without exaggerating. You can hear the range of her voice, her classical education. She could be one of the greatest Jazz singers of our times, and surely isn’t a Pop monster. We all should open our minds a little more. I have to confess that I didn’t start to discover singers like Ella Fitzgerald or Mercedes Sosa until eight years ago. A veritable shock.

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2015-03-01-featured-press

Das Erste, ttt – Superstar der hohen Töne

2015-03-01, Das Erste, ttt (Titel, Thesen, Temperamente)

“Er sang die Arien des Kastraten Farinelli und die großen Klassiker des Barock. Das leiseste Atemholen wird bei ihm zu subtiler Gestaltung: Philippe Jaroussky ist der beste Countertenor der Gegenwart – so urteilen zumindest viele Kritiker des “Orchideenfachs” seit Jahren. Philippe Jaroussky, ein 38-jähriger Franzose mit dem “Look” eines verführerischen Engels – klanglich souverän und mühelos virtuos”…

Source: Das Erste


The following is not a professional translation; no profit is being made, no infringement of copyright is intended.

 

Superstar of the High Notes

Why countertenor Philippe Jaroussky sings the praise of the poet Verlaine

He has sung the arias written for the castrato Farinelli as well as the big classics of Baroque. The most silent breath turns subtle creation with him: Philippe Jaroussky is the best countertenor of the present – at least, that’s the judgement of many critics of this rare discipline, for years now. Philippe Jaroussky, a Frenchman of 38 [sic! – he is 37 in fact] years with the looks of a seductive angel – vocally masterful, and effortlessly virtuosic.

Jaroussky’s repertoire spans exceptionally wide: from the emphasis on Baroque up to contemporary opera. For his new album, “Green,” he went back to the 19th century, and immersed himself in the life of the poet whose poems were set to music more often than anyone else’s in France: the scandalous genius Paul Verlaine, iconic figure of the Bohème, protagonist of scandalous stories full of violence, sex, and passions, who the French are as familiar with – which includes his adventurous biography – as the Germans are with Goethe, Schiller, or Heine.

“ttt” met Philippe Jaroussky in Paris. Starting at the 4th of May, he is going to tour Germany and Europe. We asked him why we should still be interested in Verlaine today.

Author: Stefanie Appel

The feature: [transcript]

Philippe Jaroussky: His voice is inspired by beauty. As if it was fallen out of time. In Paris, in this winter, it is almost unreal. Mostly, he sings sacral music and often, Baroque opera, the classical domain of a countertenor. Now, for once, he wanted to do something completely different.

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featured-journal-frankfurt-jaroussky

Journal Frankfurt – Keeping a Distance from Opera’s Hysteria


“Abstandhalter zur Hysterie der Oper”
Journal Frankfurt, February 2015


The following is not a professional translation; no profit is being made, no infringement of copyright is intended.

On his current tour, the French countertenor Philippe Jaroussky surprises his audience with fin de siècle songs.

Interview: Christian Rupp

JOURNAL FRANKFURT: Philippe, you are one of the world’s most famous countertenors – yet relatively little about your private life is known to the public. Don’t you like to talk about it?
PHILIPPE JAROUSSKY: I don’t talk about it that often because, really, the focus is on my art.

But you’re a star …
Star? Well, I lead a normal life; I have been together with my partner for eight years now. All in all, it is a very settled life.

You have put your cards on the table about him right from the beginning…
Of course. When I started my career, I had to decide. So, right from the start, I said that I had a partner. Then there’s no fuss anymore. I’m not a pop singer who has to hide that for twenty years because otherwise he would lose the market section of all the teenage girls.

Another known fact is that you like to travel a lot. How frequently do people recognize you on your travels?
It depends. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t. When I walk the street in Paris, of course, someone will always recognize me. But people react completely different than they would if I were a pop star. Because, primarily, it is in Händel, Vivaldi, Bach that they are interested– not in me. I don’t create songs, I don’t create a look, I am not a brand. That’s why people are much more respectful. Classical music stars are in a very comfortable position in this regard.

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2015-02-27-featured-press

Le Figaro – Verlaine through the Ages

2015-02-27, Warner, Le Figaro
Translated from the original French. Interview by Thierry Clermont in Le Figaro, 19 February, 2015.

So you’ve had this project Green in mind for a long time?

PJ: It’s been in the works for about eight years. I love Verlaine’s poetry and his universe, made up of languor and melancholy as well as lightness and humour. I find myself there. Just think of the themes and the characters of his second collection of poems, Fêtes galantes, with its baroque side and its pastoral atmosphere. Most of his poems are short, arrhythmic – even dissonant . As he says in his Art poétique he prefers the odd lines out. It’s very human poetry, sensual but with childlike simplicity.

Source: Warner

2015-02-27_02-featured-press

Donaukurier – Pastellfarbene Gefühle

2015-02-27, Donaukurier

Dann haben Sie ja noch einiges vor sich, oder?

Jaroussky: Natürlich werden die Alte und die Neue Musik für Countertenöre weiterhin das zentrale Repertoire sein. Aber ich bin davon überzeugt, dass heute Countertenöre darüber hinaus Weiteres erschließen müssen – auch ein Repertoire wie auf dem „Green“-Album. Für meine Stimme eignen sich übrigens auch die „Kindertotenlieder“ von Mahler, zwei oder drei habe ich bereits gesungen.

There’s a lot yet to be done then, isn’t it?
Jaroussky: Of course, early and new music will continue to be the core of the countertenor repertoire. I am convinced, however, that today, countertenors have to explore further – which includes a repertoire like the one on “Green.” By the way, the “Kindertotenlieder” by Mahler also suit my voice, two or three I have even sung already.

 

Source/Read more: Donaukurier (paid content)


The following is not a professional translation; no profit is being made, no infringement of copyright is intended.

Pastel-Coloured Feelings

 Ingolstadt (DK) He is one of the great countertenors of our time. On Thursday, Philippe Jaroussky performs at the Ingolstädter Festsaal, introducing his latest album “Green.” For this, the Frenchman has compiled different settings of Verlaine’s poems that were created around 1900 – amongst others, by Gabriel Fauré or Claude Debussy. Jaroussky comes to Ingolstadt along with his pianist Jérôme Ducros, to capture the sound-sensual atmosphere of the French “Fin de Siècle.

Mr Jaroussky, you are a countertenor. So why do you sing settings to music of Verlaine’s poems, created around 1900?
Philippe Jaroussky: Because, on one hand, I want to show that it is perfectly possible for an opera singer to give recitals. On the other hand, I feel very attracted by the settings to music of Verlaine and French song. In opera – more so, in Baroque, which is obviously the center piece for us countertenors – you have to give shape to hysterical feelings sometimes. You kill, you are jealous, insidious. At some very dramatic moments, I reach my limits. Whereas in French song, I have to express more pastel-coloured feelings, a lot of melancholia, just to name one. It might sound strange as a countertenor, but I feel at home in this repertoire.

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2015-02-20-featured-press

Concerti – “Counterstar sein, das ist zu wenig für ein Leben!“ – English Translation

2015-02-20, Concerti, concerti.de

Generationen ehemaliger Schüler denken mit Schrecken an die Zeit, als sie vor versammelter Klasse auswendig ein Gedicht vortragen mussten. Für Countertenor Philippe Jaroussky indes wurde diese pädagogische Maßnahme dereinst zum Schlüsselerlebnis: Ein Poem Paul Verlaines schlug den damals zehnjährigen Schüler regelrecht in seinen Bann. Ein Vierteljahrhundert danach hat der Sänger nun ein Doppel-Album mit Liedern nach Gedichten des französischen Lyrikers veröffentlicht.

Source/Read more: concerti.de
digital edition edition here 


The following is not a professional translation; no profit is being made, no infringement of copyright is intended.

“Being a star countertenor is not enough for one lifetime!”

He is the most popular of his kind: Philippe Jaroussky about star cult, sabbaticals, and the difference between great voices and great artists
by Teresa Pieschacón Raphael


(caption 1) From violin to singing: Jaroussky first learned to play the violin before he started singing

(caption 2) Even as a child, at home, he preferred to sing the high notes

With horror, generations of former students recall the time they had to recite a poem by heart in front of their classmates. However, for countertenor Philippe Jaroussky, this educational measure proved to be a formative experience: A poem by Paul Verlaine veritably put the then 10 year old student under a spell. A quarter of a century later, the singer released a double-album with songs based on the French lyricist’s poems.

Mr. Jaroussky, unlike pictured on the cover of your new CD, we are not at Verlaine’s favorite café, but at a banal one at an airport. But where is your glass of absinthe?
Oh, perhaps I’m too well-behaved and disciplined for that; I don’t need this kind of “inspiration” – maybe unlike Paul Verlaine. When I’m not on stage, I lead a pretty normal life… Recently, a photographer even told me I seemed too “nice and gentle,” and suggested I should pose as the “bad boy” for a change.

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2015-02-18-featured-press

Opernglas – Mein geheimer Garten

2015-02-18, Opernglas

Die Gedichte Paul Verlaines haben unzählige Komponisten zu faszinierenden Vertonungen inspiriert. Philippe Jaroussky ist auf Spurensuche gegangen.

Source: Das Opernglas.

Summaries in English can be found here and here.

2015-02-08-featured-press-1024x576

Brigitte – Peter Pan singt Sopran

2015-02-18, Brigitte

Obwohl er Sopran singt, sagt Countertenor Philippe Jaroussky entschieden: ‘Ich singe nicht wie eine Frau. Ich singe mit meiner männlichen Empfindsamkeit.’ Die wachsende Popularität von Sängern mit hohen Stimmlagen erklärt der 37-jährige Franzose in der neuen Ausgabe des Magazins BRIGITTE (Ausgabe 5/15, ab heute im Handel) damit, dass es eine neuen Begriff von Männlichkeit gebe. “Noch vor wenigen Generationen sollten Männer tapfer sein, nicht weinen, ihre Gefühle nicht ausdrücken. Doch jetzt haben wir starke Frauen und sensible Männer’.

Source/Read more: Brigitte


The following is not a professional translation; no profit is being made, no infringement of copyright is intended.

Peter Pan Is a Soprano

According to his fans, listening to him is like a drug. Philippe Jaroussky is a countertenor. His voice neither sounds male nor female, but always effortless and like deep feelings. A meeting with one of the biggest stars of Classical music.

Meike Schnitzler 

First of all, Philippe Jaroussky says “sorry”. Sorry that on the table, there is a large pot of tea, next to it a selection of cold remedy and throat lozenges.The last thing that Jaroussky wants to come across as is a hysterical opera diva who is busy pampering and nursing her precious soprano voice every second of the day. Soprano? Yes, the 37-year old Frenchman sings in the highest vocal range. Something that, right on the spot, one wouldn’t believe, because his speaking voice is a light baritone, a little raspy, because of the cold.

The day before, he had a concert in Hamburg; tomorrow it’s Berlin. Not a good time for a sore throat. “Classical singers have to fill an entire hall without the aid of a microphone,” says Jaroussky. “Luckily, I don’t have a cough. Then it would be over with my kind of voice.” His sort of voice – this is a no-frills vocal organ, able to spiral higher and higher like a bird, then stooping, its purity burning itself into the listener’s hearts. A voice that sounds neither male nor female, for which some fans will travel around the globe not to miss any of Jaroussky’s concerts. Even the night before, among the audience who rewarded his Vivaldi arias with standing ovations and enthusiastic trampling, the singer recognized some of his greatest female admirers.

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2015-02-13-featured-press

RTVE.es – Philippe Jaroussky en la Escuela Superior de Canto de Madrid

2015-02-13, RTVE.es, Atención Obras

Estuvimos con el gran contratenor Philippe Jaroussky en la Escuela Superior de Canto de Madrid y fuimos testigos de su simpatía a la hora de impartir sus conocimientos en una clase magistral.

Source: RTVE.es

 

via RTVE.es

2015-02-10-featured-press

Ritmo – El hombre que canta y encanta con su voz de cristal

2015-02-10, RITMO

“Reconocido como el más grande contratenor de nuestros días, ‘la voz de cristal’ representa una nueva generación de cantantes no solo identificados con el Barroco”.

Source: Ritmo

A translation to Japanese can be found here.