David Cordier (born 1 May 1959) is an English countertenor. He made an international career based in Germany, and appeared both in concert and opera. While focused on roles by Handel such as Radamisto, he has also performed in contemporary opera, including works by
Aribert Reimann
Aribert Reimann (born 4 March 1936) is a German composer, pianist and accompanist, known especially for his literary operas. His version of Shakespeare's ''King Lear'', the opera '' Lear'', was written at the suggestion of Dietrich Fischer-Diesk ...
and
Péter Eötvös
Péter Eötvös ( hu, Eötvös Péter, ; born 2 January 1944) is a Hungarian composer, conductor and teacher.
Eötvös was born in Székelyudvarhely, Transylvania, then part of Hungary, now Romania. He studied composition in Budapest and Colog ...
boy soprano
A boy soprano (British and especially North American English) or boy treble (only British English) is a young male singer with an unchanged voice in the soprano range, a range that is often still called the treble voice range (in North Americ ...
in the Cathedral Choir of his home town and a member of King's College Choir in Cambridge. After studying mathematics at the
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...
, completed with a master's degree, he studied voice at the
Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including performanc ...
in London.
He moved to Berlin in the 1980s where he regularly performed with Gustav Leonhardt and
Musica Antiqua Köln Musica Antiqua Köln was an early music group that was founded in 1973 by Reinhard Goebel and fellow students from the Conservatory of Music in Cologne. Musica Antiqua Köln devoted itself largely to the performance of the music of the 17th and 18t ...
. He later took residence in Cologne. Cordier's repertoire includes music of the 16th and 17th centuries, and contemporary music. He is known for his interpretations of roles in operas by
Georg Friedrich Handel
George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training i ...
, including the title roles of ''
Giulio Cesare
''Giulio Cesare in Egitto'' (; , HWV 17), commonly known as ''Giulio Cesare'', is a dramma per musica (''opera seria'') in three acts composed by George Frideric Handel for the Royal Academy of Music in 1724. The libretto was written by Nic ...
Ottone
''Ottone, re di Germania'' ("Otto, King of Germany", HWV 15) is an opera by George Frideric Handel, to an Italian–language libretto adapted by Nicola Francesco Haym from the libretto by Stefano Benedetto Pallavicino for Antonio Lotti's opera ...
Flavio
''Flavio, re de' Longobardi'' ("Flavio, King of the Lombards", HWV 16) is an opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel. The Italian-language libretto was by Nicola Francesco Haym, after Matteo Noris's ''Flavio Cuniberto''. It was Ha ...
''. He appeared as Hamor in a staged version by of Handel's oratorio ''
Jephtha
Jephthah (pronounced ; he, יִפְתָּח, ''Yīftāḥ''), appears in the Book of Judges as a judge who presided over Israel for a period of six years (). According to Judges, he lived in Gilead. His father's name is also given as Gilead, ...
'' at the
Theater Bonn
Theater Bonn (also known as the Stadttheater Bonn) is the municipal theatre company of Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is an organization that produces operas, musicals, ballets, plays, and concerts. It operates several performance venu ...
.
Roles in contemporary opera included Edgar in Aribert Reimann's ''
Lear
Lear or Leir may refer to:
Acronyms
* Liga de Escritores y Artistas Revolucionarios, a Mexican association of revolutionary artists and writers
* Low Energy Ion Ring, an ion pre-accelerator of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN
** Low Energy Antipr ...
Le Grand Macabre
''Le Grand Macabre'' (1974–1977, revised version 1996) is the only opera by Hungarian composer György Ligeti. The opera has two acts, and its libretto—based on the 1934 play ''La balade du grand macabre'' by Michel de Ghelderode—was wr ...
'' and one of the three sisters all scored for countertenor in ''
Tri sestry
Tri Sestry (russian: Три Сестры, link=no, lit=the three sisters) is a stratovolcano located in the central part of Urup Island, Kuril Islands, Russia.
See also
* List of volcanoes in Russia
References
*
Urup
Mountains of the ...
Tölzer Knabenchor
The Tölzer Knabenchor (Tölz Boys' Choir) is a German boys' choir named after the Upper Bavarian city of Bad Tölz and since 1971 based in Munich.
The choir is ranked among the most versatile and sought-after boys' choirs in the world.
Histor ...
and the men's choir and orchestra of
La Petite Bande
La Petite Bande is a Belgium-based ensemble specialising in music of the Baroque and Classical eras played on period instruments. They are particularly known for their recordings of works by Corelli, Rameau, Handel, Bach, Haydn, and Mozart.
His ...
Evangelist
Evangelist may refer to:
Religion
* Four Evangelists, the authors of the canonical Christian Gospels
* Evangelism, publicly preaching the Gospel with the intention of spreading the teachings of Jesus Christ
* Evangelist (Anglican Church), a c ...
vox Christi
Vox (Latin for 'voice') may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters
* Vox (DC Universe character), Mal Duncan
* Vox, several characters in the anime series '' Lagrange: The Flower of Rin-ne''
* Gleeman Vox, from the ''Ratch ...
Wolfgang Unger
Wolfgang Unger (31 December 1948 – 19 April 2004) was a German conductor, especially a choral conductor, and an academic in Halle and Leipzig. He founded several choirs and focused on the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and his contemporaries. Li ...
conducting the Thüringischer Akademischer Singkreis, Pauliner Barockensemble and Leipziger Bläser-Collegium. He performed the role of La Musica in Monteverdi's ''
L'Orfeo
''L'Orfeo'' ( SV 318) (), sometimes called ''La favola d'Orfeo'' , is a late Renaissance/early Baroque ''favola in musica'', or opera, by Claudio Monteverdi, with a libretto by Alessandro Striggio. It is based on the Greek legend of Orpheus, and ...
'' at
Het Muziektheater
The Stopera is a building complex in Amsterdam, Netherlands, housing both the city hall of Amsterdam and the Dutch National Opera and Ballet, the principal opera house in Amsterdam that is home of Dutch National Opera, Dutch National Ballet and ...
in Amsterdam in July 1997 which was recorded on DVD, directed by
Pierre Audi
Pierre Audi (born 1957 in Beirut, Lebanon) is a French-Lebanese theatre director and artistic director.
Early life
Audi is the son of the Lebanese banker Raymond Audi and Andrée Michel Fattal, the eldest of three children.Stephen Stubbs, with
John Mark Ainsley
John Mark Ainsley (born 9 July 1963) is an English lyric tenor. Known for his supple voice, Ainsley is particularly admired for his interpretations of baroque music and the works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. In the course of his career, he has g ...
in the title role. A reviewer described his opening as "very arresting". He took part in a live recording of Handel's oratorio ''Gideon'' at
Eberbach Abbey
Eberbach Abbey (German: Kloster Eberbach) is a former Cistercian monastery in Eltville in the Rheingau, Germany. On account of its Romanesque and early Gothic buildings it is considered one of the most significant architectural heritage sites i ...
in 2003, with the
Junge Kantorei
Junge Kantorei is a German choir established in 1968 by Joachim Carlos Martini. The choir is noted for its performances of Handel's works. It is based in Frankfurt, Heidelberg, and Marburg and has released a number of recordings. Among them are th ...
and the Frankfurter Barockorchester conducted by Joachim Carlos Martini, and Knut Schoch singing the title part.
Entitled ''My Mind to me a kingdom is'', he recorded English songs for countertenor, some accompanied by harpist Andrew Lawrence-King, others by the ensemble Tragicomedia conducted by Stephen Stubbs, some with Stubbs as lutenist, including:
* "Goe from my window" (anonymous)
* "Greensleeves" (traditional)
* "In a merry May morn" ( Richard Nicholson)
* " Lachrimae Antiquae" (
John Dowland
John Dowland (c. 1563 – buried 20 February 1626) was an English Renaissance composer, lutenist, and singer. He is best known today for his melancholy songs such as "Come, heavy sleep", " Come again", "Flow my tears", " I saw my Lady weepe", ...
)
* "Lullaby my sweet little baby" (
William Byrd
William Byrd (; 4 July 1623) was an English composer of late Renaissance music. Considered among the greatest composers of the Renaissance, he had a profound influence on composers both from his native England and those on the continent. He ...