Gérard Lesne (; born 15 July 1956) is a French

countertenor A countertenor (also contra tenor) is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of the female contralto or mezzo-soprano voice types, generally extending from around G3 to D5 or E5, although a sopranist (a s ...

. He is also the founder and artistic director of the

baroque music Baroque music ( or ) refers to the period or dominant style of Western classical music composed from about 1600 to 1750. The Baroque style followed the Renaissance period, and was followed in turn by the Classical period after a short transiti ...

ensemble, Il Seminario Musicale.

Life and career

Gérard Lesne was born in Montmorency, Val-d'Oise. He was originally a rock singer, but in 1979 the tenor

Zeger Vandersteene Zeger is a Dutch-language masculine given name. It is derived from the Germanic roots "sigi-" (victory) and "-her" (lord).Si ...

introduced him to

René Clemencic René Clemencic (27 February 1928 – 8 March 2022) was an Austrian composer, recorder player, harpsichordist, conductor and clavichord player. Biography Born in Vienna, Austria, Clemencic was educated at the Vienna University and studied further ...

, a pioneer of work in the medieval repertoire, and at age 23, Lesne began touring with the Clemencic Consort. Lesne has made more than 70 recordings and has appeared as a soloist at numerous opera houses and music festivals including the

Opéra de Paris The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to b ...

, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées,

La Fenice Teatro La Fenice (, "The Phoenix") is an opera house in Venice, Italy. It is one of "the most famous and renowned landmarks in the history of Italian theatre" and in the history of opera as a whole. Especially in the 19th century, La Fenice beca ...

, Opéra National de Lyon, Théâtre du Châtelet, Teatro San Carlo, Aix-en-Provence Festival, Utrecht Early Music Festival, and

Boston Early Music Festival The Boston Early Music Festival (BEMF) is a non-profit organization founded in 1980 in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. to promote historical music performance. It presents an annual concert series in Boston and New York City, produces opera recordi ...

. Since 1993, Gérard Lesne has taught annual courses in vocal interpretation at Royaumont Abbey in France. In 2004, Gerard Lesne was made Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French government, and received the Académie Charles Cros ''in honorem'' prize for his career. His voice is described as full-bodied.

Selected discography

* 1986 : ''Cantate Italiane e Sonata'', by

Antonio Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist and impresario of Baroque music. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lifetime was widespread a ...

, with Fabio Biondi on violin solo and Il Seminario Musicale, '' Diapason d'Or'' award, on Adda. Re-released by Musidisc in 2001. * 1991 : ''Cantatas'', by Antonio Caldara, on Virgin Classics. Re-released in 1999. * 1992 : ''Salve Regina'', by Vivaldi, with Fabio Biondi and Il Seminario Musicale, ''Diapason d'Or'' award, Virgin *1993 : Marc-Antoine Charpentier - ''Leçons de Ténèbres - Office du Vendredi Saint'', H.105, H.95, H.140, H.133, H.130, H.99, H.100, A. Mellon, G. Lesne, I. Honeyman, J. Bona, Il Seminario Musicale - Virgin Classics, CD 7592952 (p 1992 c 1993) * 1995 : ''Motets'', by

Alessandro Stradella Antonio Alessandro Boncompagno Stradella (Bologna, 3 July 1643 – Genoa, 25 February 1682) was an Italian composer of the middle Baroque period. He enjoyed a dazzling career as a freelance composer, writing on commission, and collaborating with ...

, with Sandrine Piau and Il Seminario Musicale, on Virgin Classics. Re-released in 1999 with the cantatas of Antonio Caldara. *1995 : Marc-Antoine Charpentier - ''Leçons de ténèbres'' - ''Office du Mercredi Saint,'' H.120, H.138, H.141, H.117, H.131, H.126'', Miserere'' H.173 - C. Greuillet, C. Pelon, C. Purves, G. Lesne, Il Seminario Musicale ''- Virgin'' Classics, CD 5451072 (p 1995 c 1995). *1995 : Marc-Antoine Charpentier ''- Leçons de Ténèbres - Office du Jeudi Saint'', H.121, H.139, H.136, H.144, H.128, H.528, H.510, H.521 - I. Honeyman, P. Harvey, S. Piau, G. Lesne, Il Seminario Musicale - Virgin Classics, CD 5450752 (p 1995 c 1995) *1997 : Marc-Antoine Charpentier - '' David et Jonathas'' H.490, with Les Arts Florissants, conducted by William Christie. 3 CD Harmonia Mundi *2000 : Marc-Antoine Charpentier - ''Trois histoires sacrées'', ''Mors Saülis et Jonathae'' H.403, ''Sacrificium Abrahae'', H.402, ''In Circumcisione Domini / Dialogus inter Angelum et pastores,'' H.406, M. L. Duthoit, J. Azzaretti, G. Lesne, B. Clee, J . F. Novelli, N. Bauchau, R. Nédélec, R. Spogis Naïve, CD E 8821 (2000) * 2001 : '' Carmina Burana'', by Carl Orff, with L'Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse, with Natalie Dessay, Thomas Hampson, Michel Plasson * 2002 : ''Arias et cantates'', by the Bachs, with Il Seminario Musicale, conducted by Gérard Lesne * 2002 : ''Cantates BWV21 et BWV42'', by Bach, with Collegium Vocale Gent, La Chapelle Royale, conducted by Philippe Herreweghe * 2002 : ''Stabat Mater'', by

Giovanni Battista Pergolesi Giovanni Battista Draghi (; 4 January 1710 – 16 or 17 March 1736), often referred to as Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (), was an Italian Baroque composer, violinist, and organist. His best-known works include his Stabat Mater and the opera ''L ...

, with Il Seminario Musicale and Véronique Gens, conducted by Gérard Lesne * 2003 : ''Ô Solitude'', by

Henry Purcell Henry Purcell (, rare: September 1659 – 21 November 1695) was an English composer. Purcell's style of Baroque music was uniquely English, although it incorporated Italian and French elements. Generally considered among the greatest E ...

, with Il Seminario Musicale, conducted by Gérard Lesne * 2005 : ''Human?'', with Shazz and Massa (CD), on Naïve * 2006 : ''Salve Regina'', by Antonio Vivaldi, with Il Seminario Musicale, conducted by Gérard Lesne *2007 : Marc-Antoine Charpentier : ''Orphée descendant aux enfers'' H.471, ''Epitaphium Carpentarii'' H.474, douze ''Airs sérieux et à boire, Tristes déserts'' H.469, H.467, H.455, H.445, H.463, H.456, .461, H.450, H.446, H.470, H.448, H.466 et les ''Stances du Cid'' H.457 H.458 H.459, Il Seminario Musicale, Gérard Lesne, Cyril Auvity, Edwin Crossley-Mercer. CD Zig-Zag territoires.

References

External links

Short biography at Bach-Cantatas.com

at the Foundation de l'abbaye de Royaumont (in English) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lesne, Gerard 1956 births Living people People from Montmorency, Val-d'Oise 20th-century French male opera singers Operatic countertenors French performers of early music Erato Records artists 21st-century French male opera singers