Countertenor comes to Sydney
The Australian Brandenburg Orchestra and one of the world’s greatest countertenors, Andreas Scholl, will perform the world premiere of Italian composer Marco Rosano’s Stabat Mater next month.
Stabat Mater was written especially for Scholl – and the composer Rosano will be travelling to Australia from his home in Brussels for the event.
Scholl will also perform the works of Senesino, who inspired Handel to write 20 operatic roles.
Scholl has been described as an international superstar, selling out every concert he performs. He came in at number 39 in the Observer Music magazine’s top 100 releases for the year, ahead of high-profile pop stars, including the Chemical Brothers, 50 Cent and the Rolling Stones. His CD Arias for Senesino saw him awarded Singer of the Year for 2006.
Leo Schofield introduced Scholl to the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra during the 1998 Sydney Festival and since that time a number of collaborations have ensued.
Brandenburg Orchestra artistic director Paul Dyer said Andreas Scholl was one of classical music’s true superstars.
“Andreas Scholl has a high and pure voice that critics regularly declare comes only once in a generation,” he said.
“I’m over the moon to announce that this charismatic German king-of-countertenors is making a return to the Brandenburg stage in 2008.”
The concert, part of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival, is on at the City Recital Hall, Angel Place, from Friday 22 February to Saturday 1 March, at 7pm. Tickets range from $24.50 to $111.50. Call 8256 2222, 9328 7581, or go to www.cityrecitalhall.com.au, or www.brandenbug.com.au.
