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The English counter-tenor, Paul (Lawrence Vincent) Esswood, studied with Gordon Clinton at the Royal College of Music in London from 1961 to 1964, and then was a lay vicar at Westminster Abbey until 1971.
In 1971 Paul Esswood made his formal debut as a counter-tenor in a BBC performance of Händel’s Messiah. His operatic debut followed in Cavalli’s Erismena in Berkeley, California, in 1968.
Paul Esswood is one of the world‘s leading counter-tenors. He is one of the trio of Englishmen who really put counter-tenor singing forward in the late 1960’s and 1970’s (the two others are Alfred Deller and James Bowman). He had a wide range, with a rather vibrato-ish, womanly sound. Nevertheless, great powers of phrasing and very expressive.
Paul Esswood has worked in opera houses throughout Europe and America and was the first counter-tenor ever to sing at La Scala, Milan. He took part in the historic Nikolaus Harnoncourt - Ponelle Monteverdi Cycle at Zurich Opera, which has also been recorded and filmed for television worldwide. He has appeared at the Salzburg Festival, performing Händel's Jephtha and Saul and Monteverdi's Orfeo. He has sung Oberon in the Cologne Opera production of Britten's Midsummer Night's Dream and title roles in the Karlsruhe Händel Festival production of Händel's Admeto and the English Bach Festival production of Händel's Riccardo Primo at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.
Several roles have been written for Paul Esswood including the title role in Philip Glass's Akhnaten (Stuttgart) and Death in Penderecki's Paradise Lost (Chicago, Milan and Stuttgart). Most recently he sung the role of Seff in Schlafes Bruder by Herbert Willi in the world première in Zurich, followed by further performances of this in the first Austrian production in Innsbruck.
As a concert and recital singer, Paul Esswood works in the world's most important musical centres: London, Edinburgh, Berlin, Vienna, New York, Washington, Los Angeles and the key festivals such as Salzburg, Graz, Aix-en-Provence, 3 Choirs and London Promenade Concerts. His repertoire is extensive: from the major works by Monteverdi, Cavalli, Bach, Händel, Purcell, Mozart, Haydn, Schubert and Schumann. While he was best known for his performances of early masters, he also appeared in modern works, including the premiers of Penderecki’s Paradise Lost (1978) and Magnificat, Philip Glass’s Akhnaten (1984), and Schnittke (Faust Cantata - world première in Vienna and St. Florian Symphony No.2 - world première in London).
Paul Esswood has made over one hundred and fifty recordings, including the Monteverdi Operas and Bach's St. Matthew Passion (BWV 244),Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248), Magnificat (BWV 243) and the Teldec complete Cantata project under Nikolaus Harnoncourt/Gustav Leonhardt. He sang most of the alto parts in this cycle. His 4th recording of Händel's Messiah was with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Utah, under David Willcocks and under Roger Norrington he made a video recording of Purcell's 1692 Ode Hail, Bright Caecilia. His solo recordings include Purcell, Schumann, Songs to my Lady (Lute songs) as well as a recent release of folk song arrangements and the Canticle Abraham and Isaac by Britten with the tenor James Griffert. Also recently released was the world premiere performance of Schnittke's Symphony No.2 (St Florian) with the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Rozhdestvensky.
As a teacher, Paul Esswood was a professor at the Royal College of Music (1977-1980). From from 1985 he is a Professor of Baroque vocal interpretation at the Royal Academy of Music and gives regular master-classes throughout the world, recently visiting Jerusalem, Aldeburgh and Karlsruhe.
Paul Esswood co-founded in 1967 the Pro Cantione Antiqua, and a capella male vocal group. He also continued to pursue his solo career, appearing at many major European festivals. With Cantione Antiqua he has just completed a tour of Japan and Hong Kong. In 1990 he was appointed an Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Music and in 1997 he was awarded the Deutsche Händel-Preis for his contribution to the performances of Händel.
Future plans included visits to Germany and Spain with Pro Cantione Antiqua, concerts in Sweden (Bach), France (Händel) and Poland (Penderecki) as well as further performances of the critically acclaimed 3 Counter-tenors recital programme in the Wratislavia Cantans Festival, Poland. |
