David Hansen (countertenor)

David Hansen
Born (1981-10-06) 6 October 1981 (age 43)
Sydney, Australia
EducationSt Andrew's Cathedral School
Newington College
Sydney Conservatorium of Music
OccupationCountertenor

David Hansen (born 6 October 1981) is an Australian countertenor.

Biography

Hansen was born in Sydney, Australia, and attended St Andrew's Cathedral School and Newington College. He studied violin, piano, and was a boy treble in school choirs.[1] He studied in the class of Andrew Dalton at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. He continued his musical education with James Bowman, David Harper and Graham Pushee.[2]

Career

He made his first European appearances in 2004 at the Aix-en-Provence Festival, performing in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas. Hansen first performed in the United Kingdom in concerts with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Emmanuelle Haïm. He also performed with Il Complesso Barocco in Fernando by Handel, conducted by Alan Curtis during the Spoleto Festival in Italy.

He sang roles in various operas, including Bertarido in Handel's Rodelinda, conducted by Alan Curtis, Nerone in Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea at Victorian Opera, Ottone in Vivaldi's Griselda at Pinchgut Opera and Cherubino in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro at the Teatro Comunale di Sassari. He also performed in the U.S. premiere of Thomas Adès' The Tempest at the Santa Fe Opera, conducted by Alan Gilbert, Handel's Giulio Cesare at the Theater an der Wien, conducted by René Jacobs, Monteverdi's L'Orfeo at the Berlin State Opera, conducted by René Jacobs, Handel's Semele at the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, conducted by Christophe Rousset, in Giovanni Andrea Bontempi's Il Paride at the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music, directed by Christina Pluhar. He has worked with Stefan Herheim, Jonathan Kent, Barrie Kosky and Christof Loy.

Hansen's non-operatic engagements have included Carmina Burana with the Berlin Philharmonic, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle, Handel's Solomon, conducted by René Jacobs, Bach's St John Passion, performed with Les Musiciens du Louvre Grenoble conducted by Marc Minkowski, Handel's Parnasso in festa, Messiah and Giulio Cesare conducted by Andrea Marcon, Fabio Biondi and Emmanuelle Haïm, respectively, and Britten's Canticles, at the Wiener Konzerthaus.[3][4]

Repertoire

Opera

Composer Title Role
Adès The Tempest Trinculo
Bontempi Il Paride Paride
Britten A Midsummer Night's Dream Oberon
Cavalli Giasone[5] Giasone[6]
Gluck Orfeo ed Euridice Orfeo
Gluck Paride ed Elena Paride
Handel Agrippina Nerone
Handel Alcina Ruggiero / Oberto
Handel Ariodante Ariodante
Handel Fernando Fernando
Handel Giulio Cesare Giulio Cesare / Sesto
Handel Partenope Arsace
Handel Rodelinda Bertarido
Handel Serse Serse / Arsamene
Handel Teseo Teseo
Hasse Piramo e Tisbe Piramo
Ligeti Le Grand Macabre Prince Go-Go
Monteverdi Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria Telemaco
Monteverdi L'incoronazione di Poppea Nerone[7]
Monteverdi L'Orfeo La Speranza
Mozart La clemenza di Tito Sesto
Mozart Le nozze di Figaro Cherubino
Mozart Mitridate, Re di Ponto Arbate / Farnace
Purcell Dido and Aeneas Spirit
Scarlatti La Dirindina Liscione
Strauss Die Fledermaus Prince Orlofsky
Vivaldi Catone in Utica Cesare
Vivaldi Griselda Ottone
Vivaldi Motezuma Fernando

Oratorios

Composer Title Role
Bach Magnificat Alto
Bach Mass in B Minor Alto
Bach St. John Passion Alto
Bach St. Matthew Passion Alto
Handel Alexander Balus Alexander Balus
Handel Belshazzar Cyrus
Handel Dixit Dominus Alto
Handel Hercules Lichas
Handel Jephtha Hamor
Handel Messiah Alto
Handel Saul David
Handel Semele Athamas
Handel Solomon Solomon
Handel The Choice of Hercules Hercules
Handel Theodora Didymus

Discography

Albums

List of albums, with selected details
Title Details
Rivals – Arias for Farinelli & Co.
  • Released: April 2013[8]
  • Format: CD, Digital
  • Label: Sony Music
Cavalli: Giasone (live)
  • Released: July 2015
  • Format: CD, Digital
  • Label: Pinchgut
One Charming Night
  • Released: November 2019
  • Format: CD, Digital
  • Label: Grappa

Awards and nominations

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They commenced in 1987.

Year Nominee / work Award Result Ref.
2013 Rivals: Arias for Farinelli & Co. Best Classical Album Nominated [9]

References

  1. ^ "Countertenor David Hansen on a high as the stages of Europe beckon"; retrieved 2 April 2017.
  2. ^ "David Hansen, Counter Tenor". Nordicartistsmanagement.com. Archived from the original on 19 May 2017. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  3. ^ "David Hansen". Countertenorcorner.com. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  4. ^ "The New Countertenors-Top of the Crop". Classicstoday.com. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  5. ^ "Rock Star Countertenor David Hansen – Purity, Art & Pinchgut | The Culture Concept Circle". Thecultureconcept.com. 25 June 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  6. ^ Craig Mathieson; Barney Zwartz; Bernard Zuel (5 September 2014). "CD reviews: Basement Jaxx, Pinchgut Opera and Richard in Your Mind". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  7. ^ "Boston Early Music Festival | Amanda Forsythe, David Hansen, Paul O'Dette, and Stephen Stubbs". Bemf.org. 10 April 2015. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  8. ^ "David Hansen, Leonardo Vinci, Leonardo Leo, Riccardo Broschi, Antonio Maria Bononcini, Alessandro De Marchi, Academia Montis Regalis: Rivals: Arias for Farinelli: Music". Amazon.com. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  9. ^ ARIA Award previous winners. "ARIA Awards – Winners by Award". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 9 July 2022.