Max Emanuel Cenčić (born 21 September 1976) is a Croatian

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 ...

and stage director. He was a member of the

Vienna Boys' Choir The Vienna Boys' Choir () is a choir of boy sopranos and altos based in Vienna, Austria. It is one of the best known boys' choirs in the world. The boys are selected mainly from Austria, but also from many other countries. The choir is a privat ...

Life and career

Early years

Max Emanuel Cenčić was born in

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

. He started singing at a very early age, earning fame in his native Croatia at the age of six after singing the Queen of the Night's

coloratura Coloratura ( , , ; , from ''colorata'', the past participle of the verb ''colorare'', 'to color') is a passage of music holding elaboration to a melody. The elaboration usually takes the form of runs, trills, wide leaps or other virtuoso ma ...

aria "

Der Hölle Rache "" ("Hell's vengeance boils in my heart"), commonly abbreviated "", is an aria sung by the Queen of the Night, a coloratura soprano part, in the second act of Mozart's opera ''The Magic Flute'' ('). It depicts a fit of vengeful rage in which the ...

" from Mozart's ''

Die Zauberflöte ''The Magic Flute'' (, ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. It is a ''Singspiel'', a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue. The work premiered on ...

'' on Zagreb television. From circa 1987 to 1992, Cenčić was a member of the

Wiener Sängerknaben The Vienna Boys' Choir () is a choir of boy sopranos and altos based in Vienna, Austria. It is one of the best known boys' choirs in the world. The boys are selected mainly from Austria, but also from many other countries. The choir is a private ...

, touring and recording with them. Recorded performances, in which Cenčić was either treble soloist of the Sängerknaben or an independent male soprano, include Handel's ''

Messiah In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; , ; , ; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of '' mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach ...

'', Haydn's ''

Die Schöpfung ''The Creation'' () is an oratorio written in 1797 and 1798 by Joseph Haydn ( Hob. XXI:2), and considered by many to be one of his masterpieces. The oratorio depicts and celebrates the creation of the world as narrated in the Book of Genesis. T ...

'', and Mozart's

Requiem A Requiem (Latin: ''rest'') or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead () or Mass of the dead (), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the souls of the deceased, using a particular form of the Roman Missal. It is ...

, alongside

Derek Lee Ragin Derek Lee Ragin (born June 17, 1958) is an American countertenor. Derek Lee Ragin > Biographyallmusic Early life Derek Ragin was born in West Point, New York and grew up in Newark, New Jersey. He began his formal voice training with the Newar ...

). Cenčić can also be heard as the leading treble soloist with the Wiener Sängerknaben in numerous recordings of liturgical and secular music on the Philips label. A particular highlight from his recordings with the Sängerknaben is a performance of the vocal version of Johann Strauss II's ''

Frühlingsstimmen "", Op. 410 ("Spring's Voices," or commonly "Voices of Spring"; sometimes sung in Italian as "Voci di primavera") is an orchestral waltz, with optional solo soprano voice, written in 1882 by Johann Strauss II. History Strauss dedicated the work ...

'', a remarkable feat of vocalism for a boy soprano. Cenčić was educated at

Downside School Downside School (formally The College of St Gregory the Great, Downside but simply referred to as Downside) is an 11–18 mixed, Roman Catholic, independent, day and boarding school in Stratton-on-the-Fosse, Somerset, England. It was establish ...

in Somerset between the ages of 14 and 16.

Career as male soprano

From 1992 to 1997, he pursued a solo career, singing

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

although his voice had already broken. Following considerable success as a

male soprano A sopranist (also known as male soprano) is a male singer who is able to sing in vocal tessitura of a soprano, usually through falsetto or head voice technique. This voice type is a specific kind of countertenor. In rare cases an adult man may b ...

(including widely acclaimed performances as Amore in Gluck's ''

Orfeo ed Euridice (; French: '; English: ''Orpheus and Eurydice'') is an opera composed by Christoph Willibald Gluck, based on the myth of Orpheus and set to a libretto by Ranieri de' Calzabigi. It belongs to the genre of the '' azione teatrale'', meaning an ...

''), he took a sabbatical from performance, during which he re-trained his voice as a high countertenor. He made his debut as a countertenor in 2001. Prior to adapting his vocal technique to the countertenor range, Cenčić made a series of recordings of operatic arias and ''

Lieder In the Western classical music tradition, ( , ; , ; ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German and Dutch, but among English and French speakers, is often used interchangea ...

'' for a private record label. These recordings have been sporadically available throug
Arcadia
the online shop of the Wiener Staatsoper.

Career as countertenor

Following his re-training as a countertenor, Cenčić has enjoyed a successful career that has taken him around the world. He is noted for a series of dramatically varied portrayals, including the female role of Saint Alexis' wife (Sposa) in Stefano Landi's 1631 opera ''

Il Sant'Alessio ''Il Sant'Alessio'' (''Saint Alexius'') is an opera in three acts composed by Stefano Landi in 1631 with a libretto by Giulio Rospigliosi (the future Pope Clement IX). Its first performance was probably in February 1632. ''Sant'Alessio'' was the ...

'', with William Christie and Les Arts Florissants. Cenčić also appeared in the role of Perseo in the serenata '' Andromeda Liberata'', attributed to Antonio

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

but of dubious authorship, both in a world tour and a recording on the DGG Archiv label with

Andrea Marcon Andrea Marcon (born 6 February 1963 in Treviso, Italy) is an Italian conductor, organist, harpsichordist, and scholar. In 1997, he founded the Venice Baroque Orchestra.Kozinn, Alla"Young Italians Stand at Attention, Which Their Ensemble Attracts ...

and the Venice Baroque Orchestra. Cencic made his debut at the

Vienna State Opera The Vienna State Opera (, ) is a historic opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by ...

on 28 February 2010, in the role of the Herold in the premiere of Aribert Reimann's opera ''

Medea In Greek mythology, Medea (; ; ) is the daughter of Aeëtes, King Aeëtes of Colchis. Medea is known in most stories as a sorceress, an accomplished "wiktionary:φαρμακεία, pharmakeía" (medicinal magic), and is often depicted as a high- ...

''. He sang three additional performances of the role at the Staatsoper in November and December 2010. A studio recording of operatic arias by George Frideric Handel, notably containing music composed for the mezzo-soprano castrato Giovanni Carestini, was released on the EMI/Virgin label in the UK on 1 March 2010. In 2015 Decca released a recording by Parnassus Arts Productions of

Leonardo Vinci Leonardo Vinci (1690 – 27 May 1730) was an Italian Baroque composer known chiefly for his 40 or so operas; comparatively little of his work in other genres survives. A central proponent of the Neapolitan School of opera, his influence on ...

's ''Catone in Utica'' co-produced by Cenčić, in which he sang the role of Arbace. Cencic appeared as Nerone in Monteverdi's ''

L'incoronazione di Poppea ''L'incoronazione di Poppea'' (Stattkus-Verzeichnis, SV 308, ''The Coronation of Poppaea'') is an Italian List of operas by Claudio Monteverdi, opera by Claudio Monteverdi. It was Monteverdi's last opera, with a libretto by Giovanni Francesco Buse ...

'' for the

Opéra de Lille The Opéra de Lille is a neo-classical opera house, built from 1907 to 1913 and officially inaugurated in 1923. Closed for renovation in 1998 it reopened in 2003 for Lille 2004. The Opéra de Lille is a member of the European Network for Opera, ...

in 2012, with

Sonya Yoncheva Sonya Yoncheva (; born 25 December 1981) is a Bulgarian operatic soprano, producer and founder of SY11 Productions company and Bulgarian Artist magazine. Early life Yoncheva was born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. She studied piano and voice at the Nation ...

as Poppea, Tim Mead as Ottone and Emanuelle Haïm conducting Le Concert d’Astrée. In 2017, he performed the same role in the production for the reopening of the

Staatsoper Unter den Linden The Staatsoper Unter den Linden ( State Opera under the Lime Trees), also known as the Berlin State Opera (), is a listed building on Unter den Linden boulevard in the historic center of Berlin, Germany. The opera house was built by order of Pr ...

in Berlin, staged by Eva Höckmayr, conducted by

Diego Fasolis Diego Fasolis (born 19 April 1958) is a Swiss classical organist and conductor, the leader of the ensemble I Barocchisti. He has conducted operas in historically informed performance at major European opera houses and festivals, and has made award- ...

, alongside

Anna Prohaska Anna Prohaska (born June 27, 1983) is an Austrian-British lyric soprano. She lives in Berlin. Career Anna Prohaska studied in Berlin at the Hanns Eisler Academy of Music. Prohaska made her debut in 2002 at the Komische Oper in Harry Kupfer’s ...

as Poppea. He has also staged operas, notably Handel's ''

Arminio ''Arminio'' ( HWV 36) is an opera composed by George Frideric Handel. The libretto is based on a libretto of the same name by Antonio Salvi, which had been set to music by Alessandro Scarlatti. It is a fictionalisation of events surrounding the ...

'', in which he also played the title role, at the

Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe The Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe is a theatre and opera house in Karlsruhe, Germany. It has existed in its present form and place at Ettlinger Tor since 1975. Achim Thorwald became the Theater manager, Intendant in summer 2002 and held that ...

in 2016

Discography

Albums *

Porpora Nicola (or Niccolò) Antonio Giacinto Porpora (17 August 16863 March 1768) was an Italian composer and teacher of singing of the Baroque era, whose most famous singing students were the castrati Farinelli and Caffarelli. Other students included ...

: ''Opera Arias''. Armonia Atenea, George Petrou, Decca, 2018 * Porpora: '' Germanico in Germania''

Julia Lezhneva Julia Mikhaylovna Lezhneva (; born 5 December 1989) is a Russian soprano opera singer and recitalist, specializing in soprano and coloratura mezzo-soprano material of the 18th and early 19th century. She studied with Tamara Cherkasova, Irina Zhu ...

, Capella Cracoviensis, Jan Tomasz Adamus, Decca, 2018 * Handel; ''Ottone'' Max Emanuel Cencic, Pavel Kudinov, Lauren Snouffer,

Ann Hallenberg Ann Hallenberg (born 17 March 1967) is a Swedish mezzo-soprano. She has an Opera, operatic career on the stage and concert platform around Europe. She regularly appears in major opera houses and festivals: embracing roles by Rossini, Mozart, Gluc ...

, Anna Starushkevych,

Il Pomo d'Oro ''Il pomo d'oro'' (''The Golden Apple'') is an opera in a prologue and five acts by the Italy, Italian composer Antonio Cesti with a libretto by Francesco Sbarra (1611-1668). It was first performed before the imperial court in a specially constr ...

, George Petrou, Decca, 2017 * Handel: ''

'', Max Emanuel Cencic, Layla Claire, Ruxandra Donose, Vince Yi, Juan Sancho,

Xavier Sabata Xavier Sabata Corominas (born 1976 in Avià, Catalonia) is a Spanish operatic countertenor. Discography *''I Dilettanti'' - cantatas and arias by Emanuele d'Astorga, Giacomo Maccari, Benedetto Marcello, Giovanni Maria Ruggieri. Latinitas nost ...

, Petros Magoulas, Armonia Atenea, George Petrou, Decca, 2017 * ''Arie Napoletane'', Il Pomo D'Oro, Maxim Emelyanychev, Decca, 2015 * Leonardo Vinci: ''Catone in Utica'', Decca, 2015 * ''The 5 Countertenors'', Max Emanuel Cencic, Yuriy Mynenko,

, Vince Yi, Valer Barna-Sabadus, Armonia Atenea, George Petrou, Decca, 2015 * Gluck: ''

'' (1762), Max Emanuel Cencic, Malin Hartelius,

Franco Fagioli Franco Maximiliano Fagioli (born May 4 1981, in San Miguel de Tucumán, Tucumán) is an Argentine operatic countertenor. Life Born in Argentina, Fagioli initially studied piano and then singing at the Superior Art Institute of the Teatro Colón ...

, Emmanuelle de Negri, Insula Orchestra, Laurence Equilbey, Archiv, 2015 * Hasse: ''Siroe'', Julia Lezhneva, Mary-Ellen Nesi, Franco Faglioli, Armonia Atenea, George Petrou, Decca, 2014 * Handel: ''

Tamerlano ''Tamerlano'' (Tamerlane, HWV 18) is an opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel. The Italian libretto was by Nicola Francesco Haym, adapted from Agostino Piovene's ''Tamerlano'' together with another libretto entitled ''Bajazet'' a ...

'',

, Max Emanuel Cencic, John Mark Ainsley, Karina Gauvin, Ruxandra Donose, Il Pomo d'Oro,

Riccardo Minasi Riccardo Minasi (born 1978) is an Italian violinist and conductor in the field of historically informed performance. Life Born in Rome, Minasi received his first music lessons from his mother, studying modern violin with Paolo Centurioni and Al ...

, Naive Classique, 2014 * ''Rokoko'', arias, Armonia Atenea, George Petrou, Decca, 2014 * ''Venezia'', Il Pomo d'oro, Riccardo Minasi Virgin, 2013 * Vinci: ''Artaserse'', Philippe Jaroussky, Max Emanuel Cencic, Valer Barna-Sabadus, Franco Fagioli, Concerto Köln,

, Virgin, 2012 * Handel: ''Alessandro'', Karina Gauvin, Julia Lezhneva, Armonia Aeterna, George Petrou, Decca, 2012 * Vivaldi, Scarlatti, Caldara: ''Cantatas'', compilation box 3CD Capriccio, 2012 * Gluck: ''Ezio'' 1750 version,

Topi Lehtipuu Topi Lehtipuu (born 24 March 1971) is a Finnish operatic tenor. He has sung a variety of roles from different periods, including the title role in Benjamin Britten's '' Albert Herring'' at the Finnish National Opera, several roles in Mozart oper ...

Sonia Prina Sonia Prina (born 30 November 1975) is an Italian operatic contralto who has had an active career in concerts and operas since the mid-1990s. She is particularly known for her appearances in Baroque operas and for her performances of the Baroque c ...

, Ann Hallenberg, Julian Pregardien, Mayuko Karasawa, Il Complesso Barocco, Alan Curtis, Virgin, 2011 * ''Duetti'', Philippe Jaroussky William Christie, Virgin, 2011 * Vivaldi: '' Farnace'', Max Emanuel Cencic, Ruxandra Donose, Mary-Ellen Nesi, Ann Hallenberg, Karina Gauvin,

Daniel Behle Daniel Behle (born 1974) is a German classical composer and operatic tenor. He has performed at international opera houses and festivals, and has recorded both operas and ''Lieder'' recitals. Career Born in Hamburg, Behle studied music pedagog ...

, Emiliano Gonzalez Toro, I Barocchisti, Diego Fasolis, Virgin, 2011 * Handel: ''Mezzo-Soprano Opera Arias'', I Barocchisti, Diego Fasolis, Virgin, 2010 * Handel: ''

Faramondo ''Faramondo'', HWV 39, is an opera in three acts by George Frideric Handel to an Italian libretto adapted from Apostolo Zeno's '' Faramondo''. The story is loosely based upon the legend of Pharamond, a mythological King of the Franks, circa 420& ...

'', Philippe Jaroussky, Sophie Karthäuser, Choeur de la Radio Suisse, I Barocchisti, Diego Fasolis, Virgin, 2009 * Handel: ''Rodrigo'', Al Ayre Espanol Eduardo Lopez Banzo, Ambroisie 2008 * Rossini: ''Opera Arias & Ouvertures'',

Michael Hofstetter Michael Hofstetter (born 6 September 1961) is a German conductor and academic. He was chief conductor of the festival Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele from 2005 to 2012, and has been Generalmusikdirektor of Gießen since. He has worked internationa ...

, Virgin, 2008 * Handel: ''

Fernando Fernando is a Spanish and Portuguese given name and a surname common in Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Switzerland, and former Spanish or Portuguese colonies in Latin America, Africa and Asia (like the Philippines, India, and Sri Lanka). It is e ...

'' (Sosarme), Il Complesso Barocco, Alan Curtis, Virgin, 2007 *

Domenico Scarlatti Giuseppe Domenico Scarlatti (26 October 1685 – 23 July 1757) was an Italian composer. He is classified primarily as a Baroque music, Baroque composer chronologically, although his music was influential in the development of the Classical peri ...

: ''Scarlatti Cantatas'' Vol. 2, Harpsichord: Aline Zylberajch, Lute and Gitarre: Yasunori Imamura, Cello: Maya Amrein Capriccio, 2006 * Gluck: '' Ezio'' (1750), Max Emanuel Cencic,

Matthias Rexroth Matthias Rexroth (b. Nürnberg, Germany, 7 January 1970) is a German countertenor and voice teacher. Winning 1st prizes at the World Federation of International Music Competitions, Francisco-Viñas in Barcelona and the International Hans Gabor Be ...

, Neue Düsseldorfer Hofmusik,

Andreas Stoehr Andreas () is a name derived from the Greek noun ἀνήρ ''anēr'', with genitive ἀνδρός ''andros'', which means "man". See the article on Andrew for more information. The Scandinavian name is earliest attested as antreos in a runestone ...

, Coviello, 2006 * Caldara: ''Caldara Cantatas'', Capriccio, 2005 * Vivaldi and others: '' Andromeda Liberata'',

, Archiv, 2004 * ''The Vivaldi Album'', Karsten Erik Ose, Capriccio, 2004 *

: ''Cantate d'amore'', Karsten Erik Ose, Capriccio, 2003 DVD * Handel: ''

'', Max Emanuel Cencic, Juan Sancho, Lauren Snouffer, Owen Willetts, Aleksandra Kubas-Kruk, Gaia Petrone, Armonia Atenea, George Petrou,

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( ; ; ; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, third-largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, after its capital Stuttgart a ...

, CMajor, 2017 * Vinci: ''Artaserse'', Philippe Jaroussky, Max Emanuel Cencic, Valer Barna-Sabadus, Franco Fagioli, Concerto Köln, Diego Fasolis, Warner Music Group Germany, 2012 * Monteverdi: ''

'', Philippe Jaroussky (Nerone), Danielle de Niese (Poppea), Anna Bonitatibus (Ottavia), Max Emanuel Cencic (Ottone), Les Arts Florissants, William Christie, Virgin, 2012 * Monteverdi: ''L'incoronazione di Poppea'', Sonya Yoncheva (Poppée), Max Emanuel Cencic (Néron), Ann Hallenberg (Octavie), Tim Mead (Othon), Paul Whelan (Sénèque) & Amel Brahim-Djelloul (Drusilla), Le Concert d'Astrée, Emmanuelle Haïm (conductor) & Jean-François Sivadier (stage director), Virgin, 2013 * Stefano Landi: '' Il Sant' Alessio'', Philippe Jaroussky, Max Emanuel Cencic, Alain Buet, Xavier Sabata, Damien Guillon, Pascal Bertin, Terry Wey, Les Arts Florissants, William Christie, Virgin, 2007

References

External links

*
Website of Parnassus Arts Productions

Partial Discography (excludes recordings made with the Sängerknaben and as a boy soprano)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cencic, Max Emanuel 1976 births Living people 21st-century Croatian male opera singers Operatic countertenors Musicians from Zagreb Croatian expatriates in Austria Performers of early music 21st-century Austrian male opera singers 20th-century Croatian male opera singers 20th-century Austrian male opera singers