is a Japanese classical soprano, specializing in

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 ...

. She has recorded many

cantatas A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The meaning of t ...

by Johann Sebastian Bach with the Bach Collegium Japan, both as a soloist and as a member of the ensemble.

Career

Born in

Kobe Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whic ...

, Suzuki studied at the Kyoto City University of Arts. After her graduation, she studied Baroque singing from 1991 at the Academy for Early Music in Amsterdam with

Max van Egmond Max van Egmond (born 1 February 1936 in Semarang) is a Dutch bass and baritone singer. He has focused on oratorio and Lied and is known for singing works of Johann Sebastian Bach. He was one of the pioneers of historically informed performance of B ...

. Suzuki has performed as a member of the Bach Collegium Japan. She appeared as a soloist in several volumes of the recording of all

by Johann Sebastian Bach, conducted by her brother-in-law Masaaki Suzuki. A review of volume 5 said about the final duet of ''Tritt auf die Glaubensbahn'', BWV 152, in which she sang the part of the Soul alongside

Peter Kooy Peter Kooij (or, internationally Kooy, born 1954, in Soest) is a Dutch bass singer who specializes in baroque music. Biography Kooij started his musical career at 6 years as a choir boy. However he started his musical studies as a violin studen ...

as Jesus: "both singers rise to the occasion, delivering characterization that couldn’t be rendered with more humility". A review of her recording of ''Was soll ich aus dir machen, Ephraim'', BWV 89, notes: "She sings with great clarity. Her brief aria contains one of Bach’s typical, irresistible oboe obbligati. Suzuki matches the oboist’s delicacy and gives a lovely, poised account of the aria". Suzuki was in 1996 the soprano soloist in Handel's '' Messiah'' with the Bach Collegium Japan, performing alongside Yoshikazu Mera, John Elwes and David Thomas. She also recorded Bach's ''

St John Passion The ''Passio secundum Joannem'' or ''St John Passion'' (german: Johannes-Passion, link=no), BWV 245, is a Passion or oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach, the older of the surviving Passions by Bach. It was written during his first year as direc ...

'' with the Bach Collegium Japan. In 2000 she was one of the singers who also formed the choir ( OVPP, one voice per part) in a recording of Bach's Mass in B minor with the ensemble La Petite Bande, conducted by Sigiswald Kuijken. In 2015 she was the vocalist in a recording ''La Ciaccona'', a collection of early ciacconas from Spain and Italy by composers including Andrea Falconieri, Girolamo Frescobaldi and Salomone Rossi, played by the Japanese Ensemble Anthonello.

References

External links

Midori Suzuki credits
AllMusic {{DEFAULTSORT:Suzuki, Midori Japanese sopranos Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 20th-century Japanese women singers 20th-century Japanese singers 21st-century Japanese women singers 21st-century Japanese singers Singers_from_Kobe Japanese performers of early music Bach singers Women performers of early music