Paul Lawrence Vincent Esswood (born 6 June 1942) is an English

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 s ...

and

conductor Conductor or conduction may refer to: Music * Conductor (music), a person who leads a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra. * ''Conductor'' (album), an album by indie rock band The Comas * Conduction, a type of structured free improvisation ...

. He is best known for his performance of Bach cantatas and the operas of

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training i ...

and Monteverdi. Along with his countrymen Alfred Deller and James Bowman, he led the revival of countertenor singing in modern times.

Life and career

Paul Esswood was born in West Bridgford, England. He studied at the Royal College of Music in London from 1961 to 1964 after which he sang in the choir of Westminster Abbey. His professional debut was in a performance of Handel's '' Messiah'' for Angel Records, conducted by Charles Mackerras (1967). Esswood has participated in over 150 recordings, including the alto parts of many Bach cantatas in the complete Teldec series by conductors

Nikolaus Harnoncourt Johann Nikolaus Harnoncourt or historically Johann Nikolaus Graf de la Fontaine und d'Harnoncourt-Unverzagt; () (6 December 1929 – 5 March 2016) was an Austrian conductor, particularly known for his historically informed performances of music ...

and

Gustav Leonhardt Gustav Maria Leonhardt (30 May 1928 – 16 January 2012) was a Dutch keyboardist, conductor, musicologist, teacher and editor. He was a leading figure in the historically informed performance movement to perform music on period instruments. Leo ...

. He has recorded ''Messiah'' four times, as well as extended works by

Henry Purcell Henry Purcell (, rare: September 1659 – 21 November 1695) was an English composer. Purcell's style of Baroque music was uniquely English, although it incorporated Italian and French elements. Generally considered among the greatest E ...

Claudio Monteverdi Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi (baptized 15 May 1567 – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, choirmaster and string player. A composer of both secular and sacred music, and a pioneer in the development of opera, he is considered ...

Francesco Cavalli Francesco Cavalli (born Pietro Francesco Caletti-Bruni; 14 February 1602 – 14 January 1676) was a Republic of Venice, Venetian composer, organist and singer of the early Baroque music, Baroque period. He succeeded his teacher Claudio Monteverd ...

, Marc-Antoine Charpentier and others. Among the roles in contemporary works written for Esswood are the title role in

Philip Glass Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimal music, minimalism, being built up fr ...

's '' Akhnaten'' and Death in Penderecki's ''

Paradise Lost ''Paradise Lost'' is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton (1608–1674). The first version, published in 1667, consists of ten books with over ten thousand lines of verse (poetry), verse. A second edition fo ...

''. He also sang in the première of

Schnittke Alfred Garrievich Schnittke (russian: Альфре́д Га́рриевич Шни́тке, link=no, Alfred Garriyevich Shnitke; 24 November 1934 – 3 August 1998) was a Russian composer of Jewish-German descent. Among the most performed and re ...

's Second Symphony. Paul Esswood is a co-founder of Pro Cantione Antiqua, an all-male

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

group specializing in

early music Early music generally comprises Medieval music (500–1400) and Renaissance music (1400–1600), but can also include Baroque music (1600–1750). Originating in Europe, early music is a broad musical era for the beginning of Western classical m ...

. He has also established a reputation as a conductor of Baroque opera. In particular, Esswood has worked extensively in Poland as both a conductor and teacher. In Krakow he has conducted

Capella Cracoviensis Capella Cracoviensis is a period instrument ensemble and a chamber choir based in Kraków, Poland. It was formed in 1970 by composer and music conductor Stanisław Gałoński (b. 1936), its first director and general manager. Capella Cracovie ...

in works such as Purcell's '' The Fairy Queen'' and Vivaldi's ''

Gloria Gloria may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Christian liturgy and music * Gloria in excelsis Deo, the Greater Doxology, a hymn of praise * Gloria Patri, the Lesser Doxology, a short hymn of praise ** Gloria (Handel) ** Gloria (Jenkins) ...

'', while in

Bydgoszcz Bydgoszcz ( , , ; german: Bromberg) is a city in northern Poland, straddling the meeting of the River Vistula with its left-bank tributary, the Brda. With a city population of 339,053 as of December 2021 and an urban agglomeration with more ...

he has conducted the Capella Bydgostiensis in works including Handel’s ''Messiah''. Other roles Esswood has held in the country include Visiting Professor of Baroque Vocal Music at the Academy of Music in Gdansk and Chief Conductor of the Polish Orchestra of the XVIII Century. 2020 saw him conduct

Jean-Baptiste Lully Jean-Baptiste Lully ( , , ; born Giovanni Battista Lulli, ; – 22 March 1687) was an Italian-born French composer, guitarist, violinist, and dancer who is considered a master of the French Baroque music style. Best known for his operas, he ...

's '' Armide'' for the Warsaw Chamber Opera. In 2023, he helped to inaugurate the Poznań Grand Theatre's artistic season by conducting Handel's '' Jephtha''.

Selected recordings

* Jean-Sébastien Bach, ''Passion selon saint Matthieu'', avec Kurt Equiluz, Karl Ridderbusch, Paul Esswood, Tom Sutcliffe, James Bowman, Nigel Rogers, Max van Egmond, Michael Schopper, Concentus Musicus Wien, Chœur de garçons des ''Regensburger Domspatzen'', Chœur du King's College, conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt - 3 CD Teldec (1970). * Georg Friedrich Haendel, ''Serse'', avec Carolyn Watkinson, Paul Esswood, Barbara Hendricks, Ortrun Wenkel, Anne-Marie Rodde, Ulrik Cold, Ulrich Studer, La Grande Écurie et la Chambre du Roy, conducted by Jean-Claude Malgoire - 3 CD Sony Music (1979). * Marc-Antoine Charpentier, ''David et Jonathas'' H.490, avec Paul Esswood (David), Colette Alliot-Lugaz(Jonathas), Philippe Huttenlocher (Saül), Roger Soyer (Achis), Antoine David (Joabel), René Jacobs (La Pythonisse), Pari Marinov ( L'Ombre de Samuel), Maitrise de L'Opéra de Lyon, Enfants de la Cigale de Lyon, et du lycée musical, English Bach Festival Baroque Orchestra, conducted by Michel Corboz - 2 CD Erato (1981).

References

External links

*
Paul Esswood (Countertenor)
Bach Cantatas Website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Esswood, Paul 1942 births Living people Operatic countertenors Alumni of the Royal College of Music People from West Bridgford Honorary Members of the Royal Academy of Music People educated at West Bridgford School