Christopher Robson

Countertenor

Christopher Robson was born in Scotland in 1953 and is today widely regarded as one of the foremost exponents of the Countertenor voice, with a repertoire ranging from Medieval monody to the Avant-Garde. Since his debut with the English National Opera in 1981 he has made a unique contribution to the world of Opera and Music-Theatre, being highly respected for the energy and commitment of his performances as well as his skill as an actor. Over a period of 17 years he won critical acclaim for his performances with the ENO, notably in a series of Handel operas (including the title role “Giulio Cesare”) and the UK Premieres of Reimann’s LEAR (Edgar/Mad Tom) and Philip Glass’s AKHNATEN (title role). He has also sung with the Royal Opera Covent Garden, Scottish Opera, Opera North, Glyndebourne Festival and Touring Opera, and the Opera Factory in the UK. Abroad he has appeared with Houston Grand Opera (American premiere “Akhnaten”), New York City Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera, Sao Paulo Opera, as well as many of the leading European companies.
 
He has worked with many of the world’s leading conductors and stage directors, including Claudio Abbado, Gary Bertini, Sir Charles Mackerras, Sir Roger Norrington, Nicklaus Harnoncourt, Gustav Leonhardt, Zubin Mehta, Mark Elder, Ivor Bolton, Richard Jones, Nicholas Hytner, David Freeman, Willy Decker, Eicke Gramms, Robert Carsen, Leander Hausmann, David Alden and Martin Duncan. He has also appeared in recent years with the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Symphony, Academy of Ancient Music, London Philharmonic, BBC Philharmonic, Münchner Rundfunk, and Academy of St.Martin in the Fields orchestras, in Vienna, Munich, London, Madrid, Berlin and Athens.
 
World Premieres have included the creation of the Angel in John Tavener’s APOCALYPSE, Claire in John Lunn’s THE MAIDS (an adaptation of Genet’s play of the same name written specially for Christopher and his brother, the tenor Nigel Robson), Ometh in John Casken’s GOLEM, and the Refugee in Jonathan Dove’s FLIGHT. In concert he has premiered new works by Xavier Dayer, Rene Clemencic, John Tavener, Hans-Jürgen von Bose and Hans Ulrich Lehmann.
 
Christopher Robson has broadcast on radio and television extensively, and his recordings for Decca, Virgin, Chandos, Farao, EMI, Meridian, Harmonia Mundi etc. include performances of Handel’s MESSIAH, BELSHAZZAR, ARIODANTE & SERSE, Bach’s MAGNIFICAT, Casken’s GOLEM, Vivaldi’s NISI DOMINUS & GLORIA, and Monteverdi’s ORFEO. On DVD he has recorded Handel’s XERXES, ARIODANTE & RODELINDA, Jonathan Dove’s FLIGHT, Purcell’s St. CECILIA ODE 1692, and a compilation of Handel arias, A NIGHT WITH HANDEL.
 
Since 1994 Christopher Robson has been a regular guest artist with the Bavarian State Opera (Bayerische Staatsoper) in Munich, taking part in productions of Handel’s GIULIO CESARE (title role & Tolomeo), SERSE (Arsamenes), ARIODANTE (Polinesso), RODELINDA (Unulfo), L’INCORONAZIONE DI POPPEA (Arnalta), and DIE FLEDERMAUS (Orlofsky). In 2002 he played Baba the Turk in a new production of Stravinky’s THE RAKE’S PROGRESS, and also created a plethora of roles in the World Premiere of Hans-Jürgen von Bose’s KAFKA PROJEKT 12/14 (an adaptation of “Metamorphoses” and letters by Kafka), a “One-Man” opera especially commissioned for him by the Bayerische Staatsoper for the 2002 Opernfestspiele.
 In 1999, with the Swiss pianist Petra Ronner, he instigated a series of annual recitals at the Munich Opera Festival exploring the relationships between Old and New music, bringing to many listeners ears the riches of Medieval dramatic monody for the first time, as well as music of the Baroque and Modern eras. In 2004 he premiered a new music/theatre piece, CORPORALITA, in collaboration with the director Martina Veh and choreographer and Butoh dancer Yvonne Pouget, further strengthening his artistic ties with Munich.
 In 1997 and 2002 Christopher Robson was awarded the Opernfestspielpreis (the only person ever to have received the award twice in the history of the Munich Opera Festival), and in 2003 was honoured by the Bavarian Minister for Culture with the title of “Bayerische Kammersänger” (KS) in recognition of his work and his contribution to cultural life in Munich.

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