Matthias Rexroth

Matthias Rexroth

Matthias Rexroth, photo by Johannes Ifkovits
Born (1970-01-07) January 7, 1970
Nürnberg, Germany
Occupation Countertenor opera and concert singer
Years active 1999 – present
Awards
  • 1st Prize, Francisco Viñas International Singing Contest (2000)
  • 1st Prize, Hans Gabor Belvedere Competition (2000)
Website matthiasrexroth.de

Matthias Rexroth (b. Nürnberg, Germany, 7 January 1970) is a German countertenor. He was raised in Coburg and completed studies as an oboist, playing professionally before discovering his countertenor voice. He usually refers to himself as an Altus (In English, a "Male alto").[1]

Rexroth studied at the Musikhochschule Karlsruhe, the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, and privately with Marilyn Horne. In 1999 he received a stipend award from the cultural foundation of the state of Baden Württemberg. [2]

Since 2000, Rexroth has had an active career in Europe which has included opera and concert performances. In addition, he is an active voice teacher and coach, and has conducted the Georgisches Kammerorchester[3] and the "Ensemble del' Arte" in Ingolstadt.[4]

Career

Rexroth was hired by Pamela Rosenberg for his debut at the Staatsoper Stuttgart with Purcell’s King Arthur in 1999.[5] A year later, in 2000, followed Apollo in Legrenzi’s opera La divisione del mondo at the Schwetzingen Festival with Thomas Hengelbrock.[6] His first major concert appearance was the internationally televised Bach-year 2000, Bach Mass in B minor from the Leipzig Thomaskirche with Thomaskantor Georg Christoph Biller, the Thomanerchor and the Gewandhaus Orchestra[7] [n 1]

Also in 2000, Rexroth won two competitions, both wins as first countertenor ever: the 37th Francisco-Viñas in Barcelona - first prize in the category Male voices, as well as ‘best counter-tenor’[9] and the 19th 'Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition' in Vienna, winning the first prize and eight additional prizes.[10][11]

In 2001 the Cologne Philharmonie nominated Matthias Rexroth for the "Rising Star" award, with a tour of major European concert houses.[12] In 2003 he represented Germany in the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition.[13]

Matthias Rexroth has collaborated frequently with the conductor Nikolaus Harnoncourt in roles such as Unulfo in Handel’s Rodelinda at the Theater an der Wien,[14] Hamor in Handel’s Jephtha, Didymus in Handel’s Theodora[15] and Purcell’s Ode to St. Cecilia at the Vienna’s Musikverein and the Styriarte festival in Graz. Notable concerts include those with the Vienna Philharmonic under Riccardo Muti, Fabio Luisi with the Accademia di Santa Cecilia Rome, Nicola Luisotti with the Orchestra del Teatro di San Carlo in Naples and Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos with the Wiener Symphoniker. Rexroth performs recitals regularly, at the Berlin Philharmonie, Prinzregententheater in Munich,[16] Bad Kissingen,[17] and with pianists Semion Skigin,[18] Matteo Pais and Eytan Pessen.[19]

Opera

Rexroth sang the title roles in Handel’s Giulio Cesare (directed by Stefan Herheim) at the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet in Oslo in 2005,[20] Gluck’s Ezio with the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf in 2007, and Handel’s Admeto[21] at the Handel Festival, Halle. For his performance of Admeto, Rexroth was nominated "Best Singing Actor" for the 2007 German theatre prize Der Faust.[22] He performed the titel role of Handel’s Ottone in Halle in 2011.[23] Other Handel roles include Athamas in Semele in Essen, Arcane in Teseo in Opern- und Schauspielhaus Frankfurt and Staatsoper Stuttgart, Armindo in Partenope (under Christophe Rousset)[24] and Tolomeo in Giulio Cesare in Frankfurt (2013-5).[25][26]

Apart from Handel repertoire, Matthias Rexroth performed Corindo in Antonio Cesti's Orontea under Ivor Bolton (2014) at the Frankfurt opera, Nibbio in Giambattista Martini's L'impresario delle Isole Canarie at the Semperoper Dresden (2014)[27] where he also performed various roles in Purcell's King Arthur (2014). Other opera appearances include Telemann’s Der geduldige Socrates with René Jacobs at the Festwochen der Alten Musik in Innsbruck and at the Staatsoper Berlin, Ottone in Monteverdi’s Poppea at Hamburg State Opera, and Oberon in Britten’s Midsummer Night's Dream at the Staatstheater Darmstadt.[28] Appearances as Ozia in Almeida’s La Giuditta in Frankfurt,[29] Musico in Donizetti’s Le convenienze ed inconvenienze teatrali at the Staatsoper Stuttgart,[30] and Strauss’ Die Fledermaus in the Aalto Theatre in Essen under Stefan Soltesz have also been made.[31]

Concerts

Concert appearances with the Vienna Philharmonic, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Radio Televisione Española Madrid, Staatsorchester Stuttgart, Santa Cecilia orchestra, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin,[32] Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, Concerto Köln,[33] Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart,[34] the Berliner Philharmoniker Scharoun Ensemble[35] Orchestra Montis realis,[36] and the festivals of Schwetzingen, Innsbruck,[37] Ludwigsburg, Rheingau, Baden-Baden and Shanghai.

The composer Wolfgang Rihm wrote Kolonos (“Oedipus auf Kolonos”)[38] for Rexroth, performed and recorded by the SWR and the Rossini in Wildbad opera festival in 2008, and with Constantin Trinks in Darmstadt.[39][40]

Recordings

Recordings with all major broadcasting companies in Germany have taken place. These include: Bayerischer Rundfunk, Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk, Hessischer Rundfunk, Norddeutscher Rundfunk, SFB, Südwestrundfunk, ORF and Deutsche Welle.

Specific recordings

Interviews

References

  1. ↑ Rexroth’s appearance in this concert is discussed effusively by a character named ‘Andre’ in a novel by Roland Schreyer.[8]

Notes

  1. ↑ Heinrich Becker, "Matthias Rexroth Temperament für die Bühne", Orpheus, March–April 2003, pp. 10-11
  2. ↑ Andreas J. Wiesand, Handbuch der Kulturpreise 4, Arcult Media, 2001. ISBN 978-3930395248
  3. ↑ Sandra Hummel, "Grandios: Matthias Rexroth und die Georgier im Festsaal", Donau Kurier, 30 September 2010
  4. ↑ Josef Heumann, "Eine Stimme, die Emotionen weckt", Donaukurier, 20 January 2013
  5. ↑ Klaus Zehelein, Editor, „Anders“, raumzeit3 Verlag, ISBN 978-3981100761 (2006),
  6. ↑ Bernhard Hermann ,Peter Stieber, Ein Arkadien der Musik: 50 Jahre Schwetzinger Festspiele, 1952-2002 Verlag: Metzler (2002) ISBN 978-3476019073 s. 246
  7. ↑ J.S. Bach: Mass in B minor, Universal Music Classics & Jazz, 2001, ASIN: B003TXPUN2
  8. ↑ Roland Schreyer , Akte St. Nikolai, B.O.D (2010) ISBN 978-3839157114
  9. ↑ Bernd Krause, "Der Stuttgarter Countertenor Matthias Rexroth gewinnt den Gesangswettbewerb in Barcelona", Stuttgarter Zeitung, 1 February 2000
  10. ↑ Peter Jarolin, "BÜHNE-Sonderpreis – ein Porträt des Siegers", Wiener Bühnen, September 2000, p. 39
  11. ↑ Barbara Rett, "Hans Gabor Wettbewerb geht online", Barbara Rett's online blog, 7 July 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2013
  12. ↑ Christopher Morley, Financial Times (London), 28 January 2002
  13. ↑ Cardiff Competition website also Graeme Kay's blog (see "additional sources" below)
  14. ↑ Opera News, July 2011
  15. ↑ Vienna Musikverein, Monatszeitung, Meistersinger aus Nürnberg retrieved 10 July 2013
  16. ↑ Klaus Kalchschmid, "Matthias Rexorh Gefeiertes Debut", Süddeutsche Zeitung, 21 November 2005
  17. ↑ Ahnert, Saale Zeitung, 28 June 2011
  18. ↑ Dirk Aschendorf, (Engl. "Wahnfried's first Counter", WAT, 4 October 2008
  19. ↑ Recital review: Albrecht Schmidt, "Jeder Ton ein Ereignis, Matthias Rexroth singt, dass einem der Atem stockt", Damstädter Echo, 15 April 2002
  20. ↑ Ingrid Gäfvert, Opera News, 5 February 2005
  21. ↑ Brooke Bryant, "Admeto re di Tessaglia by George Frideric Handel; Howard Arman; Matthias Rexroth; Romelia Lichtenstein; Mechthild Bach; Tim Mead; Raimund Nolte", Notes, Second Series, Vol. 66, No. 3 (March, 2010), Music Library Association, pp. 621-622
  22. ↑ Article: "Deutscher Theaterpreis, Rexroth mit Admeto nominiert", Neue Presse, Coburg, 28 September 2007
  23. ↑ Review in Opernwelt (magazine), August 2011
  24. ↑ Ulrich Weinzierl, Die Welt, 24 February 2009
  25. ↑ Hans-Klaus Jungheinrich, Frankfurter Rundschau, 4 December 2012
  26. ↑ Claus Ambrosius, Opernwelt, February 2013
  27. ↑ http://www.epochtimes.de/Semperoper-Dresden-Altus-Matthias-Rexroth-begeistert-in-L%E2%80%99impresario-delle-CanarieSub-Plot-a1165137.html
  28. ↑ Orpheus magazine, 8 September 2002
  29. ↑ Barbara Röder, "Giuditta, una opera sacra", Scherzo (magazine), N.255, September 2010 p. 39
  30. ↑ Götz Thieme, Kunst und Wahnsinn, Stuttgarter Zeitung, 24 March 2001
  31. ↑ Radio review by Ulrike Gondorf, dradio.de, December 12, 2011
  32. ↑ Online at akamus.de
  33. ↑ Matthias Boll, "Die klangvoller Rückkehr eines Stars", FN, 17. January 2007, p.4
  34. ↑ Review of Handel's Messiah with Helmuth Rilling, Stuttgarter Zeitung, 12 December 2005
  35. ↑ Christine Gehringer, "Ein Klang wie aus höheren Sphären", Badisches Tagblatt, 14 June 2003
  36. ↑ Giancarlo Satragni, La Stampa, 10 November 2006, p.57
  37. ↑ Klaus Kalschmid, "Telemann Der Geduldige Sokrates", Opernwelt (magazine), October 2007
  38. ↑ Information on the work on universaledition.com
  39. ↑ Ausgabe: 10/08 - 57 online review Jahrgang
  40. ↑ Online review on echo-online.de
  41. ↑ Roman Fryscheisen, "Tancredi mit Counter Matthias Rexroth und beiden Finale Fassunge", Opernwelt (magazine), August 2004

Additional sources

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