Andreas Scholl
HIGH IDEAS
A Chat with Andreas Scholl
Andreas Scholl has been dubbed "the Rolls-Royce of countertenors" for his gleaming pipes and athletic chassis. The 32-year-old German-born singer has already made a series of highly praised recordings for Harmonia Mundi. Now, he's recorded HEROES, his first album for Decca. In the dusty balcony of an old synagogue-cum-performance space in New York City's Lower East Side, Scholl discussed his quickly ascending career with Benjamin Ivry, barnesandnoble.com's Associate Editor for Classical Music.
barnesandnoble.com: How did you become a countertenor?
Andreas Scholl: When I was seven, I began to study at a German school for children's choral singing, the Kiedricher Chorbuben, where I stayed until I was 18. My speaking voice changed at 13, but through daily training I managed to continue singing soprano. It's a gift, but one that requires effort -- like the way Claudia Schiffer's beauty was given to her, but she must work to keep it up.
bn: "The Three Countertenors," which you recorded with Dominique Visse and Pascal Bertin, is a comic CD made by serious classical musicians. Were you purposefully pushing the limits by singing "O Sole Mio" and the "Habanera" from "Carmen"?
AS: That's exactly right; "The Three Countertenors" was about breaking limits. It was a joke, released on April Fool's Day -- one of the few occasions where you can sing what you like for fun and not worry if an audience will be offended. In early music, some people are too serious, but in fact, nobody ever gets arrested for a joke in slightly bad taste.
bn: What new recordings can we look forward to?
AS: I've recorded Pergolesi's "Stabat Mater" with the soprano Barbara Bonney, and Christophe Rousset conducting, which will be released by Decca this fall. I've also completed a CD of English lute songs that will be out in November. As for the future, I might record a disc of medieval music.
bn: You've recorded Bach cantatas with different conductors, including Christophe Coin, Ton Koopman, and Philippe Herreweghe. Does their approach to the music vary?
AS: Each has advantages related to his background. Koopman began as a keyboard player and accompanies singers from the keyboard with great attention. Coin is a wonderful cellist, and string players always love to work with him because he has such fine ideas about phrasing. Herreweghe is a choral conductor, and although comparisons are dangerous, I think he's the best for Bach. He has really complete knowledge of this music, and when you hear him conduct it, you are really hearing Bach himself, not just an interpretation. He reveals details like no one else, and every phrase has a point. The whole orchestra plays with meaning -- and that lifts the music, which begins to live and breathe.
bn: You've also recorded with René Jacobs, the noted Belgian countertenor and conductor, who was also one of your teachers. Is there something special about being conducted by another countertenor?
AS: We've known each other for many years, and we like each other. I sometimes feel that I will always be his student, no matter what age I am. I'm still learning each time I work with him.
bn: Is there a certain approach to music making that you'd like to promote?
AS: It's important to encourage musicians. One gets the maximum out of singers by not insulting them. There's no excuse for nastiness. For example, if a soprano leaves a production crying, or with a nervous breakdown, it's just bad manners on a conductor's part. Sometimes I get very angry when I see or hear about that. It's a lack of humanity.
The food for singing is life. Arguing with your wife and children, taking a nice summer holiday, having a good party with friends, and even the hangover the next day -- all of this is part of the liveliness in our music. If one no longer has these experiences and only does music, one can run out of the basic fuel, which is life itself.
Benjamin Ivry
© 2009 All Media Guide, LLC