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December 23, 2016

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Swiss countertenor finds musical inspiration in joys of life

THOUGH known by the world as a leading countertenor, 49-year-old Andreas Scholl sees that identity as only one aspect of his life.

The singer just finished his latest performance at the Third Baroque Music Festival initiated and organized by Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, and is now looking forward to seeing a documentary about him broadcast on a German culture channel in January.

The film is a profile of Scholl and his wife, and was filmed by one of their friends. Scholl says the film’s title, “The Other Side,” is a reference to the need to develop multiple sides of one’s life. He sees this as part of his success as a countertenor.

“If you focus only on work, you are losing the bigger picture,” says Scholl. “Private life is the food for my art.”

Though he used to give 60-70 concerts annually ten years ago, Scholl has cut this down to about 40 in recent years to gain more time for himself.

“As a singer, I sing about life. Without a real life of my own, I cannot sing,” says Scholl.

Though he started singing at seven at a boys’ choir in his hometown of Kiedrich, Germany, Scholl didn’t see singing as a career until 17 when his singing teacher told him that he could become a countertenor. That was the first time he heard the term.

“Normally, a young boy’s voice breaks and drops to a tenor or baritone at 13 or 14 years old. But with a countertenor, he has to keep his high singing voice through the mutation period. These are usually very rare cases, but it happened to me,” says Scholl.

Though he had thought about possible careers as a soldier or priest, he chose music since he believed his voice was a gift from the god. He moved to Switzerland to study at Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, and was deeply touched when he first heard a performance of Monteverdi’s “The Lament of the Nymph.”

“It was so beautiful. I suddenly realized that is what music is for, and this was gonna be my life,” says Scholl.

He collaborated with Les Arts Florissants in a recording of Handel’s “Messiah” in 1994, sang Bach’s “Agnus Dei” at Belgian Prince Filip’s wedding in 1999, performed at The Proms as the first countertenor on stage in 2005, and participated in Handel’s opera “Rodelinda” at MetOpera in 2006.

And he’s not satisfied with only sharing his gift with audiences in the concert hall. He’s made experimental electronic music with his friends since his student days and always maintained a love for creating his own pieces.

Over the years, he’s created music for ballet performances, audio books and pop songs. And in 2003, he had a pop concert of his own where he shared four of his own creations.

“Of course there are difference in presenting baroque music and pop music. When singing pop, I use a microphone. It was different, but not necessarily easier. The microphone is like a magnifying glass for the voice. You can sing soft while everybody hears it closely. But when singing Baroque music, I should be aware of projecting more, and fill my voice in the hall. Both are difficult,” says Scholl.

But pop usually provides him with more flexibility, and he can casually switch his voice between baritone and countertenor. As an active performer and music educator for more than 20 years, Scholl has witnessed remarkable development of countertenor as a profession in Europe.

There were only about 10 professional countertenors in the early 1990s, but this number has reached about 150-200 and more specialty countertenors for opera or church music have emerged. Still, as with all artistic careers, competition is tough.

“We offer the world our hard work combined with our personality and ideas, but people have to be interested so as to pay for it. As a teacher, I am aware of how hard life is for musicians these days, even if they are diligent and talented,” says Scholl.

For Scholl, music is more about joy and fun. After living in Switzerland for 20 years, Scholl moved back to his hometown in 2008. He has a recording studio at his house, where he invites friends to play and record.

“It was always my dream to have such an artistic space where we could enjoy our music without interrupting the neighbors,” says Scholl.

And his daughter’s birth 16 months ago has also enriched his life.

“Though much of my leisure time is occupied, it’s happier spending time with my daughter, witnessing her walking and hearing her talk,” says Scholl.




 

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