We are living in a golden age of countertenors. It wasn’t so long ago that baroque opera roles, originally written for such legendary 18th century castrati as Farinelli and Senesino, were sung by female sopranos and altos. The early music movement did much to change that, and now new generations of superstar countertenors have taken their place among the most popular singers in the classical music world. Andreas Scholl, Philippe Jaroussky, David Daniels and Daniel Taylor are all megastars.
It didn’t happen overnight. Male singers in church choirs had been singing in the upper stratosphere for years, but acceptance of the countertenor voice in operas and recitals took a while because people had terrible misconceptions about high male voices existed. One of the great groundbreaking countertenors was Alfred Deller. There’s a story, perhaps apocryphal, that a French woman heard Deller sing and said to him, “Monsieur, vous êtes eunuque” (Sir, you are a eunuch). Deller reportedly replied, “I think you mean ‘unique,’ madam.”
Deller was unique indeed. With his Deller Consort he spearheaded the countertenor revival and resurrected some of the great works of Dowland, Purcell and Handel. Benjamin Britten was so taken with his voice that he wrote the role of Oberon in his opera A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Deller.
Dowland and Handel are just two of the composers featured on Daniel Taylor’s Shakespeare–Come again sweet love. Taylor is one of Canada’s leading countertenors and a singer who is equally at home in both early and contemporary music. On this album of Elizabethan songs he is joined by some of the great performers of the early music world, including sopranos Emma Kirkby and Carolyn Sampson.
Please note that the compact disc version of this album is “made on demand,” which means it will be specially created when your order is received, but requires additional production time.
by Craig Zeichner
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