Ian Bostridge Tenor Recital at Concert Hall ATM, Mito

Ian Bostridge Tenor Recital
Venue: Concert Hall ATM
Date: April 17 (Thu), 2014
Time: 7:00p.m. (doors open at 6:30p.m.)
Performers: Ian Bostridge (Tenor), Julius Drake (Piano)

[Program]
Mahler: "Lieder und Gesänge aus der Jugendzeit", 'Frühlingsmorgen' / 'Erinnerung'
Mahler: "Des Knaben Wunderhorn", 'Der Tamboursg'sell' / 'Wo die schönen Trompeten blasen' / 'Revelge'
Mahler: Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen
Britten: The holy sonnets of John Donne Op.35
Britten: 'Sally gardens' from Folksongs arrangement Vol.1 "British Isles"
Britten: 'O waly, waly' from Folksongs arrangement Vol.3 "British Isles"
Britten: 'Oliver Cromwell' from Folksongs arrangement Vol.1 "British Isles"

It was a stunning night.
I had a first chance to listen to Ian Bostridge, a leading British tenor, at a concert hall.
I have just one of his CDs.
Frankly speaking, I bought it because I wanted to listen to the playing of the accompanist, Leif Ove Andsnes, and I was not much interested in the singer.
However, a friend of mine is a big fan of him, so I had been thinking of attending his recital, if I had a chance.

Bostridge's career is a little bit unique.
He used to be a scholar of history, and got a PhD in witchcraft in early modern England before he started to sing professionally.
So, I had had an image that his singing style was intellectual and sensitive.
That was partly true but partly wrong.
In fact, his voice had a transparent quality and delicate timbre, with subtle nuances and gradations.
On another front, his interpretations depicted the story of the songs like a play, and conveyed the various and strong emotions in the lyrics.
His voice was spellbinding, even powerful and overwhelming.
I had had an impression that the singer, who was tall and slender, looked more like a nervous and pale sorcerer than a leading tenor.
Actually, he sang as if he were a fighting archangel in armor, not a sorcerer.