Born in 1982, Edwin Crossley-Mercer first studied the clarinet and singing at the same time as his German studies. In 2000 he entered the Versailles Centre de Musique Baroque, going on to further study in nineteenth-century repertoire. He has performed both the baroque and classical repertoire in concert appearances and has performed in Gounod’s Romeo et Juliette and Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin.
I have just seen a broadcast of this year's Roméo and Juliette from Salzburg (with Villázon).
ReplyDeleteIn a smaller role it featured Austrian baritone Mathias Hausmann.
I googled him and he is very handsome, as well.
He is obviously giving his La scala debut this year.
After hearing Mr Crossley-Mercer in Brahms' Deutsches Requiem on November 22 in Clermont-Ferrand in front of 625 spectators (before performing the same work with Accentus in Aix later in 2009), his performance as Guglielmo in Cosi fan Tutti in Aix this year and in the Concertante version of Cosi at the Cité de la Musique, I intend to keep a very close eye on this young man, who, while he is of Irish and French extraction, lives in Berlin. He is a worker with an excellent vocal technique and a natural sense of the emotion required in either Lieder (impeccable German), French songs or Opera; he takes nothing for granted and does not possess the slightest trace of pretentiousness - a rare feature among the best.
ReplyDeleteI expect him to become a very fine baritone indeed, certainly one of Europe's best in just a few years. Take note please.
Liz.
The sexy barihunk is in Amsterdam right now..
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteDoes somebody know what he is doing right now?
ReplyDeleteThere will be an excellent opportunity for seeing him in his recital with Mr Semjon Skigin at the Musée d'Orsay auditorium on May 11th - Schubert's Winterreise. He has just finished Amadis with the Opéra de Massy, in both Paris and Avignon - an excellent job as Florestan. He also had the role of Claudio in Béatrice et Bénédict at the Opéra comique, which sparked off healthy enthusiasm in this work directed by Dan Jemett which had not been put on in France since 1771, I believe. At the end of the year, he has the role of Harlekin in Ariadne auf Naxos. There are other engagements in autumn, but I should have to make further investigations. From memory, that is all I can muster, except that the d'Orsay recital will be performed at the Opéra de Lille later in the year. For more info, see RSB Artists.
ReplyDeleteI made a mistake, because Mr. Crossley-Mercer performed his recital at Lille opera last night, on the 28th April, after finishing the last performance the day before of the world première in Rouen of l'Amour Coupable composed by Mr. Thierry Pécou, and commissioned by the Opéra de Rouen. His Musée d'Orsay recital with his excellent Russian pianist Mr Semjon Skigin is scheduled for the 11th May 2010. Don't miss it! He will be performing this year, for the second year in a row, at the Villa Wahnfried with Mr Skigin at the Bayreuth Festival on August 12, 2010, a singular honour for the second time.
ReplyDeleteI am attending the Orsay recital and am looking forward to it!
ReplyDeleteJust back from Paris after a sublime concert recital at the Musée d'Orsay after which there were three curtain calls* after the Winterreise, but in French to make the point, I felt, that Mr Crossley-Mercer accompanied by the excellent Mr Skigin, can give an superb performance in either French or German.
ReplyDelete*
1) Debussy: Romance
2) Clair de Lune: Fauré
3) Elégie: Massenet
The public was hypnotised during the Winterreise and then on its feet after the three French melodies.
It just does not get better than this.
Has it ever been found out where he was born ? Or is it France best kept secret.
ReplyDeleteHe is too charming to be German and too masculine to be French.
He is from Clermont Ferrand and he is French - Irish.
DeleteA comment recently made in a French newspaper drew attention to his exceptional interpretation of "Les Feuilles Mortes" ("Autumn Leaves) in Saint Petersburg as part of a recital on French Romance:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=BF&v=rWHsx2c0gLQ&list=TLCwFb6X_lf4A
German newspapers have given outstanding praise to his recital at the Bad Kissingen Festival this year, before stunning the public at the Colmar Festival as the only vocalist.
His Dad is originally from Northern Ireland, and was a dear school friend of mine. How great to hear Edwin sing so beautifully, Yet his father was a bit of a chanteur himself, belting out Buddy Holly anthems as the local church hall. I'm sure he recalls
ReplyDelete"Two song cycles to poems by the contemporary Italian/American Cody Franchetti and the ancient Roman poet Catullus will be premiered at the Weill Recital Hall in New York City's Carnegie Hall March 3, 2014. The event will also be the first appearance in New York of the French bass-baritone Edwin Crossley-Mercer. The songs are the works of Michael Linton, a prize-winning composer based in Tennessee."
DeleteIncidentally "Gobbledigook", you'll find his father on YouTube as an amateur country musician.