Christopher Ventris
British tenor Christopher Ventris is one of the leading Parsifals today, a role he sang in Stefan Herheim's new 2008 production at Bayreuth. This was his Bayreuth debut. He has achieved great critical acclaim for his interpretation in Nikolaus Lehnhoff's production of Parsifal (available on DVD) and in numerous other productions.
Christopher Ventris has received superlatives wherever he has sung Parsifal (Vlaamse Opera Antwerp, Vienna State Opera, San Francisco, Seattle, Santiago de Chile, Barcelona, Hamburg, Covent Garden London, Geneva, Bayreuth Festival).
Other Wagner roles Christopher Ventris has on his repertoire include Siegmund (Cologne, Vienna State Opera, Teatro San Carlo Naples, Teatro La Fenice Venice), Lohengrin (Bologna, Dallas) and Erik (Vlaamse Opera Antwerp, San Francisco).
In 2011 Christopher Ventris will make his role debut as Tannhäuser (in Seattle). In 2012 Siegfried will be added to his repertoire when he makes his role debut in Munich.
Christopher Ventris has performed at Vienna State Opera, Bavarian State Opera, Metropolitan Opera, Glyndebourne Festival, Opera North and English National Opera, San Francisco, Seattle, Barcelona, Hamburg, Covent Garden London, Berlin, La Scala, Madrid, Opéra Bastille and many other opera houses. Debut at the Bayreuth Festival 25 July 2008.
For his interpretation of Lohengrin at Dallas Opera, he received the 2007 Maria Callas Debut Artist of the Year Award.
For full biography, see here
Article about Ventris on Wikipedia
Christopher Ventris on DVD
- Parsifal (Baden-Baden/Nikolaus Lehnhoff)
- Parsifal (Zürich) N/A
- Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk
Reviews
The Valkyrie, Cologne Opera (December 2001)
"The interpreters of the twins and lovers, Christopher Ventris and
Nina Stemme, exude so much brightness, energy and intense emotional expression
that in the first act one really hopes for a turn for the better. With
their bright and radiant voices which are at the same time rich of corporeality
and resonance, they also harmonize ideally in the musical expression."
Neue
Zürcher Zeitung (CH)
The Valkyrie, Cologne Opera (December 2001)
Christopher Ventris’ Siegmund is optically the ideal solitary
fighter with grim courage, interpreting the heldentenor in a slim tone
without any wild attack, and exactly this contrast makes his interpretation
so appealing. The “Wälse” cries have an unexpectedly sober
effect, almost as coming from a talk between father and son. As a tough
man with a soft heart, he succeeds in opening Sieglinde’s eyes for
the short and fragile moments of love, the “Winterstürme” become
a calming lullaby, and he pulls Nothung out of a sawed off ash-tree with
sensitive calm and no aggressivness – the power of the nature is
destroyed.”
Das Opernglas (D)
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