David Wilson-Johnson
Variously described as a bass, baritone, or bass-baritone, David Wilson-Johnson is most comfortable in the latter range. A burly voiced singer, he has succeeded in a wide-ranging repertory in both opera and concert work. In addition, he is a capable artist in the realm of song, in both the songs of his native Britain and those of other countries. With a prominent vibrato in the middle and lower registers and a quickening one on top, Wilson-Johnson's voice exudes a weightiness that lends authority to his performances, even if these strong pulsations occasionally threaten to overwhelm the vocal line. Wilson-Johnson read modern languages at Cambridge University before entering London's Royal Academy of Music to study singing. After having sung in student productions, he made his debut at Covent Garden in Henze's We Come to the River. Subsequent appearances presented him in Russian, French, German, Italian, and English repertories, advancing the singer's reputation as a versatile artist. For the record-buying public, Wilson-Johnson's performance of Choregos in Harrison Birtwistle's astringent Punch and Judy brought international attention; the recording has remained in the catalog since 1979. Wilson-Johnson's performances of Eight Songs for a Mad King led to further collaborations with composer Peter Maxwell Davies, notably a role in the first performance of The Lighthouse at the 1980 Edinburgh Festival (the Paris performance of the Songs also resulted in additional collaborations with Pierre Boulez and the Ensemble InterContemporain). His ability to master difficult music made him a favored artist among other composers such as Alexander Goehr (he sang dual roles in the 1995 premiere of Arianna) and Michael Tippett. For a Thames Television film of Tippett's A Midsummer Marriage, Wilson-Johnson sang the role of King Fisher. To mark the 80th birthday of Olivier Messiaen in 1988, the bass baritone sang the title role in the composer's Saint François d'Assise in both London and Paris, a performance that won the London Evening Standard Opera Award. He retired from the opera stage in 2006, but continues to perform elsewhere. Wilson-Johnson has sung in concert with many of the world's leading orchestras in Europe and America and has appeared frequently in recital, especially in England and on the Continent. Among the singer's many recordings, his Lawrence in Dame Ethel Smyth's opera The Wreckers, his Lev in Tippett's The Knot Garden, and his assumption of the bass solo part in Elgar's The Kingdom are especially noteworthy.
© TiVo
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Discographie
15 album(s) • Trié par Meilleures ventes
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SCHOENBERG, A.: Violin Concerto / Ode to Napoleon / A Survivor from Warsaw (Craft) (Schoenberg, Vol. 10)
Musique chorale (pour chœur) - Paru chez Naxos le 28 oct. 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Herrmann: Moby Dick - Sinfonietta
Richard Edgar-Wilson, David Wilson-Johnson, Danish National Choir, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Michael Schønwandt
Musique chorale (pour chœur) - Paru chez Chandos le 1 oct. 2011
Gramophone Editor's Choice24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
HAYDN, J.: Schopfung (Die) (The Creation) (Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra, Bolton)
Miah Persson, Topi Lehtipuu, David Wilson-Johnson, Mozarteum Orchester Salzburg, Ivor Bolton, Salzburg Bach Choir
Musique chorale (pour chœur) - Paru chez Oehms Classics le 1 janv. 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Haydn, F.: Jahreszeiten (Die) (The Seasons)
Miah Persson, John Mark Ainsley, David Wilson-Johnson, Salzburg Bach Choir, Mozarteum Orchester Salzburg, Ivor Bolton
Musique chorale (pour chœur) - Paru chez Oehms Classics le 1 janv. 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Martin: Maria-Triptychon, Sechs Monologue aus Jedermann & Suite from Der Sturm
David Wilson-Johnson, Lynda Russell, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Duncan Riddell, Matthias Bamert
Musique vocale (profane et sacrée) - Paru chez Chandos le 1 nov. 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Harrison Birtwistle: Punch and Judy
Phyllis Bryn-Julson, Jan DeGaetani, Stephen Roberts, David Wilson-Johnson, London Sinfonietta, David Atherton
Opéra - Paru chez NMC Recordings le 1 janv. 1989
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Requiem, K. 626
Yvonne Kenny, William Kendall, Choir Of St. John's College, Cambridge, David Wilson-Johnson, Sarah Walker
Classique - Paru chez Chandos le 1 mai 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Peter Maxwell Davies : Black Pentecost & Stone Litany
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Della Jones, Peter Maxwell Davies, David Wilson-Johnson
Musique vocale (profane et sacrée) - Paru chez Naxos le 2 sept. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Hughes: Dewi Sant (St. David)
Yvonne Kenny, Martyn Hill, David Wilson-Johnson, BBC Welsh Chorus, BBC Welsh Symphony Orchestra, Owain Arwel Hughes
Musique chorale (pour chœur) - Paru chez Chandos le 1 juil. 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rachmaninoff & Tchaikovsky: Works for Chorus and Orchestra
Neeme Järvi, The Royal Scottish National Orchestra, David Wilson-Johnson, Keith Lewis, Suzanne Murphy
Symphonies - Paru chez Chandos le 1 sept. 1986
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Parry: The Soul's Ransom & The Lotos-Eaters
Matthias Bamert, London Philharmonic Orchestra, David Wilson-Johnson, Della Jones, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra
Oratorios sacrés - Paru chez Chandos le 1 sept. 1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Peter Maxell Davies: Taverner
Martyn Hill, David Wilson-Johnson, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Oliver Knussen
Opéra - Paru chez NMC Recordings le 16 nov. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Percy Grainger: Folksong Arrangements
David Wilson-Johnson, David Owen Norris
Classique - Paru chez Heritage Records le 31 mars 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Folk-Song Arrangements / Part-Songs for Women s Voices (Complete) (English Song, Vol. 11)
Classique - Paru chez Naxos le 28 mars 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Somervell: Maud & A Shropshire Lad
David Wilson-Johnson, David Owen Norris
Classique - Paru chez Hyperion le 1 août 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo