David Hansen (countertenor)


David Hansen is an Australian countertenor.

Biography

Hansen was born in Sydney, Australia, and attended St Andrew's Cathedral School and Newington College. He studied violin, piano, and was a boy treble in school choirs. He studied in the class of Andrew Dalton at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. He continued his musical education with James Bowman, David Harper and Graham Pushee.

Career

He made his first European appearances in 2004 at the Aix-en-Provence Festival, performing in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas. Hansen first performed in the United Kingdom in concerts with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Emmanuelle Haïm. He also performed with Il Complesso Barocco in Fernando by Handel, conducted by Alan Curtis during the Spoleto Festival in Italy.
He sang roles in various operas, including Bertarido in Handel's Rodelinda, conducted by Alan Curtis, Nerone in Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea at Victorian Opera, Ottone in Vivaldi's Griselda at Pinchgut Opera and Cherubino in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro at the Teatro Comunale di Sassari. He also performed in the U.S. premiere of Thomas Adès' The Tempest at the Santa Fe Opera, conducted by Alan Gilbert, Handel's Giulio Cesare at the Theater an der Wien, conducted by René Jacobs, Monteverdi's L'Orfeo at the Berlin State Opera, conducted by René Jacobs, Handel's Semele at the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, conducted by Christophe Rousset, in Giovanni Andrea Bontempi's Il Paride at the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music, directed by Christina Pluhar. He has worked with Stefan Herheim, Jonathan Kent, Barrie Kosky and Christof Loy.
Hansen's non-operatic engagements have included Carmina Burana with the Berlin Philharmonic, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle, Handel's Solomon, conducted by René Jacobs, Bach's St John Passion, performed with Les Musiciens du Louvre Grenoble conducted by Marc Minkowski, Handel's Parnasso in Festa, Messiah and Giulio Cesare conducted by Andrea Marcon, Fabio Biondi and Emmanuelle Haïm, respectively, and Britten's Canticles, at the Wiener Konzerthaus.

Repertoire

Opera

ComposerTitleRole
AdèsThe TempestTrinculo
BontempiIl ParideParide
BrittenA Midsummer Night's DreamOberon
CavalliGiasoneGiasone
GluckOrfeo ed EuridiceOrfeo
GluckParide ed ElenaParide
HandelAgrippinaNerone
HandelAlcinaRuggiero/Oberto
HandelAriodanteAriodante
HandelFernando / SosarmeFernando / Sosarme
HandelGiulio CesareGiulio Cesare / Sesto
HandelPartenopeArsace
HandelRodelindaBertarido
HandelSerseSerse / Arsamene
HandelTeseoTeseo
HassePiramo e TisbePiramo
LigetiLe Grand MacabrePrince Go-Go
MonteverdiIl ritorno d'Ulisse in patriaTelemaco
MonteverdiL'incoronazione di PoppeaNerone
MonteverdiL'OrfeoLa Speranza
MozartLa clemenza di TitoSesto
MozartLe nozze di FigaroCherubino
MozartMitridate, Re di PontoArbate / Farnace
PurcellDido and AeneasSpirit
Domenico ScarlattiLa DirindinaLiscione
StraussDie FledermausPrince Orlofsky
VivaldiCatone in UticaCesare
VivaldiGriseldaOttone
VivaldiMotezuma''Fernando

Oratorios

ComposerTitleRole
BachMagnificatAlto
BachMass in B MinorAlto
BachSt. John PassionAlto
BachSt. Matthew PassionAlto
HandelAlexander BalusAlexander Balus
HandelBelshazzarCyrus
HandelDixit DominusAlto
HandelHerculesLichas
HandelJephthaHamor
HandelMessiahAlto
HandelSaulDavid
HandelSemeleAthamas
HandelSolomonSolomon
HandelThe Choice of HerculesHercules
HandelTheodoraDidymus

Recordings

TitleOrchestra/conductorPublisherYear
Georg Friedrich Handel: Parnasso in festaLa Cetra Barockorchester Basel / La Cetra Vokalensemble Basel / Andrea MarconPentatone2017
Johann Sebastian Bach: Johannes-PassionLes Musiciens du Louvre Grenoble / Marc MinkowskiNaïve2017
22. Operngala für die AIDS-StiftungChor der Deutschen Oper Berlin / Donal RunniclesNaxos2016
Francesco Cavalli: GiasoneOrchestra of the Antipodes / Erin HelyardPinchgut Opera2015
Rivals – Arias for Farinelli & Co.Academia Montis Regalis / Alessandro De MarchiSony Music / Deutsche Harmonia Mundi2013
Antonio Vivaldi: GriseldaOrchestra of the Antipodes / Erin HelyardPinchgut Opera2013
Purcell: Music for Queen MaryChoir of King's College, Cambridge / Stephen CleoburyEMI Classics2006