![]() ![]() “We know,” says Scholl, “that about 25 per cent of these boys died from infection – it was terrible – but it created some of the most gorgeous compositions written for us singers.”īut as James Bowman puts it: “Don’t confuse castrati with countertenors. Initially they sang music created for the castrati: those poor Italian boys who were castrated before puberty to preserve their high, pure voices. His two English predecessors brought it out of the English cathedral choir and on to the concert platform and opera stage as part of the Baroque revival last century. It’s just so much more direct.”Īndreas Scholl was the first to elevate the countertenor voice to international superstar status. It’s in this blurred boundary between male and female. “I'm aware that I have a very special voice, it's a gift. The audience can judge whether or not they think it’s good.” If our intention sincere, it can be a great moment. So why shouldn’t Philippe and I sing a love duet? It doesn’t have to be tacky or ambiguous. We had Cate Blanchett play Bob Dylan in the movies and we have Katy Perry singing “I Kissed a Girl” and nobody has a problem. “It’s not about travesty,” says Scholl, “It’s about humanity. Scholl’s got people talking too, for singing Carmen’s Habanera and Dido’s Lament, for performing the role of Mary Magdalene in Scarlatti’s St John Passion, and Purcell duets with fellow countertenor Phillipe Jaroussky, including the love duet, “My Dearest, My Fairest.” “The ABO has spontaneity, joy and freshness and we connect with our ideas about music.” He writes and sings pop songs, loves lieder, English Renaissance songs and folksongs, opera, and has sung and recorded new works by composers like Joseph Tawadros, and Marco Rosano, whose new Stabat Mater was premiered in 2008 in Sydney with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, with whom Scholl has had a long and fruitful relationship, capped off by a splendid recording devoted to Vivaldi. Scholl’s breadth of interests is reflected in his huge discography. ![]() Bowman sing like that?” “Oh it’s all done by ventriloquism.” He’s certainly taken the countertenor voice into realms unimaginable even to Alfred Deller and James Bowman, his pioneering heroes of yesteryear, who had to suffer comments from audience members like: “How does Mr. The celebrated German countertenor Andreas Scholl says his distinctive, otherworldly high voice “stands for somebody who transcends the cliché of what is masculine or feminine.” ![]() Timmins and Northern Ontario has lost a friend.Īlan Pope, a well-known lawyer and former politician, passed away at age 76.“In principle I’m a singer. Pope was a former member of Timmins council, Member of Provincial Parliament and Provincial Cabinet Minister. He practiced law for the firm of Racicot, Maisonneuve, Labelle, Gosselin. ![]() Timmins MP Charlie Angus remembers Pope fondly – even though they belonged to two different political parties, Angus NDP and Pope a Progressive Conservative. “I had enormous respect for Alan Pope,” Angus said. “He was always a very class act and I had a lot of admiration for him.” He put the interests of the community, the North and the province first. Timmins Councillor Andrew Marks grew up admiring Pope and volunteered to help get him elected to Queen’s Park. “I have the utmost respect for Alan Pope and his accomplishments. He was a mentor of mine in many different ways,” Marks said. “Certainly, being from Timmins, representing Timmins, being a voice for Timmins was something I looked up to. I learned a lot from him very, very early on. On his very first election night, he signed an election sign for me and it’s something that I still have today.” “When he was first elected as MPP, I was not even voting age but I was a volunteer for the Young Progressive Conservatives, wanting to help him. He said Pope was always a great representative at every political level. “As an alderman, he certainly represented Timmins well that way, and aspired to a higher office and contributed to the province, giving Timmins a voice,” Marks said. He was a strong voice and advocate for all of us.” “When I look back at his entire political career, it was always about being from Timmins and Northern Ontario. Pope was a member of the inaugural City of Timmins Council, following amalgamation, in 1973. In 1977, he was first elected MPP for Cochrane South. Under Premier Bill Davis, he was promoted to provincial cabinet as a minister without portfolio in 1979. Following re-election in 1981, Pope was appointed to the Davis cabinet as Minister of Natural Resources. ![]()
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