The countertenor voice allows modern audiences to experience the tone and agility of Baroque’s leading opera roles. Countertenor Iestyn Davies and conductor Jonathan Cohen are masters of this thrilling repertoire. Hear this dynamic duo of expression perform stunning works from their 2012 Gramophone Award-winning recording Arias for Guadagni accompanied by America’s leading period instrument orchestra. Each artist brings his own gifts to the stage in a program of vocal dexterity and nuanced direction for a breathtaking foray into authentic Baroque artistry.

HANDEL Arias from Saul and Theodora
HASSE Works from Didone Abbandonata
ZELENKA Simphonie à 8 Concertanti in A minor
ARNE “Vengeance, O come inspire me!” from Alfred
CPE BACH Symphony in E major
GLUCK Arias and dances from Telemaco and Orfeo ed Euridice

Jonathan Cohen, conductor
Iestyn Davies, countertenor

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About Iestyn Davies

After graduating in Archaeology and Anthropology from St John’s College, Cambridge Iestyn Davies studied at the Royal Academy of Music, London.

On the opera stage, he has appeared at the Metropolitan Opera, New York; the Chicago Lyric Opera; La Scala Milan; the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; English National Opera; Glyndebourne Festival Opera; Welsh National Opera, and in Munich, Vienna and Zurich.

Concert highlights include performances at La Scala Milan; the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam; Tonhalle, Zurich; the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Paris; Lincoln Centre, New York and the BBC Proms. He has appeared in concert and recital at Carnegie Hall and regularly appears at Wigmore Hall, where he has curated his own Residency. He recently delighted London theatre audiences singing the role of Farinelli, in Farinelli and the King with Mark Rylance at the Globe Theatre and subsequently on the West End stage at the Duke of York’s theatre.

A prolific recording artist, he is the recipient of the Royal Philharmonic Society’s 2010 Young Artist of the year prize, the 2012 Gramophone Recital Award, the 2013 Critics’ Circle Awards for Exceptional Young Talent (Singer) and the 2014 Gramophone Recital Award for his disc Arise, my muse on the Wigmore Live label.

About Jonathan Cohen

Jonathan Cohen is one of Britain’s finest young musicians. He has forged a remarkable career as a conductor, cellist and keyboardist. Well known for his passion and commitment to chamber music Jonathan is equally at home in such diverse activities as baroque opera and the classical symphonic repertoire. He is Artistic Director of Arcangelo, Associate Conductor of Les Arts Florissants, Artistic Director of Tetbury Festival and Artistic Partner of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Jonny becomes Music Director of Les Violons du Roy from the 2018-19 season and in the interim he is Music Director Designate.

This summer sees Jonathan conducting Mozart’s Figaro at Glyndebourne, as well as appearances with Isabelle Faust at Wigmore Hall for their 115^th Anniversary concert and major European festivals with his ensemble Arcangelo. Jonathan founded Arcangelo in 2010 and strives to perform high quality and specially created projects. He tours with them to exceptional halls and festivals such as Wigmore Hall where they have a Residency in the 16-17 season, Philharmonie Berlin, Vienna Musikverein, Salzburg Festival, and Carnegie Hall New York. Recent highlights include a European tour with Vilde Frang with concerts at Oslo Opera House and Tonhalle Zürich. Jonathan conducts Arcangelo for their BBC Proms debut at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse.

Arcangelo are busy and much in demand in the recording studio, partnering with fine soloists such as Iestyn Davies (their disc Arias for Guadagni won the Recital Category at the 2012 Gramophone Awards), Anna Prohaska, and Christopher Purves on Hyperion Records. Their Mozart disc with Vilde Frang on Warner Classics (2015) reached No. 1 in the UK specialist classical chart and received an Echo Klassik Concert Award. Together with ‘Scene!’ with Christiane Karg, Arcangelo’s disc Arias for Benucci with Matthew Rose was nominated for a 2016 International Opera Award. Their next release is a disc of CPE Bach Cello Concerti with Nicolas Altstaedt on Hyperion Records.

This season, Jonathan also performs with Les Violons du Roy, Münchner Rundfunkorchester, Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale, Garsington Festival Opera and Chorus, and La Scintilla Orchestra at Zurich Opera.