Bejun Mehta

Bejun Mehta ( born June 29, 1968 in Laurinburg, North Carolina) is an American musician, best known as a counter- tenor world.

Life

Bejun Mehta is a son of the pianist Parsi origin Dady Mehta, for its part, a cousin of conductor Zubin Mehta, and the American soprano Martha Ritchey Mehta. Bejun grew up in Ann Arbor and later studied German literature at Yale, where he wrote a thesis on the interpretation of the poems of Heinrich Heine. From the age of ten he was a soloist in concerts and recordings, including with Leonard Bernstein. After his voice broke at the age of fifteen he played cello, both as a soloist as well as in the orchestra. He also worked as a conductor. Mehta also worked as a freelance location manager in various companies such as Delos International or BMG / RCA, where he worked in 1998 gave her a Grammy recording of cellist János Starker of the Suites for Violoncello Solo No. 1-6 Johann Sebastian Bach.

At the same time began with his baritone malcontents, inspired by an account of David Daniels, first in the self-study, then to train with his voice teacher Joan Patenaude - Yarnell the Manhattan School of Music, the voice of the counter- tenor. Funded by Marilyn Horne, he debuted in 1998 with Handel's Partenope as such on the New York City Opera and has performed since then in many major opera houses and festivals. Among his most important opera roles include Orlando, Giulio Cesare, Orfeo ( Orfeo ed Euridice ), Telemaco, Oberon (A Midsummer Night's Dream), Farnace ( Mitridate ), Didymus ( Theodora ), Arsamenes ( Serse ) and Ottone ( Agrippina ).

At the Salzburg Festival Mehta made ​​his debut in 2005 as Farnace in Mozart Mitridate, re di Ponto under Marc Minkowski and 2009 he sang the Didymus in a staged version of Handel's Theodora. In 2012, he was heard in a concert version as Tamerlano, next to Plácido Domingo, Julia and Franco Fagioli Lezhneva. It played Les Musiciens du Louvre under Minkowski.

Discography (selection)

• Ombra Cara, arias by George Frideric Handel, Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, René Jacobs Harmonia Mundi.
• George Frideric Handel: Theodora ( Didymus ), Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, Ivor Bolton, The Salzburg Festival, Unitel / Classica.
• WA Mozart: Mitridate ( Farnace ), Les Musiciens du Louvre, Marc Minkowski, The Salzburg Festival, Decca.
• George Frideric Handel: Messiah ( Alto / Middle Brother ), Claus Guth, Ensemble Matheus, Jean -Christophe Spinosi, Unitel / Classica.
• George Frideric Handel: Giulio Cesare, Les Musiciens du Louvre, Marc Minkowski Archiv Produktion.
• George Frideric Handel: Rinaldo ( Mago cristiano ), The Academy of Ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood, Decca.
• Bejun, Arias and Songs, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Delos.
• George Frideric Handel: Belshazzar (Cyrus ), Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, RIAS Chamber Choir, René Jacobs Harmonia Mundi HMD 9909028.29, 2008 ( DVD).
• Down by the Salley Gardens - Mehta sings Britten, Finzi and other composers of 19-20. century; Piano: Julius Drake; Harmonia Mundi, 2011.
• Che puro ciel - The Rise of Classical Opera; with René Jacobs, 2014.