Chris Merritt
Chris Merritt ( born September 27, 1952 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States) is an American opera singer (tenor ).
Education and Career
Chris Merritt studied piano, singing, dancing and acting at the University of Oklahoma City, at which he also completed his first stage appearance as Hoffmann in Les Contes d' Hoffmann. His official operatic debut followed then in 1975 at the Opera House of Santa Fe as Fenton in Falstaff, after he had continued his education there.
From 1978 to 1981 he was engaged at the Salzburg State Theatre and from 1981 to 1984 at the Augsburg Stadttheater. He then worked freelance nurmehr.
As the singer a phenomenal height ( his range extended to the high E ) and a profound vocal technique possessed, he eventually specialized in the roles of the bel canto repertoire, especially in the difficult tenor roles in opera seria - works by Gioacchino Rossini. In this repertoire, he celebrated from the early 1980s to more than a decade worldwide to almost all the leading opera houses triumphs. Especially in Italy, the singer was very much appreciated. At the renowned Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, Rossini's birthplace, he joined many years to great success as a partner so prominent singers as Marilyn Horne, Montserrat Caballe or June Anderson. At La Scala, he sang under the direction of Riccardo Muti in two season opening premieres, the roles of Arnoldo in Guglielmo Tell ( Rossini ) and Arrigo in I vespri siciliani (Verdi). Also in the Scala premiere of La donna del lago ( Rossini ), he had a great success as Rodrigo di Dhu - Muti- recorded again under Riccardo.
Repertoire changes
Mid-1990s, he began a change of subject and sang until almost exclusively 20th century repertoire. Above all, his Aron in Schoenberg 's Moses und Aron and his Mephistopheles in Busoni's Doktor Faust, Ferruccio were highly praised by critics.
Meaning: new tenor type created
Chris Merritt, together with his tenor colleagues Rockwell Blake and William Matteuzzi, the new type of Rossini tenor created and thus created the basis that especially the operas of Rossini - after over a hundred years - may be re- listed as the composer this ( with all the vocal requirements) has provided for his tenor parts. In contrast to the above two, Chris Merritt but could also revive the " heroic " Rossini specialist. He was the tenor, who sang most performances of " voting murderous " section of Arnoldo in the 20th century (63 ). A subsequent generation of singers, whose most prominent representative Juan Diego Flórez and Bruce Ford is concerned, shows that this trend continues.
Discography
- The Heroic Bel Canto Tenor
- Dal Vivo in Concero
- Guglielmo Tell ( Arnoldo ) on CD and DVD
- La donna del lago ( Rodrigo ) on CD and DVD
- L' elisir d' amore ( Nemorino )
- Ermione ( Orestes )
- Ivan Susanin ( Sobinin )
- I vespri siciliani ( Arrigo ) on CD and DVD
- Moses and Aaron (Aaron )