Russell Oberlin
Russell Keys Oberlin (October 11, 1928 – November 25, 2016)
Life and career
Russell Oberlin was born in 1928 in
The Play of Daniel "galvanized the early-music movement in the U.S. and made a star out of the countertenor Russell Oberlin," The New Yorker recounted.[9] Oberlin became, as Peter G. Davis wrote, "for many years the lone practitioner of any note" of "a voice type that had never flourished in America before."[10] Oberlin described himself as a countertenor whose "naturally high tenor voice" allowed him to sing the countertenor repertoire without using falsetto.[11] "At a time when the term 'countertenor' suggested a 'churchy' English sound," wrote Ira Siff in Opera News, "the rich, beautiful (and not vibrato-free) voice of Russell Oberlin created a welcome alternative for lovers of early and baroque music ... Oberlin altered public perceptions and expanded possibilities for today's countertenors."[6]
Oberlin was engaged by
At the age of 36, he retired from active engagements to become a teacher, joining the faculty at Hunter College in New York as Professor of Music, where he served from 1966 to 1994. As a senior Fulbright research scholar, he lectured widely in the USA and England. After the CD reissue of nine of his Expériences Anonymes recordings in the Lyrichord Early Music series—seven volumes of "Music of the Middle Ages" comprising music from England, France and Spain, as well as his Byrd and Dowland recitals with the In Nomine Players and lutenist Joseph Iadone, respectively[15]—Oberlin appeared on radio programs including Performance Today and Millennium of Music in interviews about his life and work in music.[5] The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs found that "Oberlin's voice is like a very fine wine: once tried, nothing else seems quite the same."[16]
Oberlin can be seen in a 1962 film performing
References
- ^ a b Millington, Barry. "Russell Oberlin obituary", The Guardian, December 5, 2016; retrieved December 15, 2016.
- ^ R. Prada (26 Nov 2016). "Russell Oberlin". OPERA-L (Mailing list). Although the message says "Russell Oberlin passed away on Saturday evening", it was posted just after midnight Saturday morning, so is only consistent with a date of Friday evening. This error is presumably the source of conflicting reports which claim a date of the 26th.
- ^ Platt, Russell. "The Play of Daniel at the Cloisters", The New Yorker, January 15, 2013; retrieved December 26, 2016.
- ^ a b Fox, Margalit. "Russell Oberlin, 88, Dies; Led Renaissance of Countertenor in U.S.", The New York Times, November 29, 2016; retrieved December 4, 2016.
- ^ a b "Russell Oberlin", Bach Cantatas Website, retrieved December 4, 2016.
- ^ a b Siff, Ira. "Face to Face: Russell Oberlin and David Daniels", Opera News, April 1999; retrieved December 4, 2016.
- ^ Wu, Nancy. "Medieval Drama at The Cloisters", Metropolitan Museum of Art; retrieved December 17, 2016.
- ^ Birnbaum, George. "Legendary Singer's Corner: Russell Oberlin", reprinted from Classical CD Scout, March 1996; retrieved December 9, 2016.
- ^ "Classical Music: Opera: The Play of Daniel", The New Yorker; retrieved December 28, 2016.
- ISBN 9780385474955[page needed]
- ^ Ravens, Simon. The Supernatural Voice: A History of High Male Singing, Boydell & Brewer Ltd., 2014, p. 209; retrieved January 28, 2015.
- ^ "Royal Opera House Performance Database". Retrieved April 24, 2013.
- ^ "Russell Oberlin." The Times (London), December 21, 2016.
- ^ Bayley, Lynn René. "The Greatest Countertenor of Them All", The Art Music Lounge, August 7, 2016; retrieved December 27, 2016.
- ^ Russell Oberlin's CDs on Lyrichord, World Music Store; retrieved January 15, 2017.
- ^ March, Ivan, ed. The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs and Cassettes, Penguin Books, 1996, p. 395.
- ^ "Russell Oberlin – Bach Cantata BWV 54", Medieval Music & Arts Foundation; retrieved December 11, 2016.
- ^ Yohalem, John. "Recordings: Russell Oberlin: America's Legendary Countertenor," Opera News, vol. 69, no. 11, May 2005.