Five Questions with ... Harry Christophers
IDAGIOYour latest album, 70 – A Life in Music, highlights some key recordings from your long and illustrious career so far. What would you say is your most cherished performance or project?
Handel’s Saul – I believe it to be one of Handel’s finest oratorios. His insight into the characters is second-to-none. For The Sixteen’s recording I assembled a great cast led by two former members of the group – Christopher Purves and Sarah Connolly.
What are five of your favourite records of all time (any genre allowed)?
Stravinsky: The Firebird / Sir Simon Rattle & City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Mahler: Symphony No. 9 / Sir Georg Solti & Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Aqualung – Jethro Tull
Salmeklang – Gjermund Larsen Trio
How has the choral scene changed over the course of your career?
When I started the early music scene was still really in its infancy. Musicologists were forging a way, presenting new theories and discovering unknown treasures and we were all attempting to dust the cobwebs off revered masterpieces. In many ways performances were relatively cavalier – we were all on a voyage of discovery and relishing in the enthusiasm of our followers. Then the world of the CD erupted and all these discoveries were being recorded, and at that point we all had to up our professionalism. There were only a relatively small number of groups about at that time but that grew slowly through the 90s. over the last 20 or so years, new groups both large and small (more small than large) have evolved. For me, this is so exciting and especially so over the last few years where a number of consorts have been formed as a result of our student programme, Genesis Sixteen. It’s so rewarding to see alumni from our programme singing for Stile Antico, Gesualdo Six, Echo and Voces 8, and also spreading into longer-established groups such as The Tallis Scholars, the Monteverdi Choir and Tenebrae. It’s exciting despite the savagery of politics in regard to culture. I hope that will change for us in the UK – we need a new approach and a responsive government who are not embarrassed about the arts.
What is your favourite repertoire to conduct or sing?
I haven’t actually sung professionally for 40 years now! As far as conducting is concerned, this is impossible to answer as I adore conducting Renaissance music, especially that of John Sheppard. I also love Monteverdi – I never tire of his Vespers – and I relish the drama of Handel and also get a real buzz out of Haydn’s symphonies, especially the Paris set. My association with Sir James MacMillan is probably the icing on the cake… I am a very lucky man to be able to explore and perform regularly all these different eras and styles of music!
Which artist – dead or alive – would you most like to work with and why?
Johann Sebastian Bach – I would love to know how his mind worked. To have been a singer for him in Leipzig and be confronted by a new cantata where the ink had barely dried – that would be amazing. Could I have got anywhere near what he wanted it to sound like? And who wouldn’t want to meet such a genius? And then, really left field in the modern world, I’d love to work with Mick Jagger – he’s my childhood idol. He has such energy, such charisma and is such a professional. One of my favourite review bites was being called “the Mick Jagger of early music” in The Times!
70 – A Life in Music is out on IDAGIO now.