David Hansen
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controtenore
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David Hansen was born in Sydney, Australia. He studied singing with Andrew Dalton at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and furthered his studies with James Bowman, Graham Pushee and David Harper.
In 2004, David made his European début for the Aix-en-Provence Festival in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. Shortly thereafter, he made his UK début in concerts with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Emmanuelle Haïm, as well as performing the title role in Handel’s Fernando with Il Complesso Barocco under Alan Curtis for the Spoleto Festival, Italy.
Other operatic roles have included Bertarido in Handel’s Rodelinda under Alan Curtis for the Teatro Arriaga, Bilbao, Spain, Trinculo; in the American premiere of Thomas Adès’ The Tempest for Santa Fe Opera under Alan Gilbert, Tolomeo in Handel’s Giulio Cesare for Den Norske Opera under Rinaldo Alessandrini and for the Teatro de la Maestranza de Sevilla under Andreas Spering, Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo and Marien Vespers for the Deutsche Staatsoper-Berlin under René Jacobs, Athamas in Handel’s Semele for the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie under Christophe Rousset and Nerone in Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea for Victorian Opera, the role for which he was nominated for a Helpmann Award.
Concert highlights include the title role in Handel’s Solomon with René Jacobs and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Messiah at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, his début with the Berlin Philharmonic and Sir Simon Rattle in Carmina Burana, The Tempest at the Concertgebouw under Markus Stenz, Handel arias with Bernard Labadie and the Melbourne and New World Symphony Orchestras and Britten’s Canticles with Ian Bostridge, Christopher Maltman and Julius Drake at the Wiener Konzerthaus.
David’s début recording, Purcell: Music For Queen Mary, with the Academy of Ancient Music and the choir of King’s College Cambridge, is available on EMI Classics.
Forthcoming engagements include Bach’s St. John Passion with the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi under Ruben Jais, concerts with both the Copenhagen and Oslo Philharmonic orchestras, the title role in Handel’s Giulio Cesare for Victorian Opera, Messiah with the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra.
Date Last Edited : July 2010
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Handel: Messiah [Melbourne Symphony Orchestra / Graham Abbott]
The knockout performance came from counter-tenor David Hansen, who uses his beautiful voice with artistry and intelligence, and some dazzling ornamental pyrotechnics.
Herald Sun
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Handel Arias [Melbourne Symphony Orchestra / Bernard Labadie]
Hansen gave an electrifying reading of Vivi, tiranno from Rodelinda, packed with fire, risky virtuosic flights and a breath control that bore witness to his ingenuity and stamina. Here is a young artist whose career is clearly on the up.
The Age
Three arias from Giulio Cesare and Rodelinda showcased the assured intonation, technical dexterity and pleasant stage presence of young Australian countertenor David Hansen. His sound is sweet, with dark timbral hues in his lower register.
The Australian
The first half featured the astonishing Australian counter-tenor David Hansen performing three Handel arias with the physical confidence of an Olympic athlete. The Baroque ornamentation he applied to these operatic numbers was the equivalent of a gold-medal-winning pentathlon performance, and the crowd roared with approval as he took his bows.
SianPrior.com
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Monteverdi: L’incoronazione di Poppea (Nerone) [Victorian Opera]
David Hansen, a brilliant young Australian-born countertenor who is singing across the world, made his local stage debut as the Roman emperor Nerone (Nero). His physical and vocal agility were astonishing and, like the rest of the cast, he delivered a powerful, emotionally charged performance.
The Australian
Hansen’s Nerone has great power in the coloratura flourishes
The Age
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Purcell: Music For Queen Mary
[EMI Classics/CD: Choir of King's College Cambridge/Academy of Ancient Music/Stephen Cleobury]
David Hansen is an exceptional countertenor with barely perceptible gear-change between strong low register and rich upper range.
BBC Music Magazine
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Handel: Solomon (title role)
[Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment/René Jacobs, Paris, Bristol, London and New York]
“Solomon,” at Lincoln Center, was led by David Hansen, a pure-voiced young Australian who is typical of a new breed of matinée-idol countertenors.
Alex Ross, The New Yorker
David Hansen, an Australian countertenor, brought an attractive timbre to his dignified, agile reading of the title role
The New York Times
The young Australian counter-tenor David Hansen displayed Solomon’s self-assurance with eloquent diction and firm tone.
The Guardian Unlimited
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Orff: Carmina Burana [Berlin Philharmonic / Sir Simon Rattle]
…the Swan, exceptionally beautifully sung by the excellent David Hansen.
Berliner Morgenpost
Musically, one could not have wanted a more exciting realization of Orff’s exuberant score…the counter-tenor David Hansen had no problem with the mercilessly high part that so frequently cracks up customary tenors trying to sing the poor spitted swan’s lament in forced falsetto.
MusicalAmerica.com
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Ades: The Tempest (Trinculo) [Santa Fe Opera / Alan Gilbert]
Counter-tenor David Hansen and bass Wilbur Pauley were superb as the oafish servants Trinulco and Stefano. Their trio with Ferguson was heroism seen through the wrong end of a telescope – ants up against the gods, made brave by brandy.
The New Mexican
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