A headline performance as part of Manchester Song Festival 2024.
Mark Padmore will begin with a series of pieces by Robert Schumann before taking audiences on a journey through the works of 20th century British composers. His programme will span the full century, including popular works by Frank Bridge, Michael Tippett and Rebecca Clarke, as well as celebrating the music of contemporary composer Tansy Davies.
ABOUT MARK PADMORE
Mark Padmore was born in London and studied at King’s College, Cambridge. He has established an international career in opera, concert and recital. His appearances in Bach Passions have gained particular notice, especially his renowned performances as Evangelist in the St Matthew and St John Passions with the Berlin Philharmonic and Simon Rattle, staged by Peter Sellars.
The current season focuses on recitals, including performances in Barcelona and Madrid with Julius Drake; Alicante with the Elias String Quartet; the Muziekgebouw Amsterdam with Till Fellner; the Théâtre de l’Athénée Paris with Julius Drake and Schubert Winterreise with Mitsuko Uchida at Carnegie Hall New York, the Kimmel Center Philadelphia and the University of California at Berkeley.
Following a residency at Wigmore Hall in the 2021/22 season where he celebrated his relationship with pianists Till Fellner, Imogen Cooper, Mitsuko Uchida and Paul Lewis he returned to Wigmore Hall last season singing Vaughan Williams and Fauré with the Elias Quartet and James Baillieu. The 2022/23 season also saw him appear on stage in the title role of a new production of Monteverdi Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria conducted by Fabio Biondi, sing the world première of Mark-Anthony Turnage’s song cycle A constant obsession with the Nash Ensemble and give concerts with Sinfonieorchester Basel and Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen.
Mark’s most recent appearance at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden was a new production of Britten’s Death in Venice, where his performance was described as a “tour de force” and “exquisite of voice, [presenting] Aschenbach’s physical and spiritual breakdown with extraordinary detail and insight”. Other opera roles have included Captain Vere in Britten Billy Budd and Evangelist in a staging of St Matthew Passion for the Glyndebourne Festival and leading roles in Harrison Birtwistle The Corridor and The Cure at the Aldeburgh Festival.
In concert Mark performs with the world’s leading orchestras. He was Artist in Residence for the 2017/18 season with the Berlin Philharmonic and held a similar position with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in 2016/17. His work with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment has involved projects exploring both the Bach St John and St Matthew Passion without conductor which attracted worldwide acclaim.
His extensive and award-winning discography includes Schumann Dichterliebe with Kristian Bezuidenhout and Schubert song cycles with Paul Lewis, both for HarmoniaMundi. Described by the New York Times as “Schubert Masters” Mark Padmore and Mitsuko Uchida recently embarked on a series of highly acclaimed, worldwide recitals and this partnership has culminated in a recording on Decca Classics of Schubert Schwanengesang and Beethoven An die ferne Geliebte.
Mark was Artistic Director of the St. Endellion Summer Music Festival in Cornwall from 2012-2022, voted 2016 Vocalist of the Year by Musical America and appointed CBE in the 2019 Queens’ Birthday Honours List.
Image credit: Marco Borggreve
