Carlos Mena
Encyclopedia
Carlos Mena is a Spanish
countertenor
.
Mena received his training at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis
in Basel
, where his teachers were Richard Levitt and René Jacobs.
His operatic performances have included Handel
's Radamisto (title role), Monteverdi's L'Orfeo (Speranza), Händel's Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno (Disinganno) and John Cage's Europa5.
His recital De Aeternitate (Ricercar Consort
) won a Diapason d'Or
(2002)
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
countertenor
Countertenor
A countertenor is a male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of a contralto, mezzo-soprano, or a soprano, usually through use of falsetto, or far more rarely than normal, modal voice. A pre-pubescent male who has this ability is called a treble...
.
Mena received his training at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis
Schola Cantorum Basiliensis
Schola Cantorum Basiliensis is a music academy and research institution located in Basel, Switzerland, and focusing on early music and historically informed performance....
in Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
, where his teachers were Richard Levitt and René Jacobs.
His operatic performances have included Handel
George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...
's Radamisto (title role), Monteverdi's L'Orfeo (Speranza), Händel's Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno (Disinganno) and John Cage's Europa5.
His recital De Aeternitate (Ricercar Consort
Ricercar Consort
The Ricercar Consort is a Belgian instrumental ensemble founded in 1980 together with the record label of Jérôme Lejeune.The founding members were François Fernandez, Bernard Foccroulle, and Philippe Pierlot. The initial repertoire was focussed on the German Baroque, and the Consort was closely...
) won a Diapason d'Or
Diapason d'Or
The Diapason d'Or is a recommendation of outstanding classical music recordings given by reviewers of Diapason magazine in France, broadly equivalent to "Editor's Choice", "Disc of the Month" in the British Gramophone magazine....
(2002)
Discography
- Miguel de FuenllanaMiguel de FuenllanaMiguel de Fuenllana was a Spanish vihuelist and composer of the Renaissance.-Biography:Little is known of his life. It is assumed from his name that his roots lie in the municipality of Fuenllana, in the province of Ciudad Real, although he was born in Navalcarnero, Madrid...
: Orphénica Lyra, 1554. Nuria Rial, Carlos Mena, Orphénica Lyra, José Miguel MorenoJosé Miguel MorenoJosé Miguel Moreno is a Spanish specialist of historical plucked string instruments, such as the vihuela, lute, theorbo, and guitars. In 1977 he won the First Prize of the Incontri Chitarristici di Garnano and later many awards for his recordings...
. Glossa, 1999. - Lágrimas corriendo Canciones con vihuela en la España del siglo XVI. Carlos Mena, Juan Rivera. Almaviva, 2001. Miguel de FuenllanaMiguel de FuenllanaMiguel de Fuenllana was a Spanish vihuelist and composer of the Renaissance.-Biography:Little is known of his life. It is assumed from his name that his roots lie in the municipality of Fuenllana, in the province of Ciudad Real, although he was born in Navalcarnero, Madrid...
, Alonso MudarraAlonso MudarraAlonso Mudarra was a Spanish composer and vihuelist of the Renaissance. He was an innovative composer of instrumental music as well as songs, and was the composer of the earliest surviving music for the guitar.... - Vespro a voce sola. Carlos Mena, Ensemble La Fenice, Jean Tubéry. NAÏVE CLASSIQUE, 2002. Claudio MonteverdiClaudio MonteverdiClaudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, gambist, and singer.Monteverdi's work, often regarded as revolutionary, marked the transition from the Renaissance style of music to that of the Baroque period. He developed two individual styles of composition – the...
, Chiara Margarita Cozzolani, Tarquinio Merula. Orazio Tarditi, Alessandro Grandi, Adriano Banchieri - Henry Du Mont: Grands Motets. Carlos Mena, Arnaud Marzorati, Stephan MacLeod, Philippe Pierlot, Namur Chamber Choir, Ricercar ConsortRicercar ConsortThe Ricercar Consort is a Belgian instrumental ensemble founded in 1980 together with the record label of Jérôme Lejeune.The founding members were François Fernandez, Bernard Foccroulle, and Philippe Pierlot. The initial repertoire was focussed on the German Baroque, and the Consort was closely...
. Ricercar, 2003. - Johann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
: De Occulta Philosophia. Carlos Mena, Emma KirkbyEmma KirkbyDame Carolyn Emma Kirkby, DBE is an English soprano singer and one of the world's most renowned early music specialists. She attended Sherborne School For Girls in Dorset and was a classics student at Somerville College, Oxford, and an English teacher before developing a career as a soloist...
, José Miguel Moreno. Glossa Platinum, 2004. - De Aeternitate: Cantatas. Carlos Mena, Philippe Pierlot, Ricercar ConsortRicercar ConsortThe Ricercar Consort is a Belgian instrumental ensemble founded in 1980 together with the record label of Jérôme Lejeune.The founding members were François Fernandez, Bernard Foccroulle, and Philippe Pierlot. The initial repertoire was focussed on the German Baroque, and the Consort was closely...
. Mirare, 2004. Johann Christoph BachJohann Christoph BachJohann Christoph Bach was a German composer and organist of the Baroque period. He was born at Arnstadt, the son of Heinrich Bach, Johann Sebastian Bach's great uncle, hence he was Johann Sebastian's first cousin once removed. He was also the uncle of Maria Barbara Bach, J.S...
, Johann Michael BachJohann Michael BachJohann Michael Bach was a German composer of the Baroque period. He was the brother of Johann Christoph Bach, as well as father-in-law of Johann Sebastian Bach...
, Christoph BernhardChristoph BernhardChristoph Bernhard was born in Kolberg, Pomerania, and died in Dresden. He studied with former Sweelinck-pupil Paul Siefert in Danzig and in Warsaw By the age of 20 he was singing at the electoral court in Dresden under Heinrich Schütz...
, Johann Caspar Ferdinand FischerJohann Caspar Ferdinand FischerJohann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer was a German Baroque composer...
, Christian GeistChristian GeistChristian Geist was a German composer and organist, who lived and worked mainly in Scandinavia.-Biography:He was born in Güstrow, where his father, Joachim Geist, was cantor at the cathedral school. 1665–1666 and 1668–1669 he was a boy member of the court orchestra conducted by Daniel Danielis of...
, Nikolaus Hasse, Melchior Hoffmann, Johann Adam ReinckenJohann Adam ReinckenJohann Adam Reincken was a Dutch/German organist and composer...
, Christian Spahn. - Johann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
: Actus Tragicus. Carlos Mena, Katherine Fuge, Jan Kobow, Philippe Pierlot, Ricercar ConsortRicercar ConsortThe Ricercar Consort is a Belgian instrumental ensemble founded in 1980 together with the record label of Jérôme Lejeune.The founding members were François Fernandez, Bernard Foccroulle, and Philippe Pierlot. The initial repertoire was focussed on the German Baroque, and the Consort was closely...
. Mirare, 2005. - La Cantada Española en América. Carlos Mena, Eduardo López Banzo, Al Ayre EspañolAl Ayre EspañolAl Ayre Español is a vocal and instrumental ensemble specialized on early music founded in 1988 by Eduardo López Banzo .The name of the ensemble was inspired by the title for a guitar Fugue of the Calanda composer, Gaspar Sanz...
. Harmonia Mundi Ibérica, 2005. José de NebraJosé de NebraJosé Melchor Baltasar Gaspar Nebra Blasco was a Spanish composer.José de Nebra was born in Calatayud and was taught by his father, José Antonio Nebra Mezquita , organist and master of choirboys at the Cathedral of Cuenca 1711-1729...
, José de TorresJosé de TorresJosé de Torres y Martínez Bravo was a Spanish composer, organist, music theorist and music publisher.Torres was born in Madrid, where he served as organist of the capilla real from 1697. With the arrival of the Bourbons, Torres was expelled from the capilla, but avoided exile and was rehabilitated...
, Anónimo - Enríquez de ValderrábanoEnríquez de ValderrábanoEnríquez de Valderrábano was a Spanish vihuelist and composer. There is little biographical data on this composer of early music, but there is some from the prologue to his book of music, Libro de música de vihuela intitulado Silva de Sirenas, published in Valladolid, Spain in 1547...
: Silva de sirenas. Carlos Mena, Armoniosi Concerti. Harmonia Mundi, 2005. - Giovanni Battista PergolesiGiovanni Battista PergolesiGiovanni Battista Pergolesi was an Italian composer, violinist and organist.-Biography:Born at Iesi, Pergolesi studied music there under a local musician, Francesco Santini, before going to Naples in 1725, where he studied under Gaetano Greco and Francesco Feo among others...
: Stabat Mater. Carlos Mena, Nuria Rial, Philippe Pierlot, Ricercar ConsortRicercar ConsortThe Ricercar Consort is a Belgian instrumental ensemble founded in 1980 together with the record label of Jérôme Lejeune.The founding members were François Fernandez, Bernard Foccroulle, and Philippe Pierlot. The initial repertoire was focussed on the German Baroque, and the Consort was closely...
. Mirare, 2005. - Antonio VivaldiAntonio VivaldiAntonio Lucio Vivaldi , nicknamed because of his red hair, was an Italian Baroque composer, priest, and virtuoso violinist, born in Venice. Vivaldi is recognized as one of the greatest Baroque composers, and his influence during his lifetime was widespread over Europe...
: Stabat Mater. Carlos Mena, François Fernandez, Marc Hantai, Philippe Pierlot, Ricercar ConsortRicercar ConsortThe Ricercar Consort is a Belgian instrumental ensemble founded in 1980 together with the record label of Jérôme Lejeune.The founding members were François Fernandez, Bernard Foccroulle, and Philippe Pierlot. The initial repertoire was focussed on the German Baroque, and the Consort was closely...
. Mirare, 2005. - Jesús GuridiJesús GuridiJesús Guridi Bidaola was a Spanish Basque composer, and is a key player in the Spanish and Basque music of the twentieth century. His style fits into what we might call the late romantic stamp, directly inherited from Wagner, and with a strong influence from the Basque culture...
: Paisajes del Recuerdo. Carlos Mena, Susana Garcia de Salazar. Harmonia Mundi, 2007. - Johann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
: Tombeau de Sa Majesté la Reine de Pologne. Carlos Mena, Jan Kobow, Stephan MacLeod, Francis Jacob, Katherine Fuge, Philippe Pierlot, Ricercar ConsortRicercar ConsortThe Ricercar Consort is a Belgian instrumental ensemble founded in 1980 together with the record label of Jérôme Lejeune.The founding members were François Fernandez, Bernard Foccroulle, and Philippe Pierlot. The initial repertoire was focussed on the German Baroque, and the Consort was closely...
. Mirare, 2007. - Giovanni Felice SancesGiovanni Felice SancesGiovanni Felice Sances was an Italian singer and a Baroque composer. He was renowned in Europe during his time....
: Stabat Mater. Carlos Mena, Philippe Pierlot, Ricercar ConsortRicercar ConsortThe Ricercar Consort is a Belgian instrumental ensemble founded in 1980 together with the record label of Jérôme Lejeune.The founding members were François Fernandez, Bernard Foccroulle, and Philippe Pierlot. The initial repertoire was focussed on the German Baroque, and the Consort was closely...
. Johann Heinrich SchmelzerJohann Heinrich SchmelzerJohann Heinrich Schmelzer was an Austrian composer and violinist of the Baroque era. Almost nothing is known about his early years, but he seems to have arrived in Vienna during the 1630s, and remained composer and musician at the Habsburg court for the rest of his life...
, Johann FuxJohann FuxJohann Joseph Fux was an Austrian composer, music theorist and pedagogue of the late Baroque era. He is most famous as the author of Gradus ad Parnassum, a treatise on counterpoint, which has become the single most influential book on the Palestrina style of Renaissance polyphony...
, Marco Antonio Ziani Mirare, 2008. - Johann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
: Aus der Tieffen. Carlos Mena, Katharine Fuge, Hans-Jörg Mammel, Stephan MacLeod, Philippe Pierlot, Ricercar ConsortRicercar ConsortThe Ricercar Consort is a Belgian instrumental ensemble founded in 1980 together with the record label of Jérôme Lejeune.The founding members were François Fernandez, Bernard Foccroulle, and Philippe Pierlot. The initial repertoire was focussed on the German Baroque, and the Consort was closely...
. Mirare, 2009. - Johann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
: Magnificat. Carlos Mena, Anna Zander, Hans-Jörg Mammel, Stephan MacLeod, Francis Jacob, Philippe Pierlot, Ricercar ConsortRicercar ConsortThe Ricercar Consort is a Belgian instrumental ensemble founded in 1980 together with the record label of Jérôme Lejeune.The founding members were François Fernandez, Bernard Foccroulle, and Philippe Pierlot. The initial repertoire was focussed on the German Baroque, and the Consort was closely...
. Mirare, 2010. - Tomás Luis de VictoriaTomás Luis de VictoriaTomás Luis de Victoria, sometimes Italianised as da Vittoria , was the most famous composer of the 16th century in Spain, and one of the most important composers of the Counter-Reformation, along with Giovanni da Palestrina and Orlando di Lasso. Victoria was not only a composer, but also an...
: Et Jesum. Carlos Mena, Juan Carlos Rivera, Francisco Rubio Gallego. Harmonia Mundi Gold, 2010 - Blow & Purcell: Odes & Songs. Carlos Mena, Damien Guillon, Philippe Pierlot, Ricercar ConsortRicercar ConsortThe Ricercar Consort is a Belgian instrumental ensemble founded in 1980 together with the record label of Jérôme Lejeune.The founding members were François Fernandez, Bernard Foccroulle, and Philippe Pierlot. The initial repertoire was focussed on the German Baroque, and the Consort was closely...
. Mirare, 2010 - Johann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
: Passio secundum Johannem (Johannes-Passion). Maria Keohane, Helena Ek, Carlos Mena, Jan Börner, Hans-Jörg Mammel, Jan Kobow, Matthias Vieweg, Stephan MacLeod, Philippe Pierlot, Ricercar ConsortRicercar ConsortThe Ricercar Consort is a Belgian instrumental ensemble founded in 1980 together with the record label of Jérôme Lejeune.The founding members were François Fernandez, Bernard Foccroulle, and Philippe Pierlot. The initial repertoire was focussed on the German Baroque, and the Consort was closely...
. Mirare, 2010.
External links
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1vMSMiVA5A Carlos Mena, Artiste en résidence au Palais des Beaux-Arts http://www.bozar.be
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oq6Hiflrqn8&NR=1 Cantata Widerstehe doch der Sünde, BWV 54
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gzQD47L700 Aria BWV 244 (St Matthew Passion) Können Tränen meiner Wangen
- Interview Diario de Sevilla
- Short biography at orquestabarrocadesevilla.com
- Short biography at Iberkonzert.com
- Short biography at PerePortaConcerts.com
- Short biography at Bach-Cantatas.com