Jean-Paul Fouchécourt
Encyclopedia
Jean-Paul Fouchécourt is a French
tenor
, mostly as an opera
singer. He was born on August 30, 1958, at Blanzy in the Burgundy
region. He is best known for singing French Baroque music
, especially the parts called in French haute-contre
, written for a very high tenor voice with no falsetto
singing.
Specialist in French Baroque repertory, Jean-Paul Fouchecourt has gained his international reputation with his portrayal of the title role Platée by Rameau, Arnalta in l’Incoronazione di Poppea by Monteverdi, the 4 servants in the Tales of Hoffmann by Offenbach and le Mari in the Mamelles de Tirésias by Poulenc. He combines excellent musicality with a strong stage presence and is constantly sought after by casting directors for many of opera's character tenor roles.
After studying the classical saxophone and conducting, Jean-Paul Fouchécourt decided to become a singer after a workshop with Cathy Berberian in 1982. He began his career with Les Arts Florissants directed by William Christie and joined this ensemble in 1986, having concerts in Europe, US, Soviet Union, South America, Australia and Japan. Jean-Paul Fouchécourt then went on to work extensively with the conductor Marc Minkowsky and his Musiciens du Louvre: highlights of his young career in the Baroque repertory include the title roles of Hippolyte et Aricie by Rameau, Titon et l’Aurore by Mondonville, Acis et Galatée by Lully and Resurrezione by Handel. Jean-Paul has also collaborated with other Baroque ensembles directed by R. Alessandrini, R. Brown, P. Herreweghe, G. Garrido, N. McGeggan, R. Jacobs, S. Kuijken, H. Niquet, T. Pinnock, and Ch. Rousset.
Jean-Paul Fouchecourt has performed with many of the world’s leading opera companies, including Royal Opera House - London, Metropolitan Opera, City Opera - New York, and Cincinnati Opera. Opera Bastille, Theatre des Champs Elysees, and Châtelet in Paris, Opera de Bordeaux, Opera de Lyon, Opera du Rhin, and Opera de Montpellier. Théâtre de la Monnaie, Vlaams Opera, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Lausanne Opera and Zurich opera. Netherlands Opera, Theater an der Wien, New Israeli Opera and Australian Opera…
His operatic productions have included l’enfant et les sortilèges and l’Heure Espagnole (Torquemada) by Ravel, le Nozze di Figaro (Basilio) by Mozart, Orphée aux Enfers by Offenbach, Falstaff (Bardolfo) by Verdi, Manon (Guillot de Morfontaine) by Massenet, Madame Butterfly (Goro) by Puccini, Eugene Onegin (Monsieur Triquet) by Tchaikovsky, l’étoile (Ouf 1er) by Chabrier, Calisto by Cavalli, and The golden cockerel (The astrologer) by Rimsky-Korsakov.
His orchestral engagements have include invitations from Saito Kinen Orchestra, Boston Symphony, National Orchestra of France, Philharmonic Orchestra of Radio France, Berlin Philharmonic, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, and London Philharmonic Orchestra, where he has built very strong relationships working with conductors such as F. Bruggen, M.M Chung, J. Conlon, Sir A. Davis, C. Dutoit, Sir JE. Gardiner, V. Gergiev, N. Harnoncourt, V. Jurowsky, J. Levine, J. Lopez-Cobos, K. Nagano, S. Ozawa, A. Pappano, M. Plasson, Sir S. Rattle, G. Rozhdestvensky.
Jean-Paul Fouchecourt is also a regular feature of many of the world’s leading music festivals including Aix en Provence, Choregies d’Orange (France), Berkley (USA), Saito Kinen (Japan), BBC Proms, Edinburgh (UK), Salzburg (Austria).
He has a great affinity and love of French songs, from the Baroque Air de cour and Classical Romance to the Romantic mélodie. He has performed recitals in France and around the world including Warsaw, Abu Dhabi, Moscow, Caracas, San Francisco, Tokyo, New York (Florence Gould Hall with Dalton Baldwin, and London (Wigmore Hall with Graham Johnson).
His discography of more than 90 recordings includes works from Mondonville, Rameau, Fauré, Boulanger, Poulenc and Rosenthal to Szymanowski.
In 2000, Jean-Paul Fouchécourt was honoured with the distinction of “Chevalier de l’ordre National du Mérite” by the French Government.
He will appear in a Rameau's Platée
to be directed by Laurent Pelly
(revival on his Opéra de Paris production in 1999) and conducted by Harry Bicket
for the Santa Fe Opera
's 2007 summer festival.
Other recordings include:
Saxophone
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
, mostly as an opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
singer. He was born on August 30, 1958, at Blanzy in the Burgundy
Bourgogne
Burgundy is one of the 27 regions of France.The name comes from the Burgundians, an ancient Germanic people who settled in the area in early Middle-age. The region of Burgundy is both larger than the old Duchy of Burgundy and smaller than the area ruled by the Dukes of Burgundy, from the modern...
region. He is best known for singing French Baroque music
Baroque music
Baroque music describes a style of Western Classical music approximately extending from 1600 to 1760. This era follows the Renaissance and was followed in turn by the Classical era...
, especially the parts called in French haute-contre
Haute-contre
The haute-contre is a rare type of high tenor voice, predominant in French Baroque and Classical opera until the latter part of the eighteenth century.-History:...
, written for a very high tenor voice with no falsetto
Falsetto
Falsetto is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous edges of the vocal folds, in whole or in part...
singing.
Specialist in French Baroque repertory, Jean-Paul Fouchecourt has gained his international reputation with his portrayal of the title role Platée by Rameau, Arnalta in l’Incoronazione di Poppea by Monteverdi, the 4 servants in the Tales of Hoffmann by Offenbach and le Mari in the Mamelles de Tirésias by Poulenc. He combines excellent musicality with a strong stage presence and is constantly sought after by casting directors for many of opera's character tenor roles.
After studying the classical saxophone and conducting, Jean-Paul Fouchécourt decided to become a singer after a workshop with Cathy Berberian in 1982. He began his career with Les Arts Florissants directed by William Christie and joined this ensemble in 1986, having concerts in Europe, US, Soviet Union, South America, Australia and Japan. Jean-Paul Fouchécourt then went on to work extensively with the conductor Marc Minkowsky and his Musiciens du Louvre: highlights of his young career in the Baroque repertory include the title roles of Hippolyte et Aricie by Rameau, Titon et l’Aurore by Mondonville, Acis et Galatée by Lully and Resurrezione by Handel. Jean-Paul has also collaborated with other Baroque ensembles directed by R. Alessandrini, R. Brown, P. Herreweghe, G. Garrido, N. McGeggan, R. Jacobs, S. Kuijken, H. Niquet, T. Pinnock, and Ch. Rousset.
Jean-Paul Fouchecourt has performed with many of the world’s leading opera companies, including Royal Opera House - London, Metropolitan Opera, City Opera - New York, and Cincinnati Opera. Opera Bastille, Theatre des Champs Elysees, and Châtelet in Paris, Opera de Bordeaux, Opera de Lyon, Opera du Rhin, and Opera de Montpellier. Théâtre de la Monnaie, Vlaams Opera, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Lausanne Opera and Zurich opera. Netherlands Opera, Theater an der Wien, New Israeli Opera and Australian Opera…
His operatic productions have included l’enfant et les sortilèges and l’Heure Espagnole (Torquemada) by Ravel, le Nozze di Figaro (Basilio) by Mozart, Orphée aux Enfers by Offenbach, Falstaff (Bardolfo) by Verdi, Manon (Guillot de Morfontaine) by Massenet, Madame Butterfly (Goro) by Puccini, Eugene Onegin (Monsieur Triquet) by Tchaikovsky, l’étoile (Ouf 1er) by Chabrier, Calisto by Cavalli, and The golden cockerel (The astrologer) by Rimsky-Korsakov.
His orchestral engagements have include invitations from Saito Kinen Orchestra, Boston Symphony, National Orchestra of France, Philharmonic Orchestra of Radio France, Berlin Philharmonic, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, and London Philharmonic Orchestra, where he has built very strong relationships working with conductors such as F. Bruggen, M.M Chung, J. Conlon, Sir A. Davis, C. Dutoit, Sir JE. Gardiner, V. Gergiev, N. Harnoncourt, V. Jurowsky, J. Levine, J. Lopez-Cobos, K. Nagano, S. Ozawa, A. Pappano, M. Plasson, Sir S. Rattle, G. Rozhdestvensky.
Jean-Paul Fouchecourt is also a regular feature of many of the world’s leading music festivals including Aix en Provence, Choregies d’Orange (France), Berkley (USA), Saito Kinen (Japan), BBC Proms, Edinburgh (UK), Salzburg (Austria).
He has a great affinity and love of French songs, from the Baroque Air de cour and Classical Romance to the Romantic mélodie. He has performed recitals in France and around the world including Warsaw, Abu Dhabi, Moscow, Caracas, San Francisco, Tokyo, New York (Florence Gould Hall with Dalton Baldwin, and London (Wigmore Hall with Graham Johnson).
His discography of more than 90 recordings includes works from Mondonville, Rameau, Fauré, Boulanger, Poulenc and Rosenthal to Szymanowski.
In 2000, Jean-Paul Fouchécourt was honoured with the distinction of “Chevalier de l’ordre National du Mérite” by the French Government.
He will appear in a Rameau's Platée
Platée
Platée is an opera in a prologue and three acts by Jean-Philippe Rameau with a libretto by Adrien-Joseph Le Valois d'Orville. Rameau bought the rights to the libretto Platée ou Junon Jalouse by Jacques Autreau and had d'Orville modify it...
to be directed by Laurent Pelly
Laurent Pelly
Laurent Pelly is a French opera and theatre director. At the age of 18, he founded the Compagnie Théâtrale du Pélican which, since 1982, has been co-directed by Agathe Mélinand...
(revival on his Opéra de Paris production in 1999) and conducted by Harry Bicket
Harry Bicket
Harry Bicket is a British conductor, harpsichordist and organist.Bicket was educated at Radley College, Christ Church, Oxford, where he was organ scholar, and the Royal College of Music...
for the Santa Fe Opera
Santa Fe Opera
The Santa Fe Opera is an American opera company, located north of Santa Fe in the U.S. state of New Mexico, headquartered on a former guest ranch of .-General history:...
's 2007 summer festival.
Selected recordings
Among the many Baroque operas and vocal pieces that Fouchécourt has recorded are:- AtysAtys (Lully)Atys is a tragédie en musique in a prelude and five acts by Jean-Baptiste Lully to a French-language libretto by Philippe Quinault based on Ovid's Fasti. It was premiered at the royal court in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, January 10, 1676...
by Jean-Baptist Lully, conducted by William ChristieWilliam Christie (musician)William Lincoln Christie is an American-born French conductor and harpsichordist. He is noted as a specialist in baroque repertoire and as the founder of the ensemble Les Arts Florissants....
(1987) Harmonia Mundi - David et JonathasDavid et JonathasDavid et Jonathas , H. 490, is an opera in five acts and a prologue by the French composer Marc-Antoine Charpentier, first performed at the Collège Louis-le-Grand, Paris, on 28 February 1688. The libretto, by Father François Bretonneau S.J., is based on the Old Testament story of the...
by Marc-Antoine CharpentierMarc-Antoine CharpentierMarc-Antoine Charpentier, , was a French composer of the Baroque era.Exceptionally prolific and versatile, he produced compositions of the highest quality in several genres...
, conducted by William Christie (1988) Harmonia Mundi - The Fairy-QueenThe Fairy-QueenThe Fairy-Queen is a masque or semi-opera by Henry Purcell; a "Restoration spectacular". The libretto is an anonymous adaptation of William Shakespeare's wedding comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream. First performed in 1692, The Fairy-Queen was composed three years before Purcell's death at the age...
by PurcellHenry PurcellHenry Purcell – 21 November 1695), was an English organist and Baroque composer of secular and sacred music. Although Purcell incorporated Italian and French stylistic elements into his compositions, his legacy was a uniquely English form of Baroque music...
, conducted by William Christie (1989) Harmonia Mundi - Alcyone by Marin MaraisMarin MaraisMarin Marais was a French composer and viol player. He studied composition with Jean-Baptiste Lully, often conducting his operas, and with master of the bass viol Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe for 6 months. He was hired as a musician in 1676 to the royal court of Versailles...
, conducted by Marc MinkowskiMarc MinkowskiMarc Minkowski is a French conductor of classical music, especially known for his interpretations of French Baroque works. His mother is American, and his father was Alexandre Minkowski, a Polish-French professor of pediatrics and one of the founders of neonatology...
(1990) Erato - Te DeumTe DeumThe Te Deum is an early Christian hymn of praise. The title is taken from its opening Latin words, Te Deum laudamus, rendered literally as "Thee, O God, we praise"....
by De LalandeMichel Richard DelalandeMichel Richard Delalande [de Lalande] was a French Baroque composer and organist who was in the service of King Louis XIV. He was one of the most important composers of grand motets. He also wrote orchestral suites known as "Simphonies pour les Soupers du Roy" and ballets...
, conducted by William Christie (1991) Harmonia Mundi - Titon et l'Aurore by Jean-Joseph Cassanéa de MondonvilleJean-Joseph de MondonvilleJean-Joseph de Mondonville , also known as Jean-Joseph Cassanéa de Mondonville, was a French violinist and composer. He was a younger contemporary of Jean-Philippe Rameau and enjoyed great success in his day...
, conducted by Marc Minkowski (1992) Erato - Les amours de Ragonde by Jean-Joseph MouretJean-Joseph MouretJean-Joseph Mouret was a French composer whose dramatic works made him one of the leading exponents of Baroque music in his country...
, conducted by Marc Minkowski (1992) Erato - Les Indes GalantesLes Indes galantesLes Indes galantes is an opéra-ballet consisting of a prologue and four entrées by Jean-Philippe Rameau with libretto by Louis Fuzelier...
by Jean-Philippe RameauJean-Philippe RameauJean-Philippe Rameau was one of the most important French composers and music theorists of the Baroque era. He replaced Jean-Baptiste Lully as the dominant composer of French opera and is also considered the leading French composer for the harpsichord of his time, alongside François...
, conducted by William Christie (1992) Harmonia Mundi - IdoménéeIdoménéeIdoménée is an opera by the French composer André Campra. It takes the form of a tragédie en musique in a prologue and five acts. Idoménée was first performed at the Académie royale de musique on 12 January 1712. The libretto, by Antoine Danchet, is based on a stage play by Crébillon père...
by André CampraAndré CampraAndré Campra was a French composer and conductor.Campra was one of the leading French opera composers in the period between Jean-Baptiste Lully and Jean-Philippe Rameau. He wrote several tragédies en musique, but his chief claim to fame is as the creator of a new genre, opéra-ballet...
, conducted by William Christie (1992) Harmonia Mundi - Te DeumTe Deum (Charpentier)Marc-Antoine Charpentier composed his grand polyphonic motet Te Deum in D major probably between 1688 and 1698, during his stay at the Jesuit Church of Saint-Louis in Paris, where he held the position of musical director...
by Marc-Antoine CharpentierMarc-Antoine CharpentierMarc-Antoine Charpentier, , was a French composer of the Baroque era.Exceptionally prolific and versatile, he produced compositions of the highest quality in several genres...
, conducted by William Christie (1992) Harmonia Mundi - Pigmalion by Rameau, conducted by Hervé NiquetHervé NiquetHervé Niquet is a French conductor, harpsichordist, tenor, and the director of Le Concert Spirituel, specializing in French Baroque music.-Biography:...
(1993) Fnac / re-release from Virgin Classics/EMI (1999) - PhaëtonPhaëtonIn Greek mythology, Phaëton or Phaethon was the son of Helios and the Oceanid Clymene. Alternate, less common genealogies make him a son of Clymenus by Merope, of Helios and Rhode or of Helios and Prote....
by Lully, conducted by Marc Minkowski (1993) Erato - Hippolyte et AricieHippolyte et AricieHippolyte et Aricie was the first opera by Jean-Philippe Rameau, which opened to great controversy at the Académie Royale de Musique, Paris on October 1, 1733. The libretto, by Abbé Simon-Joseph Pellegrin, is based on Racine's tragedy Phèdre. The opera takes the traditional form of a tragédie en...
by Rameau, conducted by Marc Minkowski (1994) Archiv - Dido and AeneasDido and AeneasDido and Aeneas is an opera in a prologue and three acts by the English Baroque composer Henry Purcell to a libretto by Nahum Tate. The first known performance was at Josias Priest's girls' school in London no later than the summer of 1688. The story is based on Book IV of Virgil's Aeneid...
by Purcell, conducted by William Christie (1995) Erato - Les Fêtes de Paphos by MondonvilleJean-Joseph de MondonvilleJean-Joseph de Mondonville , also known as Jean-Joseph Cassanéa de Mondonville, was a French violinist and composer. He was a younger contemporary of Jean-Philippe Rameau and enjoyed great success in his day...
, conducted by Christophe RoussetChristophe RoussetChristophe Rousset is a French harpsichordist and conductor, specializing in the performance of baroque music on period instruments.-Biography:...
(1997) L'Oiseau-Lyre - Les Fêtes d'Hébé by Rameau, conducted by William Christie (1998) Erato
- Acis & Galatée by Lully, conducted by Marc Minkowski (1998) Archiv
- Orphée et EuridiceOrfeo ed EuridiceOrfeo ed Euridice is an opera composed by Christoph Willibald Gluck based on the myth of Orpheus, set to a libretto by Ranieri de' Calzabigi. It belongs to the genre of the azione teatrale, meaning an opera on a mythological subject with choruses and dancing...
(1774 Paris version) by Gluck, conducted by Ryan Brown (2005) Naxos
Other recordings include:
- La cambiale di matrimonioLa cambiale di matrimonioLa cambiale di matrimonio is a one-act operatic farsa comica by Gioachino Rossini to a libretto by Gaetano Rossi. The libretto was based on the play by Camillo Federici and a previous libretto by Giuseppe Checcherini for Carlo Coccia's 1807 opera, Il matrimonio per lettera di cambio...
by Gioachino Rossini, conducted by Hervé Niquet (1991) ADDA - La dame blancheLa Dame blancheLa dame blanche is an opéra comique in three acts by the French composer François-Adrien Boieldieu. The libretto was written by Eugène Scribe and is based on episodes from no less than five of the works by Scottish writer Sir Walter Scott, including his novels The Monastery, Guy Mannering, and The...
by BoïeldieuFrançois-Adrien BoïeldieuFrançois-Adrien Boieldieu was a French composer, mainly of operas, often called "the French Mozart".-Biography:...
, conducted by Marc MinkowskiMarc MinkowskiMarc Minkowski is a French conductor of classical music, especially known for his interpretations of French Baroque works. His mother is American, and his father was Alexandre Minkowski, a Polish-French professor of pediatrics and one of the founders of neonatology...
(1996, Released 1997, US Release 2001) EMI Classics/Angel - Les mamelles de TirésiasLes mamelles de TirésiasLes mamelles de Tirésias is a surrealist two-act opéra bouffe by Francis Poulenc, based on the play of the same title by Guillaume Apollinaire, which was written in 1903 but first performed in 1917...
by Francis PoulencFrancis PoulencFrancis Jean Marcel Poulenc was a French composer and a member of the French group Les six. He composed solo piano music, chamber music, oratorio, choral music, opera, ballet music, and orchestral music...
, conducted by Seiji OzawaSeiji Ozawais a Japanese conductor, particularly noted for his interpretations of large-scale late Romantic works. He is most known for his work as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and principal conductor of the Vienna State Opera.-Early years:...
(1999) Philips - Orphée aux enfersOrpheus in the UnderworldOrphée aux enfers is an opéra bouffon , or opéra féerie in its revised version, by Jacques Offenbach. The French text was written by Ludovic Halévy and later revised by Hector-Jonathan Crémieux....
by Offenbach conducted by Marc Minkowski (1998) EMI - Roméo & JulietteRoméo et Juliette (symphony)Roméo et Juliette is a "symphonie dramatique", a large-scale choral symphony by French composer Hector Berlioz, which was first performed on 24 November 1839. The libretto was written by Émile Deschamps and the completed work was assigned the catalogue numbers Op. 17 and H.79...
by Berlioz, conducted by John Eliot GardinerJohn Eliot GardinerSir John Eliot Gardiner CBE FKC is an English conductor. He founded the Monteverdi Choir , the English Baroque Soloists and the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique...
(1998) Polygram - WertherWertherWerther is an opera in four acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Édouard Blau, Paul Milliet and Georges Hartmann based on the German epistolary novel The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe....
by Massenet, conducted by Antonio PappanoAntonio PappanoAntonio Pappano is a British conductor and pianist of Italian parentage.Pappano's family relocated to England from Castelfranco in Miscano near Benevento, Italy in 1958 and at the time of his birth his parents worked in the restaurant business, but Pasquale Pappano, his father, was by vocation a...
(1999) EMI Classics - Enoch ArdenEnoch Arden (Strauss)Enoch Arden, Op. 38, TrV. 181, is a melodrama for narrator and piano, written in 1897 by Richard Strauss to the words of the 1864 poem of the same name by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.-History:...
, melodrama by Richard StraussRichard StraussRichard Georg Strauss was a leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. He is known for his operas, which include Der Rosenkavalier and Salome; his Lieder, especially his Four Last Songs; and his tone poems and orchestral works, such as Death and Transfiguration, Till...
, with Christian IvaldiChristian IvaldiChristian Ivaldi is a French pianist born on 2 September 1938 in Paris. He studied at the Paris Conservatory with Jacques Février and took a Premier Prix in piano performance, as well as in chamber music, counterpoint, and accompaniment. He first appeared as a soloist at Radio France in 1961...
, piano
Saxophone
- Works by Creston, Pierné, Schmitt recorded in 1981, 1984.