- update 01.10.2002
- www.alsteartists.com
Matthias Rexroth, Altus
Matthias Rexroth is considered an exceptional artist of his generation and voice type, according to the Kölnische Rundschau, "A new star in the firmament of the early music scene...with a generous bottom, shiny effortless top, wonderfully tender pianos and perfect articulation: astonishing". He is the only Altus who won two major international voice competitions, the 37th International Francesco-Vinas-Competition in Barcelona (First prize and special prize as best countertenor), and the 19th International Hans-Gabor-Belvedere-Competition in Vienna (first prize as well as eight special prizes).
Born in Nürnberg, Matthias Rexroth played the oboe with appearances as soloist in concertos and chamber music before switching to singing. In 1998 he graduated the Musikhochschule Karlsruhe, where he studied with Klaus Dieter Kern, Maria Venuti and Donald Litaker. At the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis he studied with Richard Levitt and Anthony Rooley. Since 1999 studies with Eytan Pessen at the Stuttgart State Opera. He received awards and stipends from the 'Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes', the Richard Wagner Society, the Franz-Grothe foundation, the Art Allience of Baden-Württemberg as well as the culture-prize from the City of Coburg.
He made his opera debut 1999 at the Stuttgart Opera with Purcell's King Arthur, followed by Violetta Dinescu's 35. Mai, Donizetti's Viva la Mamma , Legrenzi's La divisione del mondo under Thomas Hengelbrock at the Schwetzinger Festspiele and the Tage Alter Musik in Innsbruck, Hamor in Handel's Jephta at the Norway State Opera, Epafo in Jommelli's Fetonte in Ludwigsburg and Oberon in Britten's Midsummer Night 's Dream at the Darmstadt Opera.
In the Bach-year 2000 he sang in the worldwide broadcast and televised B minor Mass with the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, followed by the Magnificat with Concerto Köln, St Markus Passion in Karlsruhe, St John Passion at the Alte Oper Frankfurt, the Christmas Oratorio in Wiesbaden and St Matthew Passion at the Festspiele Ludwigsburg. Other concerts include the Messiah with the Bamberg Symphony, Rossini's Messa di Milano and Orfeo-Arias at the Rossini festival in Wildbad, Carmina Burana and Castrati Arias at Forum Ludwigsburg , Handel-Arias in the Kölner Philharmonie, recitals at the Rheingau festival and Nürnberg (Fränkischer Sommer). Radio productions in BR, NDR, SFB, SWR, Deutsche Welle, Ligeti's Aventures/ Nouvelles Aventures with Peter Eötvös at DeutschlandRadio Berlin and the SüdwestRundfunk, and a CD of Handel's Dettinger Te Deum with the Hessischer Rundfunk.
Appearances this year include a European concert tour 'Rising-Star' at the Vienna Musikverein, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Athens Megaron, Brussels, Stockholm, Birmingham und Cologne, Hamor in Handel's Jephta with Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Oberon in Darmstadt and the titel role in Handel's Giulio Cesare at the Saarbrücken Opera.