René Jacobs facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
René Jacobs
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René Jacobs in Salzburg 2011
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| Born | 30 October 1946 Ghent, Belgium
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| Nationality | Belgian |
| Occupation | Countertenor and conductor |
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René Jacobs (born October 30, 1946) is a talented musician from Belgium. He first became famous as a countertenor, which is a male singer who sings in a very high voice, similar to a female alto. Later in his career, he became well-known as a conductor. He is especially famous for leading performances of Baroque and Classical operas.
Contents
About René Jacobs
Early Life and Singing Career
René Jacobs was born in Ghent, Belgium. He started his musical journey as a boy singing in the Cathedral choir. After that, he studied classical languages at the University of Ghent. He continued to sing in cities like Brussels and The Hague.
Important musicians like the Kuijken brothers, Gustav Leonhardt, and Alfred Deller encouraged him to become a professional countertenor. He quickly became one of the best countertenors of his time. He recorded many less-known Baroque music pieces by composers such as Antonio Cesti and William Lawes. He also sang in famous recordings of major works by Johann Sebastian Bach, including the St Matthew Passion.
Becoming a Conductor
In 1977, René Jacobs started his own music group called Concerto Vocale. This was a big step towards his career as a conductor.
As a conductor, Jacobs has recorded many operas and other musical works from the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. His recording of Mozart's opera The Marriage of Figaro is particularly famous. It won many awards, including Gramophone magazine's Record of the Year in 2004 and a Grammy Award for "Best Opera recording" in 2005. Other award-winning recordings include George Frideric Handel's Rinaldo and Joseph Haydn's The Seasons.
Jacobs has won many awards for his recordings and work. These include the Grammy Award and Gramophone magazine's "Record of the Year." His recording of Mozart's The Magic Flute was named Record of the Year at the first International Classical Music Awards in 2011.
He is known for being a "singer's conductor." This means he understands how singers perform and helps them sound their best. He is also skilled at handling recitative, which is a style of singing that sounds like speaking.
Jacobs often conducts famous orchestras and groups. These include the Concerto Köln, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin. He conducts them for recordings and concert tours around the world. In 1992, the Berlin State Opera invited him to conduct there.
From 1991 to 2009, Jacobs was the artistic director for opera programs at the Festwochen der Alten Musik (Innsbruck Festival of Early Music) in Innsbruck. He also taught at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis. There, he taught students how to interpret and sing Baroque music.
Award-Winning Recordings as Conductor
Here are some of René Jacobs's recordings that have won important awards:
- Bach – Christmas Oratorio (Choc du Monde de la Musique; ClassicsToday.com)
- Bach – The Motets (award: Diapason d'Or)
- Caldara – Maddalena ai piedi di Cristo (awards: Gramophone Award; Diapason d'or)
- Cavalli – La Calisto (awards: Cannes Classical Award; Diapason d'or)
- Cavalli – Xerxes – (awards: Choc du Monde de la Musique; Diapason d'or)
- Gluck – Orfeo ed Euridice (awards: Cannes Classical Awards)
- Handel – Rinaldo (awards: Cannes Classical Award)
- Handel – Saul (awards: Editor's choice Gramophone; Choc du Monde de la musique)
- Haydn – Die Jahreszeiten (awards: Choc du Monde de la Musique; Edison Classical Music Award; Gramophone Award)
- Haydn – Symphonies Nos. 91 and 92 (awards: Choc du Monde de la Musique; Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik)
- Keiser – Croesus (awards: Edison Classical Music Award; Diapaison d'or)
- Monteverdi – L'Orfeo (awards: Choc 2006)
- Monteverdi – Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria (Diapason d'or; Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik)
- Mozart – Così fan tutte (Cannes Classical Awards; Diapason d'or; Edison Classical Music Award)
- Mozart – Le nozze di Figaro (awards: 47th Grammy Award; Choc du Monde de la Musique; Edison Classical Music Award; Gramophone Record of the Year 2004)
- Mozart – La clemenza di Tito (awards: Critics award at the Brits Classics 2007; Jahrespreis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik)
- Mozart – Don Giovanni (awards: Gramophone Record of the Month, October 2007)
- Mozart – Idomeneo (awards: Scherzo, Choc de Classica)
- Purcell – Dido and Aeneas (awards: Editor's choice Gramophone)
- Scarlatti – Il primo omicidio (awards: Diapason d'or; Editor's choice Gramophone; Gramophone Award)
- Scarlatti – Griselda (awards: Diapason d'or)
- Schütz – Christmas Oratorio (awards: Diapason d'or)
See also
In Spanish: René Jacobs para niños
