Contemplation Huw Montague Rendall, Opéra Orchestre Normandie Rouen & Ben Glassberg

• Ambroise Thomas (1811 - 1896): Hamlet, Act 3:
• 1Thomas: Hamlet, Act 3: Récitatif. "J'ai pu frapper le misérable" - Air. "Être ou ne pas être" (Hamlet)05:40
• Charles Gounod (1818 - 1893): Faust, Act 2:
• 2Gounod: Faust, Act 2: Récitatif. "Ô sainte médaille" - Air. "Avant de quitter ces lieux" (Valentin)03:52
• Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897 - 1957): Die tote Stadt, Op. 12, Act 2:
• 3Korngold: Die tote Stadt, Op. 12, Act 2: "Mein Sehnen, mein Wähnen" (Fritz)04:26
• Gustav Mahler (1860 - 1911): Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen:
• 4Mahler: Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen: No. 1, Wenn mein Schatz Hochzeit macht04:09
• 5Mahler: Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen: No. 2, Ging heut' morgen über's Feld03:52
• 6Mahler: Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen: No. 3, Ich hab' ein glühend Messer03:09
• 7Mahler: Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen: No. 4, Die zwei blauen Augen von meinem Schatz05:36
• Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976): Billy Budd, Op. 50, Act 2:
• 8Britten: Billy Budd, Op. 50, Act 2: "Look Through the Port" (Billy)05:28
• Charles Gounod: Roméo et Juliette, Act 1:
• 9Gounod: Roméo et Juliette, Act 1: Ballade. "Mab, la reine des mensonges" (Mercutio)02:32
• Henri Duparc (1848 - 1933): Chanson triste:
• 10Duparc: Chanson triste03:27
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791): Le nozze di Figaro, K. 492, Act 3:
• 11Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro, K. 492, Act 3: Aria. "Hai già vinta la causa" (Almaviva)04:57
• Don Giovanni, K. 527, Act 2:
• 12Mozart: Don Giovanni, K. 527, Act 2: Canzonetta. "Deh vieni alla finestra" (Don Giovanni)02:15
• André Messager (1853 - 1929): Monsieur Beaucaire, Prologue:
• 13Messager: Monsieur Beaucaire, Prologue: Chanson de la rose rouge. "Au jardin où les fleurs sont écloses" (Beaucaire)03:55
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Die Zauberflöte, K. 620, Act 2:
• 14Mozart: Die Zauberflöte, K. 620, Act 2: "Papagena! Weibchen! Täubchen!" (Papageno, Die drei Knaben)05:16
• 15Mozart: Die Zauberflöte, K. 620, Act 2: Duett. "Pa-Pa-Pa-Papagena" (Papageno, Papagena)02:33
• Richard Rodgers (1902 - 1979): Carousel, Act 1:
• 16Rodgers: Carousel, Act 1: "Soliloquy" (Billy)07:28
• Gustav Mahler: 5 Rückert-Lieder:
• 17Mahler: 5 Rückert-Lieder: No. 3, Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen06:45
• Total Runtime01:15:20

Info for Contemplation

Arias and songs by Mozart, Thomas, Gounod, Duparc, Messager, Mahler, Korngold, Rodgers and Britten.

Thanks to his rapidly accelerating global career, the name Huw Montague Rendall is on everyone's lips among opera fans. His debut album on Erato offers a unique opportunity to get to know the young British baritone in all his facets: Under the title "Contemplation", he sings music from three centuries, in four languages ​​and - from opera to operetta, from song to musical - in a wide variety of genres. This varied and harmoniously composed musical trip is accompanied by the Opéra Orchestre Normandie Rouen under the direction of Ben Glassberg.

Huw Montague Rendall describes the program of his album as "a path to my innermost self". Between drama and thoughtfulness, the aria “J’ai pu frapper le misérable… Être ou ne pas être” by Hamlet from Ambroise Thomas’ opera of the same name kicks things off: a role that played a decisive role in the breakthrough of the award-winning singer. In addition to other French repertoire with works by Gounod, Messager and Duparc, Rendall also shows his versatility in the Mozart repertoire on “Contemplation”, where he can present himself as Count Figaro, Don Giovanni and Papageno in ever-changing characters, from seducer to comedian. We then get to know the song singer with subtle phrasing and text treatment in orchestral songs by Gustav Mahler – supplemented by the “showman” who gets to turn things up like Broadway in Richard Rodgers’ “Carousel”.

Huw Montague Rendall, baritone
Orchester de l'Opera de Rouen Haute-Normandie
Ben Glassberg, conductor

Huw Montague Rendall
One of the most exciting talents to have emerged in recent years, British baritone Huw Montague Rendall has already made hugely acclaimed debuts on some of the world’s most important stages such as Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Opéra National de Paris, Festival d’Aix en Provence, and the Salzburg and Glyndebourne Festivals, earning rapturous acclaim for his compelling artistry, stage craft and musicianship.

An exclusive recording artist with Erato / Warner Classics, Huw will release his debut album “Contemplation” in September 2024.

The 2023/24 season sees him debut at the Bayerische Staatsoper as Conte Almaviva in a new production of Le Nozze di Figaro. He will also debut Eisenstein Die Fledermauswith Staatsoper Hamburg, and with Les Musiciens du Louvre on tour at the Teatro Real and the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, as well as singing his first Don Giovanni in concert at Opéra de Rouen. On the concert platform, he gives a solo recital at the Opéra National du Rhin in Strasbourg and makes his debut with the prestigious Musikkollegium Winterthur, singing Mahler’s heartbreaking Kindertotenlieder. Looking further ahead, his enagements include debuts at the Wiener Staaatsoper as well as returns to Festival d’Aix en Provence, the Royal Opera House, Glyndebourne Festival and Opéra de Paris.

The previous season saw Montague Rendall make a series of extraordinary debuts: in Ambroise Thomas’ Hamlet in a new production created at Komische Oper Berlin; his company debut at Opéra national de Paris with a double appearance: Papageno Die Zauberflöte and Mercutio in the premiere Roméo et Juliette; Papageno in a new production of Die Zauberflöte at Opéra National du Rhin; Guglielmo Così fan tutte for his debut at Staatsoper Hamburg and Pelléas Pelléas et Mélisande at Santa Fe Opera under the baton of Harry Bicket.

Recent highlights have included his debuts with the Royal Opera House and Lyric Opera of Chicago as Papageno Die Zauberflöte; Guglielmo Cosi Fan Tutte and Malatesta in a critically acclaimed production of Don Pasquale, both at Glyndebourne Festival; the title role in Pelléas et Mélisande at Opéra de Rouen Normandie; Papageno Die Zauberflöte with Glyndebourne on tour; Conte Almaviva Le nozze di Figaroat Opéra National de Lorraine; and Harlequin Ariadne auf Naxos at Festival d’Aix-en-Provence and Théâtre des Champs-Élysées.

Equally at home in concert and recital he was heard as Christus in a European tour of the Bach Trilogy: The Life of Christ with Raphaël Pichon and Ensemble Pygmalion, which comprised of three oratorios: The Christmas Oratorio, St John Passion and The Easter Oratorio; Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem together with the Dutch National Opera at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam; Ned Keene Peter Grimes at the Enescu Festival; a “Mozart Matinee” series with Pichon at the Salzburg Festival; Richard Blackford’s Pietàat the Cadogan Hall with the Bournemouth Symphony Chorus & Orchestra; Mendelssohn Die Erste Walpurgisnacht with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra; Duruflé Requiem with the RTE National Symphony Orchestra; and many concerts in the UK ranging from solo song recitals to sacred works by Brahms, Handel, Stainer, Fauré, Finzi and Vaughan Williams. A dedicated recitalist, his most recent appearances include a recital at the Opéra de Lille, a liederabend with Hélio Vida in Nancy and Die Schöne Müllerin with pianist Gary Matthewman for Lancaster Arts.

An alumnus of the Royal College of Music, Montague Rendall trained under the tutorage of Russell Smythe, having previously studied under David Rendall and Philip Doghan. In summer 2016 Montague Rendall was a Jerwood Young Artist with Glyndebourne Festival Opera, where he sang the role of Fiorello Il barbiere di Siviglia,for which he was awarded the much-coveted John Christie Award 2016. The following summer he joined the prestigious Young Artist Programme at the Salzburg Festspiele and was a member of the International Opera Studio in Zürich from 2016 to 2018.

Booklet for Contemplation