Simon Neal is an English/Irish operatic baritone. A member of the Oper Dortmund from 2006 to 2011, he has appeared in major roles at leading opera houses, including Pizarro in Beethoven's Fidelio with Opera Australia, the title role of Wagner's Der fliegende Holländer at the Opéra National de Lyon, and Telramund in Wagner's Lohengrin at the Royal Opera House. Besides the standard repertoire, he portrayed characters in 20th-century operas, such as the title role of Hindemith's Cardillac, the double role of Dr. Schön and Jack the Ripper in Alban Berg's Lulu, and Nekrotzar in Ligeti's Le Grand Macabre. He appeared as the Holländer in the world premiere of SehnSuchtMEER by Helmut Oehring in 2013.

Life and career

Neal wanted to become a singer when he was a teenager. He graduated in composition at Leicester University. He then pursued a business career in financial services, working in automobile marketing.[1] He studied voice privately with Neilson Taylor, saying in an interview that he had no voice training until age 36, and therefore never performed beginners' roles. His teacher prepared him for belcanto singing. Neal made his international debut as Pizarro in Beethoven's Fidelio at the Sydney Opera House in 2002, returning to sing Escamillo in Bizet's Carmen in 2005.[2] He joined the ensemble at Oper Dortmund in 2006, when Christine Mielitz was Intendantin, and remained until 2011. Mielitz was also a director and polished his acting and text interpretation. He performed there 20 roles, 13 of them in new productions.[1]

He performed at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein as Jago in Otello.[3] His Wagner roles there have included Wotan in Das Rheingold from 2017[4] and in Die Walküre from 2018[5][6][7] and Wanderer in Siegfried, in a Ring production directed by Dietrich Hilsdorf [de].[8] He participated in the world premiere of SehnSuchtMEER by Helmut Oehring, an adaptation of Wagner's Der fliegende Holländer, as the Holländer in 2013.[9]

Neal made his debut at the Oper Frankfurt in 2009 as Mandryka in Arabella by Richard Strauss,[10] followed by Kurwenal in Wagner's Tristan und Isolde,[11] Achilles in Schoeck's Penthesilea, directed by Hans Neuenfels,[12] the four villains in Offenbach's Les contes d'Hoffmann,[13] and Scarpia in Puccini's Tosca.[12] He portrayed the title role in Enescu's Œdipe, again directed by Neuenfels, and a reviewer noted his captivating performance, with a "dark, powerful bass baritone" that had "all the strength, but also the necessary elegance and culture for this demanding role and, above all, enormous empathic charisma".[14] He appeared as the Forester in Janáček's Das schlaue Füchslein in a production that was recorded.[6][15] In 2020 he performed as Mr. Gobineau in Menotti's The Medium.[16] He portrayed Nekrotzar, the title role in Ligeti's Le Grand Macabre, conducted by Thomas Guggeis the same year.[17][18] and Dr. Schön and Jack the Ripper in Alban Berg's Lulu in 2024. A reviewer of Lulu noted that he was elegant and powerful in voice and acting, in a fascinating role both violent and representative of a bourgeois society.[19] The reviewer from Musik heute wrote that he was convincing in the facets of his obsessive relationship to Lulu.[20]

Neal appeared in the title role of Wagner's Der fliegende Holländer at the Opéra National de Lyon in 2014, directed by Àlex Ollé.[21][22] He performed the title role of Hindemith's Cardillac at Opera Vlaanderen in 2019, and a reviewer noted that he portrayed with a powerful voice the passionate and dominant artist who cannot let go of his creations.[23] Neal appeared as Don Pizarro in Beethoven's Fidelio at Royal Opera House in London in 2020, in a production directed by Tobias Kratzer to celebrate Beethoven's 250th birthday, with Lise Davidsen in the title role and Jonas Kaufmann as Florestan, conducted by Antonio Pappano.[24] It was telecast[25] and filmed because live performances had soon to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[26] Neal entered the scene on horseback.[25]

Neil appeared at the Oper Leipzig as Jack Rance in Puccini's La fanciulla del West in a production conducted by Ulf Schirmer in 2018.[27] He performed there also as Dr. Schön/Jack the Ripper.[28] In 2021 he portrayed the archdiacon Claude Frollo in Franz Schmidt's rarely played Notre Dame at the St. Galler Festspiele [de].[1] A reviewer of his Telramund at the Royal Opera House noted in 2022: "Simon Neal’s strong yet nuanced singing revealed desperation and frustration mingled with a deep sense of honor".[29]"

Personal life

Neal is married to a former singer who turned to working as a therapist. They have no children and live in Lincolnshire, north of London, in quiet surroundings. He was able to be granted Irish citizenship in addition to English after the Brexit, because his grandfather was Irish.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Baltensweiler, Thomas (May 2021). "Mutige Entscheidung" (PDF). Das Opernglas (interview) (in German). Retrieved 4 March 2025.
  2. ^ "Simon Neal". ausstage.edu.au. 2025. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  3. ^ Bruder, Karl-Heinz: Otello – Deutsche Oper am Rhein (in German) Kultur24 25 November 2018
  4. ^ Jungblut, Peter Umstritten und nachdenklich (in German) BR 24 June 2017
  5. ^ Deutsche Oper am Rhein startet neuen "Ring" Musik heute 23 Juni 2017
  6. ^ a b "Ein Schlapphut für Wotan". Frankfurter Rundschau. 5 January 2019. Retrieved 18 February 2025.
  7. ^ Die Walküre Deutsche Oper am Rhein 2022
  8. ^ Siegfried Deutsche Oper am Rhein 2023
  9. ^ Schmöe, Stefan (3 July 2020). "SehnSuchtMEER oder Vom Fliegenden Holländer". Online Musik Magazin (in German). Retrieved 18 February 2025.
  10. ^ "Highlights im Spielplan der Oper Frankfurt im November 2023" (PDF) (press release). Oper Frankfurt. November 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2025.
  11. ^ Irurzun, José M. (20 April 2011). "Tristan und Isolde at Frankfurt Opera". seenandheard-international.com. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  12. ^ a b Othmar Schoecks "Penthesilea" in der Oper Frankfurt Theaterkompass
  13. ^ Laurson, Jens F. (15 November 2011). "Hoffmann's Sorry Tales From Frankfurt". seenandheard-international.com. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  14. ^ Brandenburg, Detlef: Ödipus aus dem Ei (in German) Die deutsche Bühne 9 December 2013
  15. ^ "Das schlaue Füchslein" (PDF). eclassical.com (in German). 2016. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  16. ^ The Medium (in German) theaterkompass.de 13 September 2020
  17. ^ Keeler, Olivier (10 November 2023). "Le Grand Macabre". Opera Gazet (in Dutch). Retrieved 25 February 2025.
  18. ^ Becker, Roberto (27 March 2022). "Kostümparty zum Weltuntergang – mit Nachspiel". Klassik Info (in German). Retrieved 25 February 2025.
  19. ^ Schmöe, Stefan (23 November 2024). "Lulu". Online Musik Magazin (in German). Retrieved 19 February 2025.
  20. ^ "Zwei Lulus an der Oper Frankfurt" (in German). Musik heute. 4 November 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
  21. ^ "Vaisseau fantôme, Le (Der fliegende Holländer)". Bachtrack. 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  22. ^ "A Fascinating Event". Oper Now (in German). November 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  23. ^ Straatman, Franz (6 February 2019). "Sterke Cardillac bij Opera Vlaanderen". Opera Magazine (in Dutch). Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  24. ^ Karlin, David (2 March 2020). "Leonore no.1: Lise Davidsen leads a revolutionary Fidelio at Covent Garden". Bachtrack. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  25. ^ a b Reif, Ruth Renée: "Wer ein solches Weib errungen" (in German) crescendo.de 3 March 2020
  26. ^ Davoren, Mark: Beethoven’s Fidelio – Royal Opera House North West End UK 27 July 2021
  27. ^ Korfmacher, Peter: Ulf Schirmers und Cusch Jungs "Fanciulla del West" in der Oper Leipzig gefeiert (in Germn) Leipziger Volkszeitung 30 September 2018
  28. ^ Lotte de Beer inszeniert, Ulf Schirmer dirigiert Alban Bergs Wedekind-Oper "Lulu" (in German) Leipziger Volkszeitung
  29. ^ Imamura, Aki (27 March 2022). "Lohengrin as chamber opera in Patrick Bialdyga's expanded Leipzig production". Bachtrack. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
Allikas: Https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Neal_(baritone)
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