Simon Neal | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Operaticbaritone |
| Organizations | Oper Dortmund |
| Website | simonnealbaritone |
Simon Neal is an English operaticbaritone. A member of theOper Dortmund from 2006 to 2011, he has appeared in major roles at leading opera houses, including Pizarro in Beethoven'sFidelio withOpera Australia, the title role of Wagner'sDer fliegende Holländer at theOpéra National de Lyon, and Telramund in Wagner'sLohengrin at theRoyal Opera House. Besides the standard repertoire, he portrayed characters in 20th-century operas, such as the title role of Hindemith'sCardillac, the double role of Dr. Schön and Jack the Ripper in Alban Berg'sLulu, and Nekrotzar in Ligeti'sLe Grand Macabre. He appeared as the Holländer in the world premiere ofSehnSuchtMEER byHelmut Oehring in 2013.
Neal wanted to become a singer when he was a teenager. He graduated in composition atLeicester University. He then pursued a financial services career, 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 forbelcanto singing. Neal made his international debut as Pizarro in Beethoven'sFidelio at theSydney Opera House in 2002, returning to sing Escamillo in Bizet'sCarmen in 2005.[2] He joined the ensemble atOper Dortmund in 2006, whenChristine Mielitz wasIntendantin, 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 theDeutsche Oper am Rhein as Jago inOtello.[3] His Wagner roles there have included Wotan inDas Rheingold from 2017[4] and inDie Walküre from 2018[5][6][7] and Wanderer inSiegfried, in aRing production directed byDietrich Hilsdorf [de].[8] He participated in the world premiere ofSehnSuchtMEER byHelmut Oehring, an adaptation of Wagner'sDer fliegende Holländer, as the Holländer in 2013.[9]
Neal made his debut at theOper Frankfurt in 2009 as Mandryka inArabella by Richard Strauss,[10] followed by Kurwenal in Wagner'sTristan und Isolde,[11] Achilles in Schoeck'sPenthesilea, directed byHans Neuenfels,[12] the four villains in Offenbach'sLes contes d'Hoffmann,[13] and Scarpia in Puccini'sTosca.[12] He portrayed the title role in Enescu'sŒdipe, 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'sDas schlaue Füchslein in a production that was recorded.[6][15] In 2020 he performed as Mr. Gobineau in Menotti'sThe Medium.[16] He portrayed Nekrotzar, the title role in Ligeti'sLe Grand Macabre, conducted byThomas Guggeis the same year.[17][18] and Dr. Schön and Jack the Ripper in Alban Berg'sLulu in 2024. A reviewer ofLulu 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 fromMusik heute wrote that he was convincing in the facets of his obsessive relationship to Lulu.[20]
Neal appeared in the title role of Wagner'sDer fliegende Holländer at theOpéra National de Lyon in 2014, directed byÀlex Ollé.[21][22] He performed the title role of Hindemith'sCardillac atOpera 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'sFidelio atRoyal Opera House in London in 2020, in a production directed byTobias Kratzer to celebrate Beethoven's 250th birthday, withLise Davidsen in the title role andJonas Kaufmann as Florestan, conducted byAntonio Pappano.[24] It was telecast[25] and filmed because live performances had soon to be cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[26] Neal entered the scene on horseback.[25]
Neil appeared at theOper Leipzig as Jack Rance in Puccini'sLa fanciulla del West in a production conducted byUlf 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 playedNotre Dame at theSt. 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]"
Neal is married to a former singer who turned to working as a therapist. They have no children and live inLincolnshire, north of London. He was granted Irish citizenship in addition to English afterBrexit, because his grandfather was Irish.[1]
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