James Bowman | |
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| Born | James Thomas Bowman (1941-11-06)6 November 1941 Oxford, England |
| Died | 27 March 2023(2023-03-27) (aged 81) Redhill, England |
| Occupation | Countertenor |
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| Website | www |
James Thomas BowmanCBE (6 November 1941 – 27 March 2023) was an Englishcountertenor. His career spanned opera, oratorio, contemporary music and solo recitals. Arguably, he was, afterAlfred Deller, the most important countertenor in the 20th century revival of the voice part. He combined early and baroque repertoires with contemporary work, becoming recognised for his portrayal of Oberon in Britten'sA Midsummer Night's Dream and performing world premieres.
Bowman's background was inAnglican church music. He was educated atKing's Ely[1][2] where he began singing as a boy chorister atEly Cathedral, progressing to become head chorister. After the traditional rest when his voice broke, he returned to the choir as a bass.[3] Around 1959, he gave his first public performance as a countertenor to a school congregation in the Lady Chapel. He later went toNew College, Oxford, as achoral scholar and was a member of the New College andChrist Church choirs.[1][4]
After finishing his studies, Bowman was briefly a teacher. However, in the late 1960s he became active as a countertenor soloist, a career which lasted more than 40 years.[5]
In 1967, Bowman auditioned forBenjamin Britten'sEnglish Opera Group. He was cast as Oberon inA Midsummer Night's Dream. The role had been composed withAlfred Deller's ethereal voice in mind. Deller sang in the 1960 premiere and his two recordings of the work have a claim to being definitive as regards the sound Britten intended. However, Bowman, who had a larger voice than Deller and a more commanding stage presence, went on to have a long association with the role,[6][7] finally recording his interpretation with theCity of London Sinfonia underRichard Hickox in 1993. He appeared atGlyndebourne in 1970 in Francesco Cavalli'sLa Calisto, as the first countertenor to sing there,[6] conducted byRaymond Leppard and alongsideJanet Baker.[8] He sang at theEnglish National Opera in 1971 in Handel'sSemele, and at theRoyal Opera House in 1972 inTaverner by Peter Maxwell Davies.[9] In 1973 he created the role of the Voice of Apollo in Britten'sDeath in Venice.[4][6]
Bowman retired from the operatic stage to concentrate on concert work after having appeared at most of the world's major opera houses includingLa Scala in Milan,[1]Stopera in Amsterdam,Palais Garnier in Paris, theAix-en-Provence Festival,Sydney Opera House,Verona Arena,Vienna State Opera,Opéra de Strasbourg,Santa Fe Opera,Dallas Opera, andSan Francisco Opera.[9][10]
In 1965 Bowman metDavid Munrow and was invited to join theEarly Music Consort of London.[6] The ensemble flourished in the ten years from 1967 to 1976, making many recordings and touring. When Munrow died in 1976, the group disbanded but Bowman continued to work with former members such as the harpsichordist and conductorChristopher Hogwood and the lutenist Robert Spencer.[3][6]
In 1967 Bowman sang in one of Purcell's odes at the opening concert of London'sQueen Elizabeth Hall.[6][11] In the years 1969–1975 Bowman sang in thechoir of Westminster Abbey. For many years Bowman was a member of the early music choral groupPro Cantione Antiqua. In recital he often worked with the lutenist Dorothy Linell and the pianist Andrew Plant.[3]
As well as the Britten andMaxwell Davies operatic productions, Bowman gave the world premieres of contemporary works by composers includingGeoffrey Burgon,Alan Ridout andRichard Rodney Bennett.[3][12] He also commissioned theSelf-laudatory hymn of Inanna and her omnipotence fromMichael Nyman. He appeared in the world premiere of Britten'sCanticle IV: The Journey of the Magi in 1971.[6]
The suicide of David Munrow in 1976 left Bowman in such a state of shock that he lost his voice and had to retrain.[13]
In 2010 it was announced that Bowman would give his last London concert in 2011 at theWigmore Hall, although he would continue to give recitals outside the capital.[10] A few years previously he retired from theChapel Royal,St. James's Palace, in London, after a decade of service.[14]
Bowman died on 27 March 2023, at age 81.[1][8][11]
Bowman made over 180 recordings with major record labels.[16] One of his first recordings was a 1967 LP of Baroque music forEMI, Charpentier'sMesse de minuit pour Noël, H.9., with theChoir of King's College, Cambridge, and theEnglish Chamber Orchestra conducted byDavid Willcocks.[3]
He recorded with many leading conductors includingFrans Brüggen,John Eliot Gardiner,Nikolaus Harnoncourt,Christopher Hogwood,Gustav Leonhardt andRoger Norrington. Between 1988 and 2001 he made many recordings forHyperion Records withThe King's Consort and their conductorRobert King, including the complete odes ofHenry Purcell, secular songs and church music, Handel'sJudas Maccabaeus, theOccasional Oratorio,Deborah,Joseph and his Brethren,Giulio Cesare,Ottone, andJoshua, discs of Schelle, Kuhnau and Knüpfer, and two solo discs of Handel arias.[12] He recorded Britten'sMidsummer Night's Dream in 1993, with theCity of London Sinfonia conducted byRichard Hickox.[8] He appeared in the 1985Tony Palmer film about HandelGod Rot Tunbridge Wells!, singing 'Ombra mai fu' fromSerse.[17]
Bowman's twentieth-century repertoire includedTen Blake Songs andLinden Lea by Vaughan Williams on the Meridian Records label[18] andSongs of Innocence, a recital album of mostly English songs withAndrew Swait (treble) and pianist Andrew Plant.[19] In 2011 he recorded lute songs byJohn Dowland and others on the CDSongs and Sorrowful Sonnets with Dorothy Linell.[20] It was made available as a digital download in 2023.[21]
