New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Deutsche Grammophon is pleased to announce that it has signed an exclusive long-term contract with
Benjamin Bernheim. The 33-year-old French lyric tenor has already secured his international reputation as one of the leading tenors of the new generation of singers.
Bernheim will launch his relationship with DG with an album of French, Italian and Russian arias. Scheduled for worldwide release in autumn 2019, it will capture his interpretations of the classic young tenor roles featuring works by many of the composers central to his operatic repertoire including Gounod, Massenet, Donizetti, Puccini, Verdi and Tchaikovsky.
"Opera has the power to touch people's souls and enrich their lives, and I'm happy that I'll be able to reach a broader audience worldwide in partnership with DG," says Bernheim. "I'm delighted to have recorded my first DG album with the Prague Philharmonia and Emmanuel Villaume, exploring a range of roles that suit my voice so well right now."
Dr
Clemens Trautmann, President Deutsche Grammophon, welcomed Bernheim to the Yellow Label. "Benjamin owns much more than a sublime voice," he notes. "He is always searching for those vital elements that lie beneath the music's surface, demonstrating a combination of intuition and empathy as well as technical mastery. We're determined to introduce this remarkable young star to a large new audience and show why he's in such high demand at the world's leading opera companies."
Valérie Gross, DG's A&R
Director Vocal & Opera Productions, added, "He's got it all: voice, charisma, looks and an uncanny ability to communicate with people - watch out for this exceptional singer!"
Benjamin Bernheim was born in Paris in 1985. After studying in Lausanne, he joined Zurich Opera's Opera Studio in 2008, returning to the company two years later as a member of its renowned ensemble. He is now in demand in leading roles at the world's most prestigious opera houses, having sung Rodolfo (La bohème) at Covent Garden, the Opéra de Paris and the Vienna Staatsoper; Alfredo (La traviata) at La Scala, Milan, Berlin Staatsoper and Zurich Opera; Nemorino (L'elisir d'amore) at the Vienna Staatsoper; Lenski (Eugene Onegin) at the Deutsche Oper Berlin; and the title role in Faust at the Lyric Opera of
Chicago and Théâtre des Champs-Elysées. He has also appeared in several productions at the Salzburg Whitsun and Summer festivals. He began this season by reprising the role of Rodolfo in Zurich, and then went on to give his first performance of the Verdi Requiem at Covent Garden, conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano. He makes his highly anticipated role debut as Des Grieux in Manon at Opéra national de Bordeaux on April 5, and debuts the role of Ismaele in Nabucco in Zurich in June. This season has also brought great critical acclaim, including this review for his appearance as Tamino (Die Zauberflöte) at the Vienna Staatsoper: "With his warm, golden-toned tenor and wonderful stage presence he showed … why he is known as one of the most interesting tenors of our day" (Die Presse). In December 2018, he was named a Rolex Testimonee.
In the 2019-20 season Bernheim will return to the Opéra de Paris as Alfredo and Des Grieux in new productions of La traviata and Manon respectively. He will also make his role and house debut as the Duke in Rigoletto at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, with other highlights of the coming season including his appearances in La Bohème in Munich and Paris and La traviata at both the Berlin and the Vienna Staatsoper.
