French countertenor Philippe Jaroussky has been named the winner of the 16th Traetta Prize 2024 “in recognition of his passionate and enduring
commitment to giving voice to the rediscovery of the European roots of 18th-century music.”
The Traetta Prize is an award presented by the Traetta Society in recognition of achievements in the rediscovery of the roots of European music. It is named after the composer Tommaso Traetta (1727-1779) and is awarded annually during Traetta Week, a week of commemorative celebrations dedicated to the composer, taking place over the eight days between the day of his birth and the day of his death (March 30 – April 6).
The Traetta Prize aims to honor individuals who have been committed to expanding the knowledge of 18th-century musical production.
The Prize borrows Traetta’s name as a symbol of a long list of unfairly forgotten composers such as Leonardo Vinci, Pasquale Anfossi, Antonio Sacchini, Nicola Vaccaj, Leonardo Leo, Domenico Cimarosa, or Vicente Martín y Soler, among others.
Born in 1978, Philippe Jaroussky has emerged as the most admired countertenor of his generation, as confirmed by the French awards
‘Victoires de la Musique’ (‘Revelation Artiste Lyrique’ in 2004, ‘Artiste lyrique de l’année’ in 2007 and 2010, CD of the Year 2009) and
multiple Echo Klassik awards in Germany (2005, 2008, 2011-2012, and 2015).
Jaroussky’s technique allows him the boldest nuances and the most impressive vocal acrobatics. He has explored a vast repertoire, from the refinement of Italian Seicento with Monteverdi, Sances, and Rossi, to the extraordinary brilliance of Handel and Traetta’s arias. He has collaborated with renowned orchestras on period instruments such as
L’Arpeggiata, Les Arts florissants, Ensemble Matheus, Les Musiciens du Louvre, Le Concert d’Astrée, Le Cercle de l’Harmonie, and Europa
Galante, with conductors such as Christina Pluhar, William Christie, Jean-Christophe Spinosi, Marc Minkowski, René Jacobs, Jérémie Rhorer,
Emmanuelle Haïm, Jean-Claude Malgoire, and Fabio Biondi.
He has been praised for performances in all the most prestigious concert halls of his native France (Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Théâtre du Châtelet, Salle Pleyel, Salle Gaveau, Opéra de Lyon, Opéra de Montpellier, Opéra de Nancy, Arsenal de Metz, Théâtre de Caen) and abroad (The Barbican Centre and Southbank Centre in London, Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels, Grand Théâtre du Luxembourg, Konzerthaus in Vienna, Staatsoper and Philharmonie in Berlin, Teatro Real in Madrid, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center in New York, and recently Palau de les Arts in Valencia).
Philippe Jaroussky has received numerous awards for his recordings: with Heroes (Vivaldi opera arias) and La Dolce Fiamma, he achieved gold disc status; his homage to Carestini (with Concert d’Astrée and Emmanuelle Haim) won CD of the Year at Victoires de la Musique and Midem Classical Awards in 2009; his Stabat Mater with soprano Julia Lezhneva and I Barocchisti won the 2014 International Classical Music Awards for Best Baroque Vocal Album and Best Opera Album. Regarding the 2013 release Farinelli: Porpora Arias, Gramophone wrote: “Jaroussky’s swift passages in the rapid heroic arias are precise… but the most exceptional moments are the slow arias that seem tailor-made for Jaroussky’s sweet and graceful melodic singing.”
In recent years, he has collaborated with singers like Cecilia Bartoli and Nathalie Stutzmann, as well as singing and conducting the Artaserse Ensemble, the baroque orchestra he founded in 2002.
In 2017, he established the Philippe Jaroussky Music Academy to enable the discovery and study of classical music for less privileged youngsters and support young musicians in entering the professional world.
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More info:
Traetta Prize : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T