Xavier Sabata
Countertenor
News
“But who can deny the universality of this music" – Xavier Sabata becomes the first countertenor to record Schubert’s Winterreise in his debut album for Berlin Classics, (released 1 Nov...
MORENews
At the 2019 BBC Proms Markus Stenz conducts BBC NOW in Strauss, Brostroem & Brahms, Sunnyboy Dladla sings Mozart Requiem with BBC NOW with Natalie Stutzman, Hilary Summers sings Beethoven Symphony...
MORENews
Artistic Director Douglas Boyd continues to take Garsington Opera from strength to strength, reflected in their nomination in the Festival category. The nominees for Best Recording (Complete Opera) include Barrie...
MORENews
Sabina Puértolas returned in December to Opéra national de Lyon with the title role in Rodelinda in Claus Guth’s production under Stefano Montanari. Her engagements this season include Fiorilla in Rossini's Il Turco...
MORENews
MRM is pleased to announce that Catalan countertenor Xavier Sabata joins the roster for general management. Xavier Sabata is a frequent guest at venues such as the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in...
MOREMedia
“Sabata has one of the richest of counter-tenor voices, his warmth of tone carrying intimations of decadence. A perceptive vocal actor, he gets to the essence of his protagonists. The beauty of Sabata's singing is breathtaking.”
Catalan countertenor Xavier Sabata trained as an actor at Barcelona’s Institut del Teatre before studying singing at the Escola Superior de Musica Catalunya and at the Musikhochschule, Karlsruhe, where his teachers were Hartmut Höll and Mitsuko Shirai.
Highlights
- Bertarido – Handel Rodelinda new production – Claus Guth – Ivor Bolton – Teatro Real, Madrid; Stefano Montanari – Opéra de Lyon; new production Teatro Municipal de Santiago, Chile
- Ottone – Monteverdi L’incoronazione di Poppea – Diego Fasolis – Staatsoper Berlin; and debut at Wiener Staatsoper
- Ottone – Handel Agrippina on European tour with Il Pomo d’Oro – Maxim Emelyanychev; plus Teatro de la Maestranza y Salas del Arenal
- Endimione La Calisto – David Alden – Ivor Bolton – Teatro Real, Madrid
- Title role – Handel Rinaldo European tour – Christophe Rousset – Kammerorchester Basel
- Liederabend – Wigmore Hall, Teatro de la Zarzuela, Madrid
Biography
Opera productions have led him to the most distinguished opera houses worldwide including Teatro Real Madrid, Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Theater an der Wien, Teatro La Fenice in Venice, the Grand Théâtre de Genève and next season he makes his Wiener Staatsoper debut as Ottone in Monteverdi’s Poppea under Pablo Heras-Casado. In 2019 Xavier was nominated as best male artist in the International Opera Awards.
Sabata’s repertoire spans from Cavalli and Monteverdi over the heroes of baroque opera seria to contemporary works. Recent roles have included Bertarido in Handel Rodelinda with Claus Guth under Stefano Montanari at Opéra de Lyon, as well as at Teatro Municipal de Santiago, Chile; Ottone in a revival of Monteverdi L’incoronazione di Poppea under Diego Fasolis at Staatsoper Unter den Linden; Endimione La Calisto directed by David Alden with Ivor Bolton at Teatro Real, Madrid; the world premiere of L’enigma di Lea at Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona; title role in Handel Rinaldo on a European tour with Christophe Rousset and the Kammerorchester Basel including the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, as well as in a new production at the Perelada Festival and Ottone in Handel Agrippina on a European tour with Il Pomo D’Oro and Maxim Emelyanychev.
He has appeared with such ensembles as Les Arts Florissants, Europa Galante, Collegium 1704, the Venice Baroque Orchestra, Il Pomo D’Oro, Orquesta Barroca Sevilla and La Folia Barockorchester and collaborates regularly with conductors such as Fabio Biondi, René Jacobs, Jordi Savall, Alan Curtis, Gabriel Garrido, Fabio Bonizzoni, Diego Fasolis, Andrea Marcon, Xavier Dìaz Latorre, Ivor Bolton, George Petrou, Riccardo Minasi, Harry Bicket and Christopher Moulds. Concert performances have taken him to the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the Barbican Centre and Wigmore Hall in London, the Lincoln Center in New York, the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., the Tchaikovsky Hall in Moscow, the Auditorio Nacional in Madrid and the Palau de la Musica in Barcelona as well as the Handel Festival in Halle, the Salzburg Festival, the Festival d’Aix-en- Provence, the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music, the Dresdner Musikfestspielethe, Handel Festival in Karlsruhe and to the Festival de musique Baroque d’Ambronay. He was awarded the Premio Ópera Actual in 2013, and the Premi Tendències d’el Mundo in 2014.
His extensive discography under major labels such as Virgin Classics/EMI, Decca, Harmonia Mundi Iberica and Aparté includes recordings of Handel’s Operas, ‘Faramando’, ‘Arminio’, ‘Ottone’, the internationally-awarded recording of ‘Alessandro’ receiving eleven awards as well as ‘Tamerlano’ in which Xavier Sabata sings the leading role. His solo recorded programme Bad Guys received unqualified praise in the press: ‘This ranks among the most intelligent and striking recital discs of recent years’ (The Guardian, London) as well has his albums ‘I dilettanti’ and his newest solo album, ‘Catharsis’, focusing on operatic rarities from the early 18th century. He also participated in the Gala Night of Countertenors team, alongside Max Emanuel Cencic, Yuriy Mynenko and Franco Fagioli, released by DECCA.
In addition to his performances on the opera stage Xavier has a passion for Lied recently performing Schubert’s Winterreise in Barcelona and Girona, a cycle which he has recently recorded and which will be released later this season.
This biography should not be edited without permission from Maxine Robertson Management.Contact:
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