Reginald Mobley on countertenor singers: 'Otherworldly and ethereal'
Carol Main looks at the phenomenon of countertenors and what draws audiences to the distinctive sound of men singing in the high vocal range more commonly associated with women
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It could be a question for a quiz show: what do Michael Jackson, Freddie Mercury and opera star Iestyn Davies have in common? Add in Austrian singer JJ and his Eurovision-winning ‘Wasted Love’ and even the slowest to the buzzer might get the answer.
Basically, they all sing high; higher than might be expected from a voice other than a woman’s. Generally known as countertenors, several of them are appearing at this year’s Edinburgh International Festival. While Iestyn Davies takes to the stage as Orpheus, a role originally for a castrato (yes, they actually used to castrate boys pre-puberty to keep their voices high), EIF concert performances also include rising star Hugh Cutting in a storytelling recital of his own curating, and as soloist in Bernstein’s ‘Chichester Psalms’.
In the glorious countertenor baroque playground of Handel and Bach, African-American Reginald Mobley sings with both the Monteverdi Choir and Dunedin Consort. ‘Even as someone who travels a lot, I think hearing this voice is still extremely rare in many places,’ says Mobley. ‘Even more so is a rare, black pearl of a countertenor. The entire package is unusual; an extremely unique species.’
But what is it about the countertenor voice that draws people to it? ‘It’s something out of the expected norms,’ says Mobley. ‘Something otherworldly and ethereal to hear males singing in this way, the sort of sound that in classical music you would usually hear from a female mezzo.’
For Cutting, brought up in England (where people like Davies, Tim Mead and Michael Chance continue to trailblaze the way, with James Bowman and Alfred Deller, the godfather of the countertenor, going before them), ‘it now feels like it’s really going through a renaissance. With all of these singers, the voice is smooth and equal throughout the range, which is hard to build. These guys spurred us on.’
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Technically, it’s quite complex. ‘Don’t ask me how the doughnuts are made,’ says Mobley. ‘As a solo instrument it’s still relatively young compared to soprano, alto, tenor or bass, and there’s not a codified way of teaching.’ As Cutting explains: ‘there’s a really interesting growth of types of countertenor, falsetto and also a man singing super-high. Falsetto is always part of vocal training but a tenor can also access the higher head voice through training. There’s a lot of variation as a result and it’s not all about being a diva singing high notes. It’s really important to develop the middle and low notes too.’
When his voice broke around the age of 12, Cutting, already a keen singer, found a way to keep his treble voice going as a young falsetto. Both singers now also work with their modal, or more natural baritone voice. ‘Everything from me is my voice,’ says Mobley. ‘Even in opera, as a tall, handsome man singing a female role. It’s neat and it’s all me.’ Opera singers have always crossed conventional gender definitions and current countertenor interest, says Cutting, ‘may also be to do with fluidity in terms of gender and sex at the moment.’ Both singers are extremely excited by their Edinburgh repertoire. For Mobley, it’s a neglected Handel cantata and his old favourite, ‘Dixit Dominus’ with the Monteverdi Choir, which helped launch his career.
Apart from the Bernstein, Cutting is joined by pianist George Ireland for a deeply considered reflection on liberation through the voices of over a dozen different composers, some of it new. ‘A lot of new music is written for countertenors,’ Mobley notes. ‘This voice will be around for a long time.’
Best Of Monteverdi Choir, Usher Hall, Monday 4 August, 7.30pm; Hugh Cutting & George Ireland, Queen’s Hall, Thursday 7 August, 11am; Dunedin Consort & John Butt, Queen’s Hall, Thursday 21 August, 11am; Bernstein & Stravinsky, Usher Hall, Thursday 21 August, 7.30pm; main picture: Andy Catlin.