옛 음악에 대한 연구와 연주가 활성화되면서 최근 우리는 바로크 레퍼토리를 전문적으로 노래하는 고 음역 가수(카운터 테너 혹은 소프라노)들을 많이 만나게 되었다. 불과 한 세대 전까지만 해도 소프라노 가수의 영역은 리릭이냐 콜로라투라냐 하는 문제에 집중해서 다뤄졌고 한 소프라노 가수가 고전, 낭만, 현대 레퍼토리를 두루 부르던 일은 비일비재했었다. 따라서 아무리 위대한 가수라도 자신에게 맞지 않는 레퍼토리를 노래하게 되면 어처구니없이 우리에게 실망감을 안겨 주기도 했다. 하지만 지금은 비교적 초기 음악 전문 가수 영역이 뚜렷하게 생겨난 것 같으며 이 가수들한테서는 가능하면 바로크를 포함한 초기음악 영역에서 자신의 독특한 자리를 고수하려는 경향이 강하게 나타난다. 그래서 한번 초기 음악 영역의 가수로 성장하면 현재 음악계의 신 조류로 형성된 초기 음악 열풍에서 거의 헤어나지 못하며(물론 긍정적인 의미에서) 계속 그런 레퍼토리에 주력해서 자신의 경력을 쌓아가게 된다. 이런 현상은 물론 연주 영역이 과거에 비해 보다 세분화되고 전문화되었다는 것을 의미한다.

우리는 지금 바로크를 포함한 초기 레퍼토리 전문 소프라노의 홍수 속에서 살고 있다. 그러나 티없이 맑고 영롱한 음성을 가진 우리 시대 최고의 초기음악 전문 가수 엠마 커크비 등 몇 명의 뛰어난 가수들이 기억될 뿐 막상 꼽으려고 하면 선명히 부상하는 가수가 그리 많지 않은 것도 이 분야의 가수이다. 끈기를 가지고 끊임없이 새로운 레퍼토리에 도전하는 정신이 좀 부족하기 때문이 아닌가 한다. 그런 의미에서 초기 음악 레퍼토리를 잘 부르는 새로운 가수가 등장하면 우리의 기대는 그 어느 때보다도 크다.

프티봉은 1990년대 중반 바로크 음악의 거장 윌리엄 크리스티의 인정을 받아 세계 무대에 등장하게 되었다. 그녀는 지금까지 크리스티의 악단인 레자르 플로리상(Les Arts Florissants)과 정규적으로 공연해왔고 파리 오페라, 라 스칼라, 위그모어 홀 등 유명한 음악 홀에서도 모습을 자주 드러냈다. 그녀와 함께 공연한 음악가들은 대단히 유명한 사람들이었다. 샤를르 뒤트와, 파비오 비온디, 존 엘리오트 가드너, 니콜라우스 아르농쿠르 등 음악계의 대가들이 그녀와 여러 차례 공연을 했고, 체칠리아 바르톨리, 로베르토 알라냐 등 세계적인 성악가들도 그녀와 호흡을 맞춰왔다.
(출처:다음 카페 브람스하우스)

The soprano Patricia Petibon was born in Montargis, France. Already interested in the piano and fine arts as a child, she earned a bachelor’s degree in musicology at the Paris Conservatoire and then went on to study singing there with Professor Rachel Yakar, graduating with a first prize in 1995. She was discovered by the acclaimed American conductor and harpsichordist William Christie and consequently often worked with his orchestra Les Arts Florissants, appearing with Christie at the Aix-en-Provence Festival, La Scala in Milan, the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires and the Wigmore Hall in London. Patricia Petibon has been awarded three Victoires de la musique classique – as “Best Young Talent” in 1998 and as “Best Opera Singer” in 2001 and 2003.

In 1996 she made a successful debut at the Opéra de Paris in Rameau’s Hippolyte et Aricie, and subsequently appeared in a variety of roles including Blonde in Mozart’s Die Entführung, Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos and Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier, Norina in Don Pasquale and Olympia in Les Contes d’Hoffmann. She has performed at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, the opera houses in Lyon, Nancy, Toulouse and Strasbourg, following with debuts at the Opéra Bastille in Paris in Massenet’s Manon, the Zurich Opera as Blonde and the Vienna State Opera as Olympia and Sophie. In 2006 she made her role debut as Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro in Nancy and in 2007 she appeared as Olympia at the Paris Opéra Bastille and as Ginevra in Handel’s Ariodante in Geneva. Highlights of 2008 included Camille in Hérold’s Zampa at the Opéra Comique in Paris and the Duchess Carolina in the zarzuela Luisa Fernanda by Federico Moreno Torroba at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna alongside Plácido Domingo.

The soprano is frequently heard as a recitalist and has also performed numerous Baroque opera roles, including Phani and Zima in Rameau’s Les Indes galantes under William Christie at the Opéra Bastille, Dalinda in Ariodante conducted by Marc Minkowski and Amor in Gluck’s Orphée et Eurydice under Sir John Eliot Gardiner at the reopening of the Théâtre du Châtelet. A particular success was her performance as Zelmira in Haydn’s Armida at the Vienna Musikverein, with Cecilia Bartoli and Nikolaus Harnoncourt. She has since worked frequently with Harnoncourt, appearing under his baton as Mademoiselle Silberklang in Mozart’s Der Schauspieldirektor in Salzburg and in Vienna’s Musikverein, Giunia in Mozart’s Lucio Silla at the Theater an der Wien, Angelica in Haydn’s Orlando paladino at the Styriarte Festival in Graz and Worldliness in Mozart’s Schuldigkeit des ersten Gebots in Vienna, Lucerne and Salzburg.

2009 saw Petibon in Handel’s Alcina in Milan’s La Scala, in Mozart’s Mitridate at the Theater an der Wien, as well as Despina in Così fan tutte at the Salzburg Festival. She presented a French Baroque programme with William Christie in France and London; Vivaldi and Handel in France; Haydn, Gluck and Mozart with the Basle Chamber Orchestra in Switzerland and Munich. In 2010 her appearances included the title role of Berg’s Lulu in Geneva, Barcelona and the Salzburg Festival, Carmina Burana in Munich under Daniel Harding, and recitals in Vienna, Geneva and Aix-en-Provence. Highlights of 2011 included Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites in Vienna and Mozart’s Mitridate in Munich as well as concert performances of Bernstein’s Candide with the Munich Philharmonic and Poulenc’s Gloriawith the Orchestre de Paris.

Petibon’s stage appearances in 2012 include Donna Anna in Don Giovanni at the Opéra Bastille, Susanna in Figaro at the Aix-en-Provence Festival and Gilda in Rigoletto at the Bavarian State Opera. Concert engagements include Ravel’s Shéhérazade with the Berlin Staatskapelle, Baroque arias with the Ensemble Amaryllis at the Festival d’Ambronay and her Spanish programme with the Orquesta Nacional de España in Madrid and Vienna. Plans for 2013 include Mozart’s Lucio Silla at the Barcelona Liceu plus concerts with her new baroque programme “Nouveau Monde” in Versailles and Geneva, Britten’s Les Illuminations in Munich, Les Martyres selon Saint Sébastian in Vienna as well as Mozart and Haydn arias in Copenhagen and recitals in Spain and Austria.

Patricia Petibon has been an exclusive Deutsche Grammophon artist since 2008. Her debut album, Amoureuses – arias by Mozart, Haydn and Gluck with Concerto Köln and Daniel Harding –, was released in autumn 2008 and won 2009’s BBC Music Magazine Award for “Best Opera Album”. She is also to be seen and heard on the DVD A Mozart Gala from Salzburg, which features such renowned Deutsche Grammophon stars as Anna Netrebko and Magdalena Ko?ená. In 2010 Deutsche Grammophon released her Italian Baroque album Rosso with Marcon and Carmina Burana from Munich under Harding. Her releases in 2011 included Melancolia, an album of Spanish arias and songs with Josep Pons conducting the Spanish National Orchestra, which they took on an autumn tour of France and Spain in 2011, and (on DVD) her acclaimed interpretation of Berg’s Lulu in Olivier Py’s production, filmed live at the Liceu in Barcelona. 2012 sees the release of Nouveau Monde, Baroque arias and songs from England, France, Spain and Latin America, with Marcon directing La Cetra.

11/2012 Deutsche Grammophon