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Max Emanuel Cencic (born September 21, 1976, in Zagreb, Croatia) is a countertenor, currently based in Austria
Cencic started singing at a very early age, earning fame in his native Croatia at the age of six after singing the Queen of the Night's coloratura showpiece aria 'Der Hölle Rache' from Mozart's Die Zauberflöte on Zagreb television. From circa 1987 to 1992, Cencic was a member of the Vienna Boys' Choir (German: Wiener Sängerknaben), with which institution he toured and recorded widely. Recorded performances (in which Cencic was either treble soloist of the Sängerknaben or an independent male soprano) with the Sängerknaben include Händel's Messiah, Haydn's Die Schöpfung, and Mozart's Requiem (which also features countertenor Derek Lee Ragin), all available on the Capriccio label. Cencic can also be heard in his capacity as the leading treble soloist with the Wiener Sängerknaben in numerous recordings of liturgical and secular music on the Philips label. A particular highlight from his recordings with the Sängerknaben is a performance of the vocal version of Johann Strauss II's Frühlingsstimmen, a remarkable feat of vocalism for a boy soprano.
From 1992 to 1997, he pursued a solo career, singing soprano although his voice had already broken. Following considerable success as a male soprano (including widely-acclaimed performances as Amore in Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice), he took a sabbatical from singing, during which time he re-trained his voice as a high countertenor. He made his debut as a countertenor in 2001. Prior to adapting his vocal technique to the countertenor range, Cencic made a series of recordings of operatic arias and Lieder for a private record label. These recordings have been sporadically available through Arcadia, the online shop of the Wiener Staatsoper.
Following his re-training as a countertenor, Cencic has enjoyed a successful career that has taken him around the world. An intrepid performer, Cencic's career to date has been marked by a series of dramatically varied portrayals, an impressive example being his performances in the female role (likely composed for a castrato) of Saint Alexis' wife (Sposa) with William Christie and Les Arts Florissants' traveling production of Stefano Landi's 1631 opera Sant'Alessio. Cencic also enjoyed notable success in the role of Perseo in the serenata Andromeda Liberata, attributed to Antonio Vivaldi but of dubious authorship, both in a world tour and a recording on the DGG Archiv label with Andrea Marcon and the Venice Baroque Orchestra.
Cencic made his debut at the Wiener Staatsoper on 28 February 2010, in the role of the Herold in Aribert Reimann's opera Medea. He will sing three additional performances of the role at the Staatsoper in November and December 2010.
A new studio recording of operatic arias by Georg Friedrich Händel, notably containing music composed for the mezzo-soprano castrato Giovanni Carestini, was released on the EMI/Virgin label in the UK on 1 March 2010.
Cencic will perform the role of Ottone in Monteverdi's opera L'Incoronazione di Poppea at Madrid's Teatro Real in May 2010, in a production featuring William Christie and Les Arts Florissants. The production will be recorded for DVD release in their Monteverdi series with Les Arts Florissants by the Italian label Dynamic.
Franz Schubert: Der Hirt auf dem Felsen, D. 965, singinig Max Emanuel Cenčić
“No make-up!”… Max Emanuel Cencic
July 25, 2010 Giorgio Bagnoli
Which is the main feature of your personality? I am very consequent in all things I do. Your worst flaw? Impatience. Which is your star sign? Virgo. Are you superstitious? Sometimes. What did you dream to become as an adult when you were a child? Fashion Designer. Which are your favorite readings? History Books in general. Which is the book you have loved the most so far? The letters of Liselotte von der Pfalz. Did your family influence your choices? Never. Was music a vocation? Well, in a family with Mother and Aunt as Opera singer and father as orchestra conductor, music was part of the life. What’s missing in your life today? I am missing most my home, and my kitchen. The greatest disappointment? That’s a very difficult question. Which is your most cherished memory? My childhood which I spent almost in Opera, all the time.I refused to go to kindergarden, so my parents took me to Opera wher I watched all stage rehearsals in the morning and afternoon, and in the evening I watched the performances. Drama, Ballet and Opera. How important is money to you? Money makes the world go round. Which is the item you like spending money on the most? It’s a sickness. Clothes. Do you collect anything? I collect old master paintings, contemporary art and antique furniture. Do you have a recurrent dream? I do not remember my dreams. What are you afraid of the most? Illness. Which is your most ambitious dream? To become an Operadirector. The moment you felt the proudest? When I signed my first contract with Virgin Classics for my Rossini CD. Your biggest challenge? So far it was to record my Handel album which contains some of the most difficult arias Handel ever wrote for a singer. What or who makes you feel embarrassed? My mother, when she gets too excited. Which is the situation you consider the most relaxing? Going to a spa. Your favorite subject at school? Art History. Favorite city? Rome. Favorite color? Black. Favorite flower? Orchid. The holiday or the trip you’d like to take? Japan and Brazil. Day or night? Day. Tell us your ideal day. Sunny, hot, and having to take care of nothing. Which is your hideaway? My home in Baden. The film you love the most? There are many. Your favorite season? Summer. Which is the place where cooking is the worst ever? It would be too undiplomatic to say this. How would you define your relation with food ? As a singer, you rely on your health and healthy diet is one of the most important things. Your favourite dish? Sarma. The dish you cook the best? Roasted Duck with potatoes. Red or white wine? red. What’s never missing in your refrigerator? Milk. What’s your weakness in kitchen? White fish – I never get the form right. What’s the soundtrack to your life? “Rosenkavalier Suite”. Your favourite singer? Barbara Bonney. What would you want someone who doesn’t know your voice to listen to? “Salda quercia ” from my new Händel Album. How did your voice change through the years and how do you take care of it, choosing the roles and the repertoire to perform? My voice, as the voice of any other singer, is in a constant change of time. It is a challenge for the technique to adapt to it.So, the change is continuous and subtle.I only try to adapt to my needs and listen into myself. This is the only way how I choose what I sing. If you were granted the chance to chose a role, which one would it be? “Serse” from Händel. Which is the first record you ever bought? Brigitte Fassbänder and Aribert Reimann Schwanengesang by Schubert. How’s your attitude towards TV ? I watch it when I am bored. What do you do an hour prior to go on stage? Rest. What’s never missing in your dressing room? Water. What do you think of when looking at yourself in the mirror? That’s too complex. How would you prefer to die ? Fall asleep and never get up. Your mood at the moment? Quite good. What’s your motto? Never give up.
Hrvatski kontratenor Max Emanuel Cenčić, jedan od vodećih pjevača tog žanra u svijetu, vrlo se rano počeo školovati u rodnom Zagrebu gdje je prvi put nastupio kao šestogodišnjak. Od godine 1987. do 1992. bio je članom Zbora bečkih dječaka, a zahvaljujući posebnoj tehnici mogao je nastaviti i sa samostalnim nastupima kao sopran pa je do 1997. uspješno pjevao na večerima popijevki u Europi, SAD-u i Japanu. Godine 2001. promijenio je svoj pjevački fah i otada nadasve uspješno nastupa na svjetskim opernim i koncertnim pozornicama kao barokni kontratenor, surađujući s najpoznatijim opernim i orkestralnim ansamblima pod vodstvom dirigenata kao što su William Christie, Michael Boder, Alan Curtis, Andrea Marcon, Riccardo Muti, Christophe Rousset, Diego Fasolis, Alessandro de Marchi, René Jacobs, Ottavio Dantone, Jean-Christophe Spinosi i drugi.
Godine 2003. bio je za izvedbu Nerona u Monteverdijevoj Krunidbi Popeje u Baselskom kazalištu od magazina Opernwelt proglašen najboljim novim pjevačem godine.Odmah zatim se je pročuo i kao Perseo u Vivaldijevoj dugo zaboravljenoj serenadi Andromeda liberata u Londonu, Rotterdamu, Bostonu, Veneciji, Amsterdamu i newyorškom Carnegiehallu. Ista mu je izvedba godine 2005. donijela u Japanu naslov najboljeg koncerta godine, a bila je snimljena i za Deutsche Grammophon. Svojim se je nastupima u Händelovim i Vivaldijevim operama proslavio u Kazalištu Carlo Felice u Genovi, u Škotskoj nacionalnoj operi, na Bayreuthskom baroknom festivalu, u Bremenu i Torinu te u pariškom Théâtreu des Champs-Elysées. Kao Sancio u Händelovoj operi Fernando oduševio je gledališta Kazališta Sao Carlos u Lisabonu, Opere u St. Gallenu te na Menottijevu Festivalu dva svijeta u Spoletu.
Godine 2007. tvrtka EMI/Virgin Classicsobjavila je CD s tom operom. Slijedili su nastupi na opernim pozornicama u New Yorku, Caenu, Luksemburgu, Nancyju, Lausanneu, Toulouseu, Bruxellesu, Münchenu, Dresdenu, Bordeauxu, Beču, Ženevi, Tokiju, Parizu, Hamburgu, San Sebastianu i Londonu. U proljeće ove godine nastupio je u Bečkoj državnoj operi u praizvedbi Reimannove opere Medea, a slijede nastupi u Madridu, Bilbau, Oviedu, Barceloni te ponovno u Parizu i Japanu.
Također je nastupao i na mnogim europskim, američkim i japanskim koncertnim pozornicama. U njegovu bogatom diskografskom opusu osobito se ističu CD-i za kuću Capriccio pod naslovima Cantata d'amore (2003.), Vivaldi Album (2004.), Caldara/Cantatas (2005.) te Kantate Domenica Scarlattija (2006.). Od godine 2007. snima isključivo za EMI/Virgin Classics; već 2008. mnoga mu je priznanja donio CD pod naslovom Rossini solo (Nagrade Telerama, Porin i Orfeo d'or), 2009. snimka Händelove opere Faramondo (Nagrade njemačke diskografske kritike, Diapason découverte i Diapason d'or), a ove godine CD Haendel solo.
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very great summary and informative. will see him again next year, while i am typing this i am listening for the umpteenth time to the farnace cd, what a brilliant rendition/version. saw him only once so far with william christie at the concertgebouw performing in handel's oratorio suzanna. what a beautiful voice. am anticipating his duet cd with philippe jaroussky. ordered it. the 2 best countertenors of our time on one cd again. how lucky some people are or can get:-)
