Christopher Purves
singer
Biography
Christopher Purves has firmly established himself as one of the leading British baritones of his generation. Through his celebrated interpretations of a diverse and eclectic range of roles and repertoire, he is in great demand with many prestigious theatres around the world. He started his musical life as a choral scholar at King’s College, Cambridge, and went on to become a member of experimental rock group Harvey and the Wallbangers.
Highlights of his 2019/20 season include a return to the title role in Barrie Kosky’s production of Saul, Houston Grand Opera, and his house debut with LA Opera as Golaud in David McVicar’s Pelléas et Mélisande. Concert performances include Balstrode Peter Grimes at The Enescu Festival, The Protector Written on Skin at La Biennale di Venezia and the title role in Bluebeard’s Castle with Opera North.
Recent operatic highlights have included returning to Glyndebourne as Méphistophélès in Richard Jones staging of Berlioz La Damnation de Faust, and Golaud in Stefan Herheim’s new production of Pelléas et Mélisande, Creon in Ensecu Oedipe for Dutch National Opera and Opernhaus Zurich for Barrie Kosky’s production of Die Gezeichneten conducted by Vladimir Jurowski. On the concert platform, recent highlights include the world premiere of The Anvil – An elegy for Peterloo with The BBC Philharmonic and Ben Gernon.