Jakub Józef Orliński (Polish pronunciation: [ˈjakup ˈjuzɛf ɔrˈlij̃skʲi]; born 8 December 1990) is a Polish operatic countertenor singer and breakdancer. He has performed leading roles with many opera companies, including Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House, Warsaw Grand Theatre and Oper Frankfurt.
Jakub Józef Orliński | |
---|---|
![]() Orliński in 2017 | |
Born | |
Education | Chopin University of Music (MM) Juilliard School (GrDip) |
Occupation | Operatic countertenor |
Years active | 2012–present |
Awards | Gramophone Classical Music Award (2019) International Opera Award (2021) International Classical Music Award (2022) |
Website | Official website |
He is the recipient of numerous international awards including the Gramophone Classical Music Award (2019), International Opera Award (2021) and International Classical Music Award (2022).
Early life and education
editHe was born in 1990 in Warsaw.[1] After singing in a choir as a child, as a teenager Orliński joined a nine-member male vocal group and was chosen to sing countertenor parts in some Renaissance music.[2] He also became a fan of The King's Singers, who inspired him to take his interest in the genre further.[2]
He began his music career in the male choir Gregorianum led by Berenika Jozajtis, with which he performed both in Poland and abroad.[3] He is a graduate of the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music.[4] During his studies he participated in a number of performances organized by the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music and the Aleksander Zelwerowicz National Academy of Dramatic Art.
Musical career
editSince 2012, Orliński has been a member of the Opera Academy of the Grand Theatre in Warsaw, and from 2015 to 2017 he studied at the Juilliard School with Edith Wiens.[5] In Poland, he performed the roles of Cupid in Venus and Adonis by Blow and Narciso in Agrippina by Handel. During his stay in Germany, he performed the role of Ruggiero in Handel's Alcina in Aachen and Cottbus,[6] and performed selected songs by Purcell at the Leipzig Opera.
He has performed in Carnegie Hall as well as Alice Tully Hall at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York and met with positive critical reviews from The New York Times.[7] His performances included Handel's Messiah in cooperation with Musica Sacra and Oratorio Society of New York.[8] He also performed in Jonathan Dove's Flight with Juilliard Opera.
In 2017, he sang the role of Ottone in Handel's Agrippina with Carnegie Hall's La Serenissima: Music and Arts From the Venetian Republic. He took part in the Karlsruhe Handel Festival where he sang Vivaldi's Nisi Dominus and excerpts from Handel's Dixit Dominus. In the same year, he made his debut appearance at the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence in Cavalli's opera Erismena.[9] His performance of Vivaldi's Vedrò con mio diletto from the opera Giustino received over 11 million views on YouTube by 2024.[10] Television appearances of Orliński, including the "Concert de Paris" at the Eiffel Tower and "Rebâtir Notre Dame de Paris", both with the Orchestre National de France and Victoires de la musique classique awards concert accompanied by the Opéra National de Lyon, have been broadcast to millions of viewers worldwide.[11]
He made his debut at the Frankfurt Opera in the 2017/18 season as the title character in Handel's Rinaldo.[12] In 2019, having been invited to perform Eustazio for the Glyndebourne Opera's production in Rinaldo, he was asked two weeks into rehearsals to take over the title role.[13][14][2]
Orliński's debut solo album, Anima Sacra, was released on the Erato label on 26 October 2018, with music by orchestra Il Pomo d'Oro conducted by Maxim Emelyanychev. It consists of Baroque arias by various composers from the Neapolitan School, including what is thought to be world premiere recordings of eight works.[15][16]
In 2019, he won the O!Lśnienie cultural award presented by Onet and the city of Kraków in the category of classical music and jazz.[17] In October, he won the Gramophone Classical Music Award in the category of Young Artist of the Year.[18] In 2020, he received the Paszport Polityki Award presented by the Polityka yearly in the category of classical music.[19]
A second album Facce d'amore, consisting of "a wide-ranging and well-chosen collection devoted to the many faces of love" from operas by Cavalli, Boretti, Bononcini, Scarlatti, Handel, Predieri, Matteis and Conti, prompted reviewer Brian Robins to commend the singer's "talents as a dramatic singer" and his stylish ornamentation, summing up his voice as "sweet-toned".[20]
In September 2020, he received the Best Singer of the Year title in Berlin awarded by the readers of the Opernwelt magazine.[21] He made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera, NYC, in December 2021 after having been chosen to play the role of Orpheus’s alter-ego in Matthew Aucoin’s opera Eurydice.[22][23]
In 2021, he received a Grammy Award nomination in the Best Opera Recording category for his performance in Handel: Agrippina conducted by Maxim Emelyanychev (Il Pomo d'Oro).[24] That year he also performed early music by Italian composers with Il Pomo d’Oro ensemble, conducted by Zefira Valova, at the Théâtre du Capitole in the southwestern French city of Toulouse.
In January 2022, he debuted at London's Royal Opera House in the role of Didymus in Katie Mitchell's production of George Frideric Handel's oratorio Theodora.[25] He added another Handel opera to his repertoire in 2023 when he appeared as Athamas and as Cupid in Semele in Munich.[26]
Having taken the role of Gluck's Orfeo into his repertoire, he has sung in the opera in several venues; for the production by Matthew Ozawa at San Francisco Opera in November 2022, Orliński opened the opera dancing a break routine. One reviewer commented that he was "cast to perfection", and with soprano Meigul Zhang "sang and acted wonderfully, with piquant, youthful urgency".[27] A complete recording of the original Vienna version of Orfeo ed Euridice conducted by Stefan Plewniak was released in 2024, where one reviewer noted the "touching simplicity [Orliński] brings to the role".[28]
In 2022, he received his second Grammy Award nomination in the Best Opera Recording category for his performance in Matthew Aucoin's Eurydice produced by the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin.[29]
In 2023, he made a guest appearance in Kasia Nosowska's single Zimny (Cold) on her eighth studio album entitled Degrengolada.[30]
On 26 July 2024, he performed at the Summer Olympics opening ceremony in Paris with an estimated global audience of a billion people. He sang Viens Hymen from Jean-Philippe Rameau's opera Les Indes galantes becoming the first artist from Poland to perform at an Olympic Games opening ceremony.[31][32][33]
Other ventures
editOrliński is a champion break-dancer and is a member of the breakdancing collective Skill Fanatikz Crew.[34][35] He is known to occasionally combine breakdancing with opera.[36] He has also modelled for fashion brands such as Nike and Levi's.[13] He participated in advertising campaigns for such brands as Samsung, BMW and Cropp.[37] In 2019, he took part in a photo shoot at the Royal Baths Park in Warsaw and subsequently appeared on the cover of the first edition of Vogue Poland Man magazine.[38][39] In 2022, he was the subject of an Arte documentary film Jakub Józef Orliński. Music for a While directed by Martin Mirabel.[40] Orliński joked that someone else was profiting off him when a fan's notebook, purchased from Amazon, read "Sorry I Wasn’t Listening, I Was Thinking About Jakub Jozef Orlinski”.[41]
Awards
edit- 1st Prize at the Marcella Kochańska Sembrich Vocal Competition, New York, United States (2015)[42]
- 2nd Prize at the IX International Stanisław Moniuszko Vocal Competition, Warsaw, Poland (2016)[43]
- 1st Place Winner at the Lyndon Woodside Oratorio-Solo Competition, New York, United States (2016)[44]
- Winner of the Grand Finals in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, New York, United States (2016)[45]
- Opus Klassik Award in the Solo Vocal Recital (Opera) category for his performance in Anima Sacra, Germany (2019)[46]
- Gramophone Classical Music Award, London, Great Britain (2019)[47]
- Paszport Polityki in the Classical Music category, Poland (2020)[48][49]
- International Opera Award for Best Recording (Solo Recital), London, Great Britain (2021)[50][51]
- International Classical Music Award for his album Anima Aeterna, France (2022)[52]
- Opus Klassik Award in the Audiovisual Music Production category for his performance in Vivaldi: Stabat Mater along with Jan Tomasz Adamus and Capella Cracoviensis, Germany (2022) [53][54]
- Opus Klassik Award in the Male Singer of the Year category for his performance in Farewells, Germany (2023)[55]
- BBC Music Magazine Award (Vocal Award) for his performance in Beyond, Great Britain (2024)[56]
- Fryderyk Award in the Best Early and Baroque Music Album category for Beyond (2024)[57]
Discography
editAlbums
editTitle | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
POL [58] |
BEL (WA) [59] |
BEL (FL) [60] |
SWI [61] |
FRA [62] |
FRA Class. [63] |
UK Class. [64] |
US Class. [65] |
US Trad. Class. [65] | ||
Anima Sacra |
|
— | 110 | 96 | — | 160 | 3 | 8 | — | 3 |
Facce d’amore |
|
— | 65 | 196 | 55 | 46 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 3 |
Anima Aeterna |
|
32 | 199 | 112 | 88 | — | 2 | 10 | — | 4 |
Vivaldi: Stabat mater |
|
34 | 119 | — | 96 | — | 1 | 19 | — | — |
Farewells |
|
39 | — | — | — | — | 9 | 40 | — | — |
Beyond |
|
42 | 199 | — | — | — | 5 | 13 | — | — |
Video
edit- Eurydice, opera in 3 acts with music by Matthew Aucoin and an English-language libretto by Sarah Ruhl (Erin Morley as Eurydice, Joshua Hopkins as Orpheus, Jakub Józef Orliński as Orpheus's double, Barry Banks as Hades, Nathan Berg as Eurydice's father, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin), streaming HD video of a live performance at the Metropolitan Opera on 4 December 2021[66]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Jakub Józef Orliński". culture.pl. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
- ^ a b c Dan Cairns. Baroque and roll star. The Sunday Times – Culture supplement, 11 August 2019, p14-15.
- ^ "Koncert Sławecki/Szelazek/Orliński". Retrieved 19 May 2018.
- ^ "Jakub Józef Orliński. Kontratenor, który podbija świat". Retrieved 19 May 2018.
- ^ "Jakub Józef Orliński". Retrieved 19 May 2018.
- ^ "In the wings with Jakub Józef Orliński, countertenor. A diva in spite of himself?". Retrieved 19 May 2018.
- ^ "Hyper-High Notes: The Week's 8 Best Classical Music Moments on YouTube – Florid and Fast". The New York Times. 10 November 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
- ^ "Jakub Józef Orliński – Najlepiej czuję się w muzyce baroku". Retrieved 19 May 2018.
- ^ "A Millennial Countertenor's Pop-Star Appeal". Retrieved 18 July 2019.
- ^ "Vivaldi : il Giustino, "Vedrò con mio diletto" par Jakub Józef Orliński (contre-ténor)". youtube.com. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
- ^ "Jakub Józef Orliński". warnerclassics.com. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
- ^ "Jakub Józef Orliński – Biography". warnerclassics.com. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
- ^ a b "Breakdancing opera singer steps in as Glyndebourne leading lady pulls out". BBC. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
- ^ "Jakub Jozef Orlinski interview: opera's baroque'n'roll Glyndebourne star". Retrieved 19 October 2019.
- ^ "Jakub Józef Orliński Announces First Solo Album". operawire.com. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
- ^ "Jakub Józef Orliński – Releases – Anima Sacra". warnerclassics.com. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
- ^ "Znamy zwycięzców plebiscytu O!Lśnienia 2018! Wojciech Smarzowski O!Lśnieniem roku". Retrieved 15 March 2019.
- ^ "Young Artist of the Year". Retrieved 17 October 2019.
- ^ "Muzyka poważna: Jakub Józef Orliński laureatem Paszportów POLITYKI". Retrieved 16 January 2020.
- ^ Brian Robins. CD review : Jakub Józef Orliński – Facce d'amore. Opera, February 2020, Vol.71 No.2, p252-253.
- ^ "Jakub Józef Orliński najlepszym śpiewakiem roku według magazynu Opernwelt" (in Polish). Retrieved 7 February 2021.
- ^ "Eurydice". Retrieved 24 December 2021.
- ^ "'Dreams do come true' says opera's breakdancing cool kid after being chosen for prestigious Metropolitan Opera house, NYC". Retrieved 10 December 2021.
- ^ "Jakub Józef Orliński – polski kontratenor, który podbił świat. "Jak pierwszy raz poszedłem do opery, to cierpiałem"" (in Polish). 20 December 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
- ^ "Theodora". Retrieved 30 June 2022.
- ^ Canning, Hugh. Report from Munich. Opera, October 2023, Vol.74, No.10, p1211.
- ^ Winn, Steven. Report from San Francisco. Opera, Vol.74 No.2, February 2023, p208-9.
- ^ Robins, Brian. Opera on CD - Disc of the Month. Opera, Vol.75 No.7 July 2024, p974-975.
- ^ Lester Fabian Brathwaite and Jason Lamphier. "Grammy Awards 2023: See the complete list of winners". ew.com. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
- ^ Michał Grzybowski (5 May 2023). "Nosowska z kolejną zapowiedzią płyty "Degrengolada" [AUDIO]". terazmuzyka.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ^ "Jakub Józef Orliński and Cristian Măcelaru perform at the Olympics Opening Ceremony in Paris". askonasholt.com. 26 July 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- ^ "Jako jedyny Polak zaśpiewał na otwarciu igrzysk. Jakub Józef Orliński zrobił prawdziwą karierę światową (ZDJĘCIA)". pudelek.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- ^ "Paris 2024 Olympics: Spectacular opening ceremony - in pictures". sky.com. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- ^ "Skill Fanatikz Crew (@skillfanatikz) • Instagram photos and videos".
- ^ "Breakdancing opera singer to perform as lead LADY at Glyndebourne". Retrieved 14 September 2019.
- ^ Rosie Pentreath (31 July 2019). "Watch countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński combine breakdancing with opera in this stunning video". classicfm.com. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
- ^ "JAKUB JÓZEF ORLIŃSKI – FILM O POLSKIM KONTRATENORZE, KTÓRY PODBIJA NAJWIĘKSZE SCENY OPEROWE ŚWIATA W ARTE.TV". wirtualnemedia.pl (in Polish). 19 June 2023. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- ^ "Jakub Józef Orliński: Witajcie w moim świecie". vogue.pl (in Polish). 15 November 2019. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
- ^ "Vogue Polska — Jakub Józef Orliński With Kuba Ryniewicz". stuartwilliamson.co.uk. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
- ^ "Jakub Józef Orliński. Music for a While". youtube.com. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
- ^ Dickson, Andrew (4 March 2022). "He Break Dances. He Pole Dances. He Sings Like an Angel". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ "Jakub Józef Orliński Biography". imgartists.com. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
- ^ "Nagrodzenia na 9. Międzynarodowym Konkursie Wokalnym im. stanisława Moniuszki". Retrieved 19 May 2018.
- ^ "Oratorio Society of New York Announces Winners of 2016 Competition". Retrieved 21 May 2018.
- ^ "Jakub Józef Orliński Biography" (PDF). jakubjozeforlinski.com. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
- ^ "Opus Klassik Awards 2019". Retrieved 7 August 2022.
- ^ "Hitting a high! Opera's break-dancing cool kid wins prestigious Gramophone Classical Music Award". Retrieved 18 October 2019.
- ^ "Muzyka poważna: Jakub Józef Orliński laureatem Paszportów POLITYKI". polityka.pl (in Polish). 14 January 2020. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ "Jakub Józef Orliński received the "Polityka's Passport" award in the classical music category". polmic.pl. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ "Operowe Oscary przyznane. Polacy z trzema nagrodami" (in Polish). 10 May 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
- ^ "International Opera Awards 2021: Polacy nagrodzeni w czterech kategoriach" (in Polish). Retrieved 14 June 2021.
- ^ "Winners 2022". Retrieved 4 August 2022.
- ^ "Vladimir Jurowski and Jakub Józef Orlinski Win Awards in 2022 Opus Klassik". Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ "Jakub Jósef Orliński: Countertenor and Break Dancer". dw.com. 28 January 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
- ^ Francisco Salazar (30 June 2023). "Asmik Grigorian & Jakub Józef Orliński Lead 2023 Opus Klassik Award Winners". operawire.com. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ "BBC Music Magazine Awards 2024: winners announced". Retrieved 24 April 2024.
- ^ "Poznaliśmy laureatów Fryderyków 2024 w kategoriach muzyki poważnej!" (in Polish). 28 April 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- ^ Peak chart positions for studio albums in Poland:
- For Anima Aeterna: "OLiS – sales for the period 29.10.2021 – 04.11.2021". OLiS. ZPAV. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- For Vivaldi: Stabat mater: "OLiS – sales for the period 18.03.2022 – 24.03.2022". OLiS. ZPAV. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
- For Farewells: "OLiS – sales for the period 27.05.2022 – 02.06.2022". OLiS. ZPAV. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
- For Beyond: "OLiS – oficjalna lista sprzedaży: Albumy". OLiS (Select week 06.10.2023–12.10.2023.) (in Polish). ZPAV. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- ^ "Discography Jakub Józef Orliński". www.ultratop.be. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ^ "Discography Jakub Józef Orliński". www.ultratop.be). Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ^ "Discography Jakub Józef Orliński". hitparade.ch). Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ^ "Lescharts.com" (in French). Lescharts.com (Hung Medien). Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ^ Top Albums Classique France:
- For "Anima Sacra": "Top Albums Classique". SNEP. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- For "Facce d'amore": "Top Albums Classique". SNEP. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- For "Anima Aeterna": "Top Albums Classique". SNEP. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- For "Vivaldi: Stabat mater": "Top Albums Classique". SNEP. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
- For "Farewells": "Top Albums Classique". SNEP. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
- For "Beyond": "Top Albums Classique". SNEP. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- ^ Official Classical Artist Album UK:
- For "Anima Sacra": "Official Classical Artist Album". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- For "Facce d'amore": "Official Classical Artist Album". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- For "Anima Aeterna": "Official Classical Artist Album". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- For "Vivaldi: Stabat mater": "Official Classical Artist Album". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
- For "Farewells": "Official Classical Artist Album". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
- For "Beyond": "Official Classical Artist Album". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- ^ a b "Jakub Józef Orliński". Billboard. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ Eurydice (4 December 2021), Met Opera on Demand; CID:357519, Met Opera Archive.