JULIAN CLOSE
BASS
BIOGRAPHY
Noted as having “a rich voice that appears to come from the centre of the earth,” as well as, simply, “a voice to die for,” Julian Close stands as one of the most critically acclaimed Basses in the UK, having performed at several esteemed opera houses and venues throughout his career including The Metropolitan Opera, The Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, English National Opera, Welsh National Opera, The Royal Albert Hall, Barbican Centre, The Bridgewater Hall, Opera North UK, Scottish Opera and the Wexford, Buxton, Longborough, and English Bach Festivals in a wide range of roles. He has also made numerous television and radio broadcasts for the BBC.
Last season, Julian returned to the Metropolitan Opera for Rigoletto and Hamlet, and will continue his tenure there this season in Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Rigoletto, and Don Carlo. Close will return to both the Scottish Opera as Simone/Talpa in Il Trittico and the Longborough Opera Festival for their long-awaited Götterdämmerung. Additionally, Close can be seen with his wife Rebecca Afonwy-Jones in the Kent, UK JAM on the Marsh festival. [read more...]
CRITICAL ACCLAIM
"...godlike authority...” – Harmony
Die Walküre – “Julian Close, a habitual Hagen and Fafner, was making his debut as Wotan, and it was a stunner. His huge, black marble voice ruled the platform and had an edge like a spear. Every word was effortlessly audible. Already this was an assumption with godlike authority.”
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"...Julian Close was stupendous..." – The Irish Times
Don Giovanni – “As the Commendatore, Julian Close was stupendous, the sort of bass who could sing Fafner the Dragon without the amplifying megaphone dictated by Wagner.” –
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"...an immensely moving and dignified performance...“ – Seen and Heard International
Tristan und Isolde – “King Marke’s monologue often seems to halt the progress of the drama, but as sung by the vastly experienced Julian Close it proved the emotional highpoint of all we heard. His deep voice was extraordinarily handsome, and the abiding decency of the character he created – and his obvious engagement with the King’s innate decency – elicited sympathy for Marke’s despair. The tenderness Close brought to describing Isolde as ‘Dies wundervolle Weib’ was heartbreaking and throughout he gave an immensely moving and dignified performance“
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"...musically rich...” – The Arts Desk
Lulu – “The enormous cast has hardly a weakness. Especially memorable are Julian Close’s Acrobat, a role hard to define but musically rich.”
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"...voice that appeared to come from the centre of the earth...” – Harry Mottram
Eugene Onegin – “Julian Close as Prince Gremin and his voice that appeared to come from the centre of the earth.”