" I am delighted to have heard The Prince Consort. The conviction that comes across from the splendid singers makes me long to hear more, especially at the end of an evening that seems to have ended almost before it began.. ."Peter Katin
Founded by British pianist Alisdair Hogarth, The Prince Consort is a versatile ensemble that presents wide-ranging programmes for different combinations of voice and piano.
The six founder members of The Prince Consort met while studying at the Royal College of Music (in Prince Consort Road, behind the Royal Albert Hall) in London. Soprano Anna Leese has appeared in leading roles at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, including Musetta (La bohème) and Micaëla (Carmen), and at the Last Night of the Proms in 2008; she recently sang the role of Antonia (Les contes d'Hoffmann) in Cologne. Mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnston has sung at the Salzburg and Aix-en- Provence festivals and with Scottish Opera in roles including Hänsel (Hänsel und Gretel) and Suzuki (Madama Butterfly); recent appearances include an Aldeburgh Festival recital with Malcolm Martineau, broadcast on BBC Radio 3. Countertenor Tim Mead made his Royal Opera debut in the world premiere of Birtwistle's The Minotaur and his Glyndebourne debut in the title role of Handel's Giulio Cesare. Tenor Andrew Staples won the song prizes at both the Kathleen Ferrier and Richard Tauber Awards in 2005 and has appeared as a soloist at the Royal Opera House and with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under Simon Rattle. Baritone Jacques Imbrailo won the Audience Prize at Cardiff Singer of the World in 2007 and has made many appearances at the Royal Opera House; he recently sang the title role in Billy Budd at the opening of this year's Glyndebourne Festival. Pianist Alisdair Hogarth regularly partners many of his generation's finest singers; he made his concerto debut at the age of 15, has appeared in the films The Young Victoria (co-produced by Martin Scorsese) and The Duchess and recently toured Korea with Barbara Bonney.
Following its debut in the Fresh series at the Southbank Centre in London – performing two of Britten's canticles along with songs and duets by Strauss, Schubert and Schumann at the Purcell Room – The Prince Consort hit the musical headlines when a recital was auctioned for charity for £14,000.
Recent performances have included Brahms's Liebeslieder with Graham Johnson at the Wigmore Hall and the European premiere of Ned Rorem's Evidence of Things Not Seen at the Oxford Lieder Festival, as well as a recital and a residency in Aldeburgh and appearances on BBC Radio 3 In Tune and The Choir. Its first CD, On an Echoing Road (songs by Ned Rorem), was released last year on LINN Records and was Gramophone Editor's Choice and won an International Record Review Outstanding Award. Earlier this year the group returned to Wigmore Hall for a Sunday afternoon recital that included the world premiere of a setting of Shakespeare's Sonnet 144 composed for them by Ned Rorem.
Their second album will be released on LINN Records in 2011 and will feature the Brahms's Liebeslieder and a new commission by pianist and composer Stephen Hough called Other Love Songs; Alisdair Hogarth will be joined at the piano by both Philip Fowke and Stephen Hough for this recording. Future engagements include another residency and recital at Aldeburgh, performances at the Southbank Centre, The Forge, Lakeside Arts Centre, the Horsecross Centre, Perth and several concerts at the Wigmore Hall. The Prince Consort regularly draws on a core of guest artists including Anna Grevelius, Allan Clayton, Nicholas Mulroy and Stephan Loges.
'Stylistically and tonally, the blend was sensational...a vivid, compelling performance.’
Anna Picard, The Independent on Sunday (Liebeslieder, Wigmore Hall)
