Main content

Countertenors - classical rock gods!

From Frankie Valli and Jimmy Somerville to Andreas Scholl and Lawrence Zazzo - Tom Service on the male singers hitting the high notes.

From Frankie Valli and Jeff Buckley to Andreas Scholl and Iestyn Davies - Tom Service celebrates the male singers hitting the high notes.
Why do they do it? How do they do it? And why is it so uniquely thrilling a sound? And it's not about singing like a woman!

With inside knowledge from countertenor Lawrence Zazzo.

Available now

29 minutes

Last on

Fri 24 Jun 2022 16:30
BBC Radio 3

More episodes

Previous

What's the point of practice?

Next

Better than background music?

See all episodes from The Listening Service

Music Played

  • Antonio Vivaldi

    Nisi Dominus [Psalm 127] RV.608 for voice and orchestra

    Performer: Andreas Scholl. Performer: Australian Brandenburg Orchestra. Performer: Paul Dyer.
    • dg.
    • 4669642.

  • Henry Purcell

    Oedipus - incidental music to Act 3 Z.583

    Performer: Alfred Deller. Performer: William Christie.
    • HARMONIA MUNDI.
    • HMC-90249.

  • The Communards

    It Ain't Necessarily So

    • LONDON.
    • 092741-2582.

  • The Darkness

    I Believe in a Thing Called Love

    • Atlantic.
    • 5050466-7452-2-4.

  • Bee Gees

    Stayin' Alive

    • POLYDOR.
    • POLYDOR-847 339-2.

  • Beyoncé

    No Angel

    • No Details.
    • ..

  • Shakespears Sister

    You're History

    • FFRR.
    • 828-131-2.

  • George Frideric Handel

    Messiah

    Conductor: Peter Dijkstra. Performer: Lawrence Zazzo. Performer: B'Rock.
    • BR Klassik.
    • 900908.

  • Benjamin Britten

    Welcome ode Op.95 for voices and orchestra

    Performer: Alfred Deller. Conductor: Benjamin Britten. Performer: London Symphony Orchestra.
    • LONDON.
    • 425-663-2.

  • George Frideric Handel

    Rinaldo - opera in 3 acts

    Conductor: Zefira Valova. Performer: Franco Fagioli. Performer: Il Pomo d’Oro.
    • DG.
    • 479 7541.

  • Orlando Gibbons

    Lift up your heads - anthem for 6 voices

    Performer: Philip Ledger. Performer: King's College Cambridge Choir.
    • ASV.
    • CDDCA514.

  • Felice Anerio

    Christus factus est for chorus

    Performer: Massimo Palombella. Performer: Sistine Chapel Choir.
    • DG.
    • 495300.

  • Bee Gees

    Too Much Heaven

    • Polydor.
    • 589 449-2.

  • Giacomo Puccini

    Tosca - opera in 3 acts

    Performer: Bryn Terfel. Conductor: Paul Daniel. Performer: Swedish R S O.
    • DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON.
    • DG-4778091.

  • Gioachino Rossini

    Petite messe solennelle for soloists, chorus, 2 pianos and harmonium

    Performer: Alessandro Moreschi.
    • OPAL.
    • CD 9823-.

  • George Frideric Handel

    Giulio Cesare in Egitto - opera

    Performer: Academie Fur Alte Musik. Performer: Andreas Scholl.
    • HARMONIA MUNDI.
    • HMC-901685.

  • The Four Seasons

    Sherry

    • Polygram TV.
    • 513-119-2.

  • The Stylistics

    You Make Me Feel Brand New

    • UNIVERSAL MUSIC TV.
    • 564850-2.

  • James Brown

    I Got You (I Feel Good)

    • POLYDOR.
    • 849-1102.

  • Claudio Monteverdi

    L' Incoronazione di Poppea - opera in a prologue and 3 acts

    Performer: Andreas Scholl. Performer: Danielle de Niese. Performer: The English Concert. Conductor: Harry Bicket.
    • DECCA.
    • 4782260.

  • Philip Glass

    Akhnaten - opera in 3 acts

    Performer: Milagro Vargas. Performer: Paul Esswood. Performer: Staatsorchester Stuttgart.
    • CBS M2K424457.
    • M2K424457.

  • George Frideric Handel

    Serse - opera in 3 acts

    Performer: Lawrence Zazzo. Performer: Vivica Genaux. Performer: Wolfgang Katschner. Performer: Lautten Compagney.
    • DEUTSCHE HARMONIA MUNDI.
    • 8985900.

  • Geoff Page

    Paradise Lost

    Performer: Lawrence Zazzo.

  • Jocelyn Pook

    The Merchant of Venice - music for the film

    Performer: Andreas Scholl. Performer: Baroque String Quartet.
    • DECCA.
    • 4756367.

Broadcasts

  • Sun 9 Jun 2019 17:00
    BBC Radio 3
  • Fri 14 Jun 2019 16:30
    BBC Radio 3
  • Sun 26 Apr 2020 17:00
    BBC Radio 3
  • Fri 1 May 2020 16:30
    BBC Radio 3
  • Sun 19 Jun 2022 17:00
    BBC Radio 3
  • Fri 24 Jun 2022 16:30
    BBC Radio 3

Why do we call it 'classical' music?

Why do we call it 'classical' music?

Tom Service poses a very simple question (with a not-so-simple answer).

Six of the world's most extreme voices

Six of the world's most extreme voices

From babies to Mongolian throat singers: whose voice is the most extreme of all?

How did the number 12 revolutionise music?

How did the number 12 revolutionise music?

How Schoenberg opened a new cosmos for composers and listeners to explore.

Why are we all addicted to bass?

Why are we all addicted to bass?

Bass is everywhere, but why do we enjoy it? Join Tom Service on a journey of discovery.

Watch the animations

Watch the animations

Join Tom Service on a musical journey through beginnings, repetition and bass lines.

When does noise become music?

When does noise become music?

We like to think we can separate “noise” from “music”, but is it that simple?

Podcast