Biography
In the 2013/14 Royal Opera Season British baritone Adrian Clarke sings Le Dancaïre (Carmen) and One-Eyed Brother (Die Frau ohne Schatten). He made his Royal Opera debut in 1994 singing Sid (La fanciulla del West) and has since sung with the Company many times, in roles including Donald (Billy Budd), Kostandis (The Greek Passion) and Alcindoro (La bohème). He has sung for The Royal Ballet in Renard and The Seven Deadly Sins.
Clarke was born in Northampton and studied at the Royal College of Music and the London Opera Centre. He has sung in opera houses around the world, including La Fenice, Venice, the Bregenz, Glyndebourne and Salzburg festivals, the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Netherlands Opera, with Opera North, English Touring Opera, Chelsea Opera Group and Scottish Opera. His roles have included Traveller (Death in Venice), Figaro (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Music Master (Ariadne auf Naxos), the title role in Blonde Eckbert, Count Paolo (Leoncavallo's La bohème), Mathieu (Andrea Chénier) and Mr Gedge (Albert Herring).
Clarke has become particularly well known for his interpretation of contemporary repertory. He created the roles of the Librarian (Sophie's Choice) and of the Maharal (Golem) and sang in the premieres of The Merchant of Venice, I am Goya, Unsungen, Europera 3 and The Griffin's Tale. He sang Deceit (The Triumph of Beauty and Deceit) for Channel 4.
Photos
Hubert Francis as Hunchback Brother, Johan Reuter as Barak, Adrian Clarke as One-Eyed Brother and Jeremy White as One-Armed Brother in Die Frau ohne Schatten © ROH / Clive Barda 2014
Jeremy White as One-Armed Brother, Adrian Clarke as One-Eyed Brother, Hubert Francis as Hunchback Brother and Elena Pankratova as Barak's Wife in Die Frau ohne Schatten © ROH / Clive Barda 2014
Adrian Clarke
