Julian Reynolds enjoys a successful international career in
both operatic and concert repertory. Born in London, he studied piano with
Albert Ferber and Noretta Conci and at the Vienna Hochschule für Musik. At age
18, he started working as music staff with the European Community Youth
Orchestra (ECYO), assisting Claudio Abbado and Leonard Bernstein. He made his
solo recital debut at Wigmore Hall in London and was finalist at the 1984
Ferruccio Busoni Competition in Bolzano. After obtaining a degree in History,
Musicology and Analysis from the Kings College London University, he studied
conducting at the Guildhall School of Music and later in Vienna. As conductor
of the European Chamber Orchestra Per Musica, he toured Europe appearing at the
Pesaro Rossini Festival, the Evian Festival and London's Queen Elizabeth Hall,
extensively recording with the ensemble.
He was appointed Assistant Music Director at the
Netherlands Opera in Amsterdam in 1986, conducting Bluebeard's Castle, Mitridate,
Le Nozze di Figaro, L'Italiana in Algeri, Luisa Miller, L'Elisir
d'Amore, Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Norma (available on DVD
for Opus Arte), among numerous others. During his tenure at the Netherlands
Opera, he worked with other presenters in the country, most notably in productions
of Madama Butterfly and The Cunning Little Vixen with Opera Zuid,
and semi-staged performances of Norma and The Merry Widow at the
Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. He is a regular guest conductor at the Mariinsky
Theatre in St. Petersburg, conducting La Traviata, Don Carlos, Samson
et Dalila and Kirov's first ever production of Le Nozze di Figaro.
Highlights of his collaborations include: Otello at
the Staatstheater Stuttgart; Luisa Miller at the Staatstheater Mainz; Gianni
Schicchi and Il Barbiere di Siviglia at the Grand Théâtre de la
Ville in Luxembourg; L'Italiana in Algeri at the Canadian Opera Company
in Toronto; Weinberger's Svanda the Bagpiper at the Wexford Opera
Festival, released by Naxos; Carmen at the Teatro Regio in Parma and the
Arena di Verona; Generali's Adelina at the Rossini Opera Festival in
Pesaro; acclaimed performances of Puccini's Il Trittico in Modena,
Ferrara and Piacenza; La Cenerentola, Otello, Tosca, Norma
and Hänsel und Gretel in St. Gallen; Madama Butterfly at the
Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago (Italy); La Bohème and Don
Giovanni in Riga; Elisabetta Regina d'Inghliterra, Lucia di
Lammermoor and Norma with Edita Gruberova at the Théâtre Royal de la
Monnaie in Brussels; and Lucrezia Borgia at the Festivales de Musica de
Castillon. He recently conducted Il Trovatore in Oviedo, Nabucco
and Lucia di Lammermoor in Brussels, Maria Stuarda in Moscow,
Lucia di Lammermoor in Brussels, La Sonnambula and La
Straniera in Moscow, Orfeo ed Euridice in New York and a series
of concerts in Seoul, Il Trovatore in Tenerife.
Enjoying an extensive symphonic repertoire, Mr. Reynolds
has been a guest conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic, City of Birmingham
Symphony, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, The Australian Chamber Orchestra,
Aukland Philharmonia, Dutch Radio Philharmonic, Netherlands Philharmonic,
Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, Melbourne International Festival, Teatro San
Carlo in Naples, and the orchestra of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, where he led
his own orchestration of Alma Mahler's Lieder, that he recorded with
soprano Charlotte Margiono for Globe Records. Active recital accompanist, he
has extensively collaborated with Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Susan Graham and Dame
Kiri Te Kanawa.
His discography includes recordings of Rossini Overtures,
Ravel's Ma Mère l'Oye, Saint-Saens's Le Carnaval des Animaux and
several Rossini rarities for Globe Records. As pianist, he has recorded
Beethoven, Schubert and Schumann's complete works for piano and violin opposite
violinist Johannes Leertouwer. He also recorded two well received albums, Rossini
Mezzo - Scenes and Arias and Spanish Heroines, with Spanish Mezzo
Silvia Tro Santafe for Signum Classics.
May 2022