Schwanengesang

The baritone Thomas Oliemans is one of the greatest vocal talents of the moment. This has now also been recognised outside the Netherlands, for in the next few years he will sing in such renowned opera houses as Covent Garden in London and at the Monnaie in Brussels. In early December the Dutch label Etcetera will release Thomas’ second CD: Schubert ’s renowned song cycle Schwanengesang. Magisterially accompanied by Malcolm Martineau, Thomas sings with unprecedented intensity, as he had done earlier on Mirages, his first CD for Etcetera, in works by Poulenc and Fauré. This CD is a splendid curtain-raiser to a season in which Thomas will appear frequently on Dutch stages. He will perform the leading role in Peter-Jan Wagemans’ new opera Legende for De Nederlandse Opera and in June he will sing the role of Marcello in Puccini’s La Bohème.