René Jacobs

Composers

Biography

Born: October 30, 1946   Country: Belgium  
Rene Jacobs has been highly successful in a unique dual career as a countertenor and conductor, specializing in vocal music of the Baroque period. He was a chorister in the Cathedral of his hometown of Ghent. Also the home of conductor Philippe Herreweghe, Ghent was a center of the movement to restore older music to the repertoire in authentic style performances. Jacobs studied classical philology at the University of Ghent while continuing his Read more studies of singing in Brussels. He became acquainted with the Kuijken brothers (leading Baroque instrumentalists), Gustav Leonhardt (a top conductor on the authentic instruments scene), and Alfred Deller (a pioneering countertenor). They advised him to continue preparing for a singing career and correctly analyzed his voice as suitable for extension into the countertenor range. Jacobs' interest in Baroque music stems in part from his vocal type: many leading Baroque operatic roles were written for high male voices, either natural altos (countertenors) or artificial (castrati). Jacobs' growing fame as a countertenor led him to become a scholar of Baroque vocal music.

In 1977 he began an association with the Harmonia Mundi France record company, starting with performances with the Concerto Vocale. His early Harmonia Mundi records included vocal chamber music by Cesti, d'India, Ferrari, Marenzio, Lambert, Guédron, and others.

Soon afterwards his studies led him to conducting. Among his recordings and live performances, many of which were the first performances of these works in centuries, are Cesti's Orontea, Cavalli's Xerse and Giasone, Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea and Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria, Handel's Flavio and Giulio Cesare, Gluck's Le cinesi and Echo et Narcisse, Mozart's La finta semplice, and Conti's Don Chisciotte in Sierra Morena. He performed in the complete operas of Monteverdi for the Salzburg Festival. As a conductor, he frequently appears with the Concerto Köln, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Akademie für alte Musik Berlin, the Nederlands Kamerkoor, and the RIAS-Kammerchor.

He has made over 100 recordings and won many of the major classical music record awards as both conductor and singer, including the Edison Award, Vivaldi Prize, the Gramophone Award, the Deutscher Schallplattenpreis, and the International Record Critics Award. In 1991 he was appointed artistic director of the opera programs of the Festwochen der Alten Musik of Innsbruck and teaches Baroque interpretation at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis. Read less
Browse 1-25 of 70 Available Recordings
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  • 1.
    La Musique De Watteau - The Music Lesson
    La Musique De Watteau - The Music Lesson
    Label: Harmonia Mundi   Catalog: 5908535 Release Date: 05/14/2013   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Pietro Antonio Locatelli,  Alessandro Scarlatti,  Marin Marais,  François Couperin  ... 
    Performer:  Bernarda Fink,  Graciela Oddone,  Juan Manuel Quintana,  Dolores Costoyas  ... 
    Conductor:  Gottfried Von der Goltz,  René Jacobs
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Freiburg Baroque Orchestra,  Academy for Ancient Music Berlin
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  • 2.
    Haydn: Orlando Paladino / Jacobs, Freiburger, Petersen [blu-ray]
    Haydn: Orlando Paladino / Jacobs, Freiburger, Petersen [blu-ray]
    Label: Euroarts   Catalog: 2057784 Release Date: 03/26/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Franz Joseph Haydn
    Performer:  Arttu Kataja,  Victor Torres,  Thomas Randle,  Alexandrina Pendatchanska  ... 
    Conductor:  René Jacobs
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Freiburg Baroque Orchestra
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  • 3.
    Pergolesi: Septem Verba A Christo / Jacobs, AAM Berlin
    Pergolesi: Septem Verba A Christo / Jacobs, AAM Berlin
    Label: Harmonia Mundi   Catalog: 902155 Release Date: 03/12/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Giovanni Battista Pergolesi
    Performer:  Sophie Karthäuser,  Christophe Dumaux,  Julian Behr,  Konstantin Wolff
    Conductor:  René Jacobs
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Academy for Ancient Music Berlin
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  • 4.
    Mozart: La Finta Giardiniera / Karthauser, Im, Jacobs
    Mozart: La Finta Giardiniera / Karthauser, Im, Jacobs
    Label: Harmonia Mundi   Catalog: 902126 Release Date: 10/09/2012   Number of Discs: 3
    Composer:  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
    Performer:  Jeremy Ovenden,  Marie-Claude Chappuis,  Sunhae Im,  Sophie Karthäuser  ... 
    Conductor:  René Jacobs
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Freiburg Baroque Orchestra
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  • 5.
    Best Of Bach
    Best Of Bach
    Label: Berlin Classics   Catalog: 300336 Release Date: 06/12/2012   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer:  Theo Adam,  Hans Pischner,  E. Power Biggs,  Günther Leib  ... 
    Conductor:  Helmut Koch,  Hans-Joachim Rotzsch,  Martin Flämig,  Rudolf Mauersberger  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Leipzig New Bach Collegium Musicum
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  • 6.
    Mozart: Symphonies 38 & 41 / Jacobs, Freiburger Barockorchester
    Mozart: Symphonies 38 & 41 / Jacobs, Freiburger Barockorchester
    Label: Harmonia Mundi   Catalog: 2901958 Release Date: 03/13/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
    Conductor:  René Jacobs
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Freiburg Baroque Orchestra
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  • 7.
    Handel: Messiah / Jacobs, Davies, Avemo, Bardon, Zazzo
    Handel: Messiah / Jacobs, Davies, Avemo, Bardon, Zazzo
    Label: Harmonia Mundi   Catalog: 2921928 Release Date: 11/08/2011   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  George Frideric Handel
    Performer:  Kobie van Rensburg,  Neal Davies,  Patricia Bardon,  Lawrence Zazzo  ... 
    Conductor:  René Jacobs
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Clare College Choir,  Freiburg Baroque Orchestra
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  • 8.
    Noel - Christmas Edition Sampler
    Noel - Christmas Edition Sampler
    Label: Harmonia Mundi   Catalog: 2928223 Release Date: 11/08/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Franz Xaver Gruber,  Heinrich Schütz,  Marc-Antoine Charpentier,  Arcangelo Corelli  ... 
    Performer:  Agnčs [Soprano Vocal] Mellon,  Chiara Banchini,  Andrew Lawrence-King,  René Saorgin  ... 
    Conductor:  Uwe Gronostay,  René Jacobs,  William Christie,  Philippe Herreweghe  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Concerto Vocale,  Les Arts Florissants,  Ensemble 415  ... 
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  • 9.
    Schutz: Weihnachtshistorie / Rene Jacobs, Concerto Vocale
    Schutz: Weihnachtshistorie / Rene Jacobs, Concerto Vocale
    Label: Harmonia Mundi   Catalog: 2921310 Release Date: 11/08/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Heinrich Schütz
    Performer:  Martin Hummel,  Maria Cristina Kiehr,  Ulrich Messthaler,  Andreas Scholl  ... 
    Conductor:  René Jacobs
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Concerto Vocale
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  • 10.
    Baroque - Bach, Blow, Charpentier, Corelli, Handel, Monteverdi
    Baroque - Bach, Blow, Charpentier, Corelli, Handel, Monteverdi
    Label: Harmonia Mundi   Catalog: 2908510 Release Date: 10/11/2011   Number of Discs: 10
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Marc-Antoine Charpentier,  Jacques Philidor,  Claudio Monteverdi  ... 
    Performer:  Marie-Ange Petit,  Agnčs Mellon,  Guillemette Laurens,  Gregory Reinhart  ... 
    Conductor:  William Christie,  Nicholas McGegan,  Philippe Herreweghe,  Chiara Banchini  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Academy for Ancient Music Berlin,  Les Arts Florissants,  Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra  ... 
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  • 11.
    Handel: Agrippina / Jacobs, Pendatchanska, Fink, Rivera, Im, Mehta
    Handel: Agrippina / Jacobs, Pendatchanska, Fink, Rivera, Im, Mehta
    Label: Harmonia Mundi   Catalog: 902088 Release Date: 10/11/2011   Number of Discs: 3
    Composer:  George Frideric Handel
    Performer:  Neal Davies,  Marcos Fink,  Alexandrina Pendatchanska,  Bejun Mehta  ... 
    Conductor:  René Jacobs
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Academy for Ancient Music Berlin
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  • 12.
    Lumieres - Music Of The Enlightenment [30-CD Set]
    Lumieres - Music Of The Enlightenment [30-CD Set]
    Label: Harmonia Mundi   Catalog: 2908601 Release Date: 10/01/2011   Number of Discs: 30
    Composer:  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,  Christoph W. Gluck,  Jean-Philippe Rameau,  George Frideric Handel  ... 
    Performer:  Kobie van Rensburg,  Véronique Gens,  Patrizia Ciofi,  Marie McLaughlin  ... 
    Conductor:  René Jacobs,  William Christie,  Daniel Reuss,  Philippe Herreweghe  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Concerto Cologne,  Cologne Collegium Vocale,  Berlin RIAS Chamber Chorus  ... 
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  • 13.
    Hohepunkte Der Chormusik
    Hohepunkte Der Chormusik
    Label: Berlin Classics   Catalog: 300227 Release Date: 07/12/2011   Number of Discs: 10
    Composer:  Heinrich Isaac,  Pierre de La Rue,  Josquin Des Préz,  Antoine de Févin  ... 
    Performer:  Karl-Heinz Schmieder,  Werner Eberhardt,  Siegfried Hausmann,  Joachim Vogt  ... 
    Conductor:  Dietrich Knothe,  Hans Gruss,  Roderich Kreile,  Rudolf Mauersberger  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Schütz-Akademie,  Virtuosi Saxoniae,  Trompetensemble Ludwig Güttler  ... 
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  • 14.
    Handel: Belshazzar / Jacobs, Kirk, Davies, Joshua, Sampson, Hammarstrom
    Handel: Belshazzar / Jacobs, Kirk, Davies, Joshua, Sampson, Hammarstrom
    Label: Harmonia Mundi   Catalog: 9909028 Release Date: 06/14/2011   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  George Frideric Handel
    Performer:  Bejun Mehta,  Andrew Davies,  Neal Davies,  Lucy Taylor  ... 
    Conductor:  René Jacobs
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Academy for Ancient Music Berlin,  Berlin RIAS Chamber Chorus
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  • 15.
    Handel: Belshazzar / Jacobs, Kirk, Davies, Joshua, Sampson, Hammarstrom [Blu-ray]
    Handel: Belshazzar / Jacobs, Kirk, Davies, Joshua, Sampson, Hammarstrom [Blu-ray]
    Label: Harmonia Mundi   Catalog: 9809028 Release Date: 06/14/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  George Frideric Handel
    Performer:  Kenneth Tarver,  Rosemary Joshua,  Vernon Kirk,  Kristina Hammarström  ... 
    Conductor:  René Jacobs
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Berlin RIAS Chamber Chorus,  Academy for Ancient Music Berlin
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  • 16.
    Haydn: Die Schopfung / Rene Jacobs, Julia Kleiter, Maximilian Schmitt, Johannes Weisser
    Haydn: Die Schopfung / Rene Jacobs, Julia Kleiter, Maximilian Schmitt, Johannes Weisser
    Label: Harmonia Mundi   Catalog: 902039 Release Date: 05/10/2011   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Franz Joseph Haydn
    Performer:  Johannes Weisser,  Julia Kleiter,  Maximilian Schmitt
    Conductor:  René Jacobs
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Freiburg Baroque Orchestra,  Berlin RIAS Chamber Chorus
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  • 17.
    Bach Highlights
    Bach Highlights
    Label: Berlin Classics   Catalog: 300202 Release Date: 04/12/2011   Number of Discs: 3
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Ferruccio Busoni
    Performer:  Christine Schornsheim,  Violetta Liebsch,  Armin Thalheim,  Mechtild Stark  ... 
    Conductor:  Helmut Koch,  Martin Flämig,  Burkhard Glaetzner,  Franz Konwitschny  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Neues Bachisches Collegium
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  • 18.
    Bach: Gloria In Excelsis Deo
    Bach: Gloria In Excelsis Deo
    Label: Berlin Classics   Catalog: 300153 Release Date: 03/08/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach
    Conductor:  Ludwig Güttler,  Hans-Joachim Rotzsch,  René Jacobs,  Peter Schreier
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Virtuosi Saxoniae,  Leipzig New Bach Collegium Musicum,  Trompetensemble Ludwig Güttler  ... 
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  • 19.
    Rene Jacobs, Singer & Teacher - A Film By Claude Mourieras
    Rene Jacobs, Singer & Teacher - A Film By Claude Mourieras
    Label: Harmonia Mundi   Catalog: 9909030 Release Date: 02/08/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  George Frideric Handel
    Performer:  Maria Cristina Kiehr
    Conductor:  René Jacobs
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  • 20.
    Early Music - From Ancient Times To The Renaissance
    Early Music - From Ancient Times To The Renaissance
    Label: Harmonia Mundi   Catalog: 2918163 Release Date: 11/09/2010   Number of Discs: 10
    Composer:  Anonymous,  Adam of St. Victor,  Folquet de Marseille,  Gautier de Coincy  ... 
    Performer:  Massimo Cialfi,  Conrad Steinmann,  Arianna Savall,  Luiz Alves Da Silva  ... 
    Conductor:  Suzanne Haďk-Vantoura,  Maurice Benhamou,  Sister Marie Keyrouz,  Marcel Pérčs  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Chorus,  St. Julien-le-Pauvre Byzantine Choir,  L'Ensemble de la Paix  ... 
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  • 21.
    Ombra Cara - Handel: Arias / Bejun Mehta
    Ombra Cara - Handel: Arias / Bejun Mehta
    Label: Harmonia Mundi   Catalog: 902077 Release Date: 11/09/2010   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  George Frideric Handel
    Performer:  Bejun Mehta,  Rosemary Joshua
    Conductor:  René Jacobs
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Freiburg Baroque Orchestra
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  • 22.
    Mozart: The Magic Flute / Jacobs, Behle, Fink, Petersen, Sunhae Im, Kaappola
    Mozart: The Magic Flute / Jacobs, Behle, Fink, Petersen, Sunhae Im, Kaappola
    Label: Harmonia Mundi   Catalog: 902068 Release Date: 09/14/2010   Number of Discs: 3
    Composer:  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
    Performer:  Anne-Kristiina Kaappola,  Daniel Behle,  Marcos Fink,  Sunhae Im  ... 
    Conductor:  René Jacobs
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Berlin RIAS Chamber Chorus,  Academy for Ancient Music Berlin
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  • 23.
    Monteverdi: Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria / Rene Jacobs
    Monteverdi: Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria / Rene Jacobs
    Label: Harmonia Mundi   Catalog: 5901427 Release Date: 08/10/2010   Number of Discs: 3
    Composer:  Claudio Monteverdi
    Performer:  Elisabeth Scholl,  Francesca Congiu,  Martina Bovet,  Claron McFadden  ... 
    Conductor:  René Jacobs
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Concerto Vocale
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  • 24.
    Monteverdi: L'Incoronazione di Poppea / Jacobs, Borst, Laurens
    Monteverdi: L'Incoronazione di Poppea / Jacobs, Borst, Laurens
    Label: Harmonia Mundi   Catalog: 5901330 Release Date: 08/10/2010   Number of Discs: 3
    Composer:  Claudio Monteverdi
    Performer:  Christoph Homberger,  Dominique Visse,  Lena Lootens,  Michael Schopper  ... 
    Conductor:  René Jacobs
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Concerto Vocale
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  • 25.
    Monteverdi: L'Orfeo / Rene Jacobs, Laurence Dale
    Monteverdi: L'Orfeo / Rene Jacobs, Laurence Dale
    Label: Harmonia Mundi   Catalog: 5901553 Release Date: 08/10/2010   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Claudio Monteverdi
    Performer:  Paul Gerimon,  Harry Peeters,  Bernarda Fink,  Andreas Scholl  ... 
    Conductor:  René Jacobs
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Concerto Vocale
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