James Bowman has been a model for an entire generation of countertenors. A fixture on the operatic and concert stages of Europe since the late 1960s, he has made more than 130 commercial recordings. His distinctive voice -- highly expressive and colorful, if not conventionally beautiful -- is well-suited to the music of
Handel,
Purcell, and
Benjamin Britten, all of whom have been pillars of his prolific career.
Bowman began singing as an alto chorister in the choirs of Ely Cathedral and Oxford's New College, where he received degrees in education and history. His solo career began with a successful audition for
Benjamin Britten's English Opera Group in 1967. The composer offered him the role of Oberon in his A Midsummer Night's Dream, as well as a concert at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall.
Bowman continued to sing Oberon throughout his career, and made an excellent recording of the role for Hyperion in 1990. His association with
Britten would continue, as well; the composer wrote the role of Apollo in Death in Venice for him, and also dedicated his Canticle No. 4 to
Bowman.
In 1970,
Bowman became the first countertenor to sing at Glyndebourne, in a production of Cavalli's La calisto. By 1972, he had also debuted with the
English National Opera and Covent Garden in operas of
Handel (Semele) and
Peter Maxwell Davies (Taverner). He would eventually sing most of the great Handelian operas, including Xerxes, Giulio Cesare, Orlando, and Rinaldo.
Bowman has premiered a number of contemporary works, aside from those already mentioned. He was the first to sing the role of Astron in
Michael Tippett's opera The Ice Break, in 1977; he sang
Alan Ridout's Phaeton for BBC Radio;
Michael Nyman wrote his Self-Laudatory Hymn of Inanna and Her Omnipotence for
Bowman; and
Bowman was the first to record
John Tavener's Akathist of Thanksgiving and a number of works by
Geoffrey Burgon.
As an oratorio singer,
Bowman has been successful in standard roles, like
Handel's Messiah and Chandos Anthems,
Vivaldi's Salve Regina,
Orff's Carmina Burana, and
Henry Purcell's Birthday Odes.
Purcell's music has been a particular focus of his recordings on the Hyperion label, most of which have been in collaboration with
Robert King and the
King's Consort.
Paris has been almost a second home to
Bowman during his career, and in recognition of his contribution to Parisian culture, the government made him Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1992. He also presented a sold-out 25th anniversary concert at the Palais Garnier that same year.