Lieuwe Visser

Summary

Biography

Lieuwe Visser has an unusual combination of traits: He is a theatre person and one of the few vocalists with a thorough knowledge of and experience with new music. Through this interest in the very latest music, he has performed in the premieres of many Dutch compositions. He has worked ...
Full biography

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Instruments

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Biography

Lieuwe Visser has an unusual combination of traits: He is a theatre person and one of the few vocalists with a thorough knowledge of and experience with new music. Through this interest in the very latest music, he has performed in the premieres of many Dutch compositions. He has worked with such renowned artists as Joan Sutherland, Lotte Lenya, Jasperina de Jong, Gustav Leonhardt, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Edo de Waart, Reinbert de Leeuw, Harry Kupfer, Bernard Haitink, Bruno Maderna, Ricardo Muti, and Georg Friedrich. Visser teaches at the Maastricht Conservatory. In addition to his musical activities, he has been a member of various councils and advisory boards in the Dutch cultural sector.

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1973

Lieuwe Visser (born August 23, 1940, in Diemen) first studies history and takes private singing lessons from Jo van de Meent. He then goes to Rome on a history scholarship and has singing lessons there with Giorgio Favaretto at the Academia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. Upon returning to the Netherlands, he completes his education at the Studio of the Netherlands Opera, where in 1973 he makes his debut as Don Basilio in Gioachino Rossini's 'The Barber of Seville'. In a very successful Eisler/Weill programme with the Netherlands wind ensemble, he plays the role of Marlene Dietrich.

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1974 - 1976

Visser sings in the premiere of 'Dorian Gray' by Hans Kox. In 1976 he gives an enthusiastically received Hugo Wolf recital, accompanied by the pianist Rudolf Jansen, and appears in the title role in Gaetano Donizetti's 'Don Pasquale'.

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1980 - 1985

Visser performs in Benjamin Britten's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' in a production at the Glyndebourne Festival that includes Joan Sutherland and is conducted by Bernard Haitink. In 1982, his recording of Theo Loevendie's 'De Nachtegaal' [The Nightingale], for narrator and ensemble, receives and Edison Award. In the summer of 1984 he tours the United States with the Schönberg Ensemble and Barbara Sukowa. He performs that year for a third time (the previous times were in 1978 and 1980) with the Netherlands Opera as Masetto in Mozart's 'Don Giovanni', and in 1985 he sings in Konrad Boehmer's opera 'Dr. Faustus'.

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1987 - 1988

Visser accepts a teaching position at the Maastricht Conservatory. He performs the premiere of Robert Nasveld's 'Imaginations I', with the composer accompanying at the piano. He sings the leading role in the youth opera 'De Naam van de Maan' [The Name of the Moon] by Annie M.G. Schmidt, Flip van Duyn, and the composer Kees Olthuis. His performance is praised in the press. In an interview in the Algemeen Dagblad, the actress and writer Marjan Berk describes Visser as having “one of the most beautiful voices in the Netherlands, [and] he is probably the most original bass/baritone active in the Low Countries!” Visser sings Maurice Ravel's 'L'Enfant et le Sortilège' with the Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Charles Dutoit.

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1992

Lieuwe Visser premieres a piece by Mauricio Kagel with the Schönberg Ensemble, and presents children's concerts in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw. He serves as a jury member at the International Vocal Competition in 's-Hertogenbosch.

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1995

Visser performs with Jasperina de Jong in the successful production 'Lang Leve de Opera!' [Long Live the Opera], by Ivo de Wijs and Joop Stokkermans and directed by Lodewijk de Boer. He sings the title role in 'Noach' [Noah], an opera by Guus Janssen with decors by Karel Appel.

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2005

On June 20 Visser is presented the Amsterdam Frans Banninck Cocq Pin at his farewell as chairman of the Amsterdam Fund for the Arts.

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Discography

In the discography you will find all recordings that have been released listed chronologically. We restrict ourselves to the title, the type of audio, year of publication or recording, label, list of guest musicians, plus any comments on the issue.

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