Thomas Hampson Autograph – to be released on Warner Classics this March
Thomas Hampson is one of today’s most innovative and insightful artists. He is admired for his engaging performances and his commitment to music research and education, which have a tremendous impact on the field. He is regarded as “one of America’s foremost cultural ambassadors.” (Operavore)
Autograph, a new CD box set from Warner Classics, is a special, signature audio collection – Mr. Hampson has personally overviewed the track selection – that showcases his renowned versatility. The set highlights some of his greatest and most revered operatic roles, as well as much-loved performances of operetta, song, oratorio and Broadway musicals. The set also includes an interview documentary by Jon Tolansky, which offers fascinating insights into Hampson’s remarkable career and achievements.
In 2015, Thomas Hampson celebrates his 60th birthday. The American baritone’s international career was launched in 1981, when he joined the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf, and his voice and dedication to the art form have taken him across the globe in a career spanning decades, with performances on the greatest stages in the world.
“His passion for the vocal arts is inspiring.” (Broadway World)
Mr. Hampson is renowned for the beauty and intelligence of his singing in opera and concert, as well as his tremendous musical research and promotion of lieder through his Hampsong Foundation. As a true Ambassador of art song, this Warner Classics Autograph anthology affirms Thomas Hampson’s personal regard and passion for German and American works. Not only does he perform these genres in a class of his own, he has also funded the publication of a new critical edition of Mahler songs and launched the US Library of Congress’s ‘Song of America’ project in cooperation with Hampsong.
The anthology also highlights Mr. Hampson’s dynamic career trajectory in opera, from the dashing Kavalierbariton roles of Mozart, through dramatic roles such as Ambroise Thomas’ Hamlet and Britten’s Billy Budd, to the intense portrayals of Verdi and Wagner’s most well-known characters. The breadth of his repertoire also includes oratorio and operetta, as well as Broadway and popular song.