Claire Rutter

Claire was nominated for the Maria Callas Award following her U.S. début as Fiordiligi (Cosi fan Tutte) for Dallas Opera. She has also sung Amelia ( Un Ballo in Maschera ) for Florida Grand Opera; Tosca, Elvira ( Ernani ) and Amelia for English National Opera, Violetta (La Traviata ) Den Norske Opera, Donna Anna ( Don Giovanni ) Opéra de Montpellier, Bordeaux Opera, De Vlaamse Opera, and English National Opera, the title rôle in Verdi's Giovanna d'Arco at the Ludwigshafen Festival with Opera North, Countess ( Nozze di Figaro ) Bordeaux Opera, Miss Jessel ( Turn of the Screw ) Oviedo Opera, Lucia di Lammermoor with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and Mimi in La Bohème in the Beijing International Festival. During three years as a principal with Scottish Opera, her rôles included Maddalena ( Andrea Chénier ), Violetta ( La Traviata ), Fiordiligi, Gilda ( Rigoletto ), Countess ( Nozze di Figaro ), Elettra ( Idomeneo ), and Rosalinde (Die Fledermaus ).

 
She has also sung Violetta and Gilda for both English National Opera and Welsh National Opera. Claire's concert performances have included Strauss's Vier Letzte Lieder, Mahler Symphonies Nos. 4 and 8, Verdi Requiem , Rossini Stabat Mater and Petite Messe Solennelle , A Sea Symphony , Beethoven Symphony No.9, Carmina Burana , A Child of Our Time , Songs of the Auvergne , Elijah, The Apostles , The Kingdom and Brahms's Requiem , at all of Britain's major concert halls with orchestras such as the London Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, BBC Scottish, Hallé, Royal Scottish National, the Philharmonia, The Ulster Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony, English Chamber and Scottish Chamber orchestras. Recent engagements have included a concert of Verdi arias with the CBSO, Beethoven 9 at the Wales Millennium Centre with Bryn Terfel, a programme of Mahler and Strauss with The Ulster Orchestra and BBC Radio 3,

 

The Apostles CBSO/Oramo, Donna Anna De Vlaamse Opera, and Alice Ford (Falstaff) in Santa Fe. She sang her first Aida for the ENO in their new production in the 2007-08 season to unanimous critical acclaim, which resulted in an invitation for the revival a season later. She sang Tosca for Opera National de Bordeaux and Bellini's Norma in a new production at Grange Park, and Aida for Opera Australia. Her recordings include highlights from La Bohème and Madama Butterfly with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Holst's The Mystic Trumpeter with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (for which she was nominated for two Classical Brit Awards), plus several other CDs for > Naxos including Carmina Burana (Marin Alsop/BSO), and Howell's Hymnus Paradisi (David Hill/BSO).

 

 
 

REVIEWS

"In Claire Rutter, Grange Park has secured a thrilling, starry Norma, her voice secure even in the stratospheric top notes, with Sara Fulgoni impressive as Adalgisa. The entire audience leapt to their feet when Rutter took her bow."
Fiona Maddocks, The Observer, June 2009
"The technical demands of Bellini's Norma hold no terrors for the extraordinary Claire Rutter, who embraces the meditative hymn of "Casta diva", the coloratura fireworks of the confrontation with Pollione and the Gluckian sublime of her final self-sacrifice with an ease, command and tonal splendour which I haven't heard equalled for a generation.."
Rupert Christiansen, The Telegraph, June 2009
"Rutter's gorgeously steely soprano..Rutter is the star"
Michael Church, The Independent, June 2009

 
 

"It says much for the artistry of Claire Rutter that she assumes (the role) so superbly in this opening production of Grange Park's season..an exceptional portrayal."
George Hall, The Stage, June 2009
"Claire Rutter is a commanding Norma, vocally unthreatened even by singing Casta diva one tone higher than normal, in its original key of G."
Geoff Brown, The Times, June 2009