Damien Top

Damien Top is a Ténor and Compositeur French, born the July 13rd 1963. He is the son of the poetess Andrée Brunin.

Biography

After studies of Letters - Philosophy (Lille), graduate of the University of Paris X in Germanic language and civilization, Damien Top in parallel directs towards the Dramatic art and the Lyric art (Conservatory National of Area of Lille). To the Higher National Academy of Music of Paris, it enters the class of Nicole Broissin (Lyric Workshop - Operetta) and follows the courses of Isabelle Aboulker (Solfège) and of Rémy Corazza (technical vocal). Damien Top also worked with Galina Vichnevskaïa, Jacques Herbillon and Jean-Christophe Benoit. He also initiates himself with the direction of orchestra with Michel Quéval and Sergiu Celibidache. He directed the orchestra of the Festival Albert Roussel, the unit Joseph Jongen, the Soloists of Brno, the Czech Philharmonic orchestra of Room, etc

He is prize winner of the " Foundation Charles Oulmont - Foundation of France".

Its double training of actor and singer enables him to occur on the French scenes like abroad in a repertory varied energy of the opera to the Chamber music, Opérette with the recital of melodies. Damien Top frequently gives recitals abroad. He also gives recitals of poetry.

Damien Top is also the author of biographies of Albert Roussel (Séguier), Serguei Rachmaninov (Blue Editor Harms), Rene de Castéra (Séguier - Price of the Living room of the Book of Hossegor), Emile Goué (Séguier). It was invited to teach in several universities of the Basin Peaceful and North-American (Melbourne, Monash, Trobe, Wollongong, Wellington, Hawaii, Sherbrooke, Montreal, New York,…).

Various type-setters wrote especially for him: Isabelle Aboulker, Edwin Carr, Francoise Choveaux, Maryse Collache-Rouzet, Harry Cox, Houston Dunleavy, Alain Féron, Jean-Jacques Flament, Tony Hawkins, Wally Karveno, max Pinchard, Jean-Christophe Rosaz, Horia Surianu, Peter Tahourdin, Robert Trumble, Felix Werder, and Jacques Chailley. Damien Top in particular recorded at B.N.L several cycles of melodies of Jules Massenet as well as lovesongs of Edmond de Coussemaker and melodies of Emile Goué at R.C.P.

Damien Top belongs to the Management Committee of the Lotte Lehmann Foundation (the USA), it is scientific collaborator of the University of Rome III (Italy), chairs the Association of the Friends of Claude Delvincourt as well as the international Center Albert-Roussel whom it created in 1992 and directs the International festival Albert-Roussel.

Principal works

Piano

  • Esperando el Maestro Fauré,
  • Boguetelle,
  • Toccata,
  • Haliotide,
  • Homage to White Selva (2007),…

Chamber music

  • Duet for flute and toothing-stone
  • You Karillon van Kassel for Trumpet and Organ (2005)
  • Topic and variations, version for organ and trumpet
  • Haliotide, Trio for clarinet, violoncello and piano (2004)

Vocal music

  • the Blackcurrant river (Arthur Rimbaud),
  • Dear Jardin (Charlotte Thiriet),
  • the small Madeleine, song (anonymous),
  • Two poems of Andree Brunin, Melodies with flute and piano, 1993,
    • 1. Lament
    • 2. Girl of the wind
  • Avonds als ik slapen ga (Anonymous of XVe S.) 1998,
  • Beautiful Fir tree (Andree Brunin), voice and piano (or organ)
  • Tomb snow, Melody for soprano and violoncello (Andree Brunin)
  • the poem of the yoke, contralto (or mezzo) and percussions (Marguerite Yourcenar)
  • Label (Jean Yamasaki Toyama),
  • the Crown and the Quadrant (7 melodies on poems of Marguerite Yourcenar) 2002,
  • Dickinson songs (Emily Dickinson) 2004,
    • 1. Before I got my eye could out
    • 2. It was given to me
  • Inside the kingdom off feeling, 3 songs (Kathryn Klingebiel) 2006,
  • Annabel Lee (Edgar Allan Poe), for baritone-low and piano, 2006,

Music for Chorus

  • Near the fountain (François Villon)
  • Kyrie
  • Stabat MATER for soprano, chorus and orchestra
  • Prayer in Notre-Dame of the Crypt, chorus has cappella

Film music

  • Haliotide, short film of Veronique Humbert (2004)

Discography

  • Jules Massenet: Poem of April, Poem of the Memory, Poem of winter, Expressions Lyric BNL 1992
  • David August von Call: It triompho beyond musica, Naxos 2001
  • Edmond de Coussemaker: Lovesongs and songs, CCP 2003
  • Emile Goué: melodies, SyPr 2006
  • Claude Guillon-Verne: melodies, SyPr 2008
  • Emile Goué: melodies with quartet, Recital 2008

Books

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