Paul Figuier & Trio Pascal, Violaine Despeyroux
Biography Paul Figuier & Trio Pascal, Violaine Despeyroux
Paul Figuier
In the world of countertenors, which is rich in talent, Paul Figuier asserts himself more and more each season as a name to watch: to the length of his voice and his impressive dynamic capacities are added an art of the vocal line of indisputable refinement.
Throughout his studies, Paul Figuier has been privileged to take part in projects alongside first-rate artists. Still a member of the Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles, he sings with conductors such as Christophe Rousset, Hervé Niquet and Jérémie Rhorer.
After graduating, he joined Isabelle Poulenard's class at the CRR in Paris and studied with Stéphane Fuget and Jean Tubéry. There he played Bertarido in Handel's Rodelinda in 2014 and Pisandro in Monteverdi's Il ritorno d'Ulisse in 2015. In 2016, he was admitted to the Paris Conservatoire (Alain Buet, then Yves Sotin), where he performed with Masaaki Suzuki, Laurence Equilbey, Paul Agnew, Alain Altinoglu and once again Christophe Rousset. In 2018 he sang Tolomeo in Handel's Giulio Cesare with Philip Von Steinaecker and Arete in Lotti's Giove in Argo with Leonardo García Alarcón. In 2019, he will be recording the viola solos in Philippe Hersant's Cantique des trois enfants dans la fournaise with the CMBV and the Maîtrise de Radio France. During several master classes, he received advice from Karine Deshayes, Barabara Hannigan and Magreet Honig.
These experiences constitute a precious capital which he then exploits with the most prominent ensembles: Correspondances, Le Caravansérail, Amarillis, La Capella Mediterranea or the Atelier lyrique de Tourcoing (the Stabat Mater by Scarlatti and Pergolesi at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées), not forgetting the music of Bach with Raphaël Pichon and Pygmalion.
In April 2019, he makes his real debut on the opera stage with Cavalli's Erismena with Capella Mediterranea (Leonardo García Alarcón) under the direction of Jean Bellorini, then at the Opéra de Lausanne where he is Orestes in La Belle Hélène (Pierre Dumoussaud, Michel Fau). He returns to Lausanne in springtime 2021 for the role of Mago Cristiano in Rinaldo conducted by Andrea Marcon and directed by Robert Carsen. In 2022, he made his debut at the Opéra d'Avignon in the same work, but this time in the title role, to great acclaim (Bertrand Cuiller, Claire Dancoisne).
In summer 2021, he sings the title role in Stradella's San Giovanni Baptista with Damien Guillon's Le Banquet Céleste. Conducted by Philippe Jaroussky and at the Opéra de Montpellier, he will successively play Nireno in Handel's Giulio Cesare (2022, directed by Damiano Michielletto) and Achille in Sartorio's Orfeo (2023, Benjamin Lazar). Another special place is the Beaune Festival, where he will sing the Saint John Passion with Les Surprises conducted by Louis-Noël Bestion de Camboulas (2022), then Monteverdi's L'Orfeo with Stéphane Fuget and Les Épopées.
Keen to experiment with a variety of stage roles, he took on the singing parts of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, directed by the great Thomas Ostermeier at the Comédie Française.
The 2023/2024 season has seen a notable expansion, with opera taking pride of place: special mention should be made of Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea, which he returned to twice in Ted Huffmann's staging: first at the Opéra de Rennes under Damien Guillon in the roles of Arnalta and Nutrice, then at the Opéra de Toulon with Leonardo García Alarcón as conductor, this time in the role of Ottone. Concert appearances have included Bach's St John Passion with the hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt and Alain Altinoglu, and Vivaldi's Nisi Dominus with Insula Orchestra and Laurence Equilbey. He has worked enthusiastically on more intimate scores with ensembles such as Le Caravansérail, L'Escadron volant de la Reine, Plus près de votre oreille or Les Nouveaux Caractères.
Highlights of the 2024/2025 season include Pergolesi's Stabat Mater with sopranist Bruno de Sá and Thibault Noally's Les Accents (Rocamadour Festival), Bach's cantatas for alto with Les Talens Lyriques and Christophe Rousset (Ambronay Festival), Monteverdi's L'Orfeo with Les Épopées (Dortmund and Versailles), a revival of L'Incoronazione di Poppea with Le Banquet Céleste (Rennes, Paris, Rouen), the role of Disinganno in Händel's Il Trionfo del Tempo with B'Rock and René Jacobs (Dortmund, tour of Asia).
In November 2024, at the Salle Gaveau in Paris, he will premiere the scores written for him and the Pascal Trio by composers Bruno Coulais and Jean-Philippe Goude.
