Rising Star Cortes
Simon Cowell is making a mint from Popera (Popopera) groups, and must be kicking himself that he didn’t discover cortes, the tenor with a Brit nomination and a number one classical album under Hist. How do you feel about being called both the ‘James Bond of opera’ and ‘the new Pavarotti’? I love James Bond [...]
Simon Cowell is making a mint from Popera (Popopera) groups, and must be kicking himself that he didn’t discover cortes, the tenor with a Brit nomination and a number one classical album under Hist.
How do you feel about being called both the ‘James Bond
of opera’ and ‘the new Pavarotti’?
I love James Bond but the only similarity is that we both
wear a suit. Maybe opera lacks sex appeal, but I don’t think
that’s what we should focus on. The main thing for me is
the music, but it’s not bad to brush up well, too. There’s only
one Pavarotti, and he always looked brilliant in a suit.
Classical purists tend to shun the music industry’s
attempts to make it more accessible. Where do you stand?
Music should be more accessible. Opera was the popular
music of its day. Today opera is too elitist, for the people
with money. Blending operatic singing with modern
production is a great way of introducing all the fantastic
melodies that opera has.
You started out as a child actor. How is the discipline of
acting different from that of singing?
For me acting, interpreting a character, has always been a
joy, though it’s hard work. When I was younger I was torn
between which route to go down, but in the end I couldn’t
leave music behind. A singer’s voice is a very delicate
instrument, so it’s probably harder for a singer to pull off a
good performance than it is for an actor in a play. You have
to look after your voice and try not to catch colds.
Your parents are musicians. How much of a part have they
played in your career?
They never pushed me into it. People often wonder whether
musical ability is in the genes, but I think I would have got
into music regardless. I feel very alive when I’m performing.
Giving a concert is a real adrenaline rush.
When you were younger you were a fan of Bon Jovi and
Prince. Do you think any of their songs are ripe for an
operatic interpretation?
Some of Prince’s songs have great melodies, like those by
Elton John, George Michael and Billy Joel. There are
definitely songs among theirs that would work with a
classical makeover. Some melodies belong just in the pop
genre, but I think Purple Rain would work well…
Cortes’s album When You Say You Love Me is out now on
Universal Records.
WHO IS CORTES?
The name Gardar Cortes sounds Spanish, but Cortes is from Iceland. Born in
May 1974, the son of an English concert pianist mother and an Icelandic
tenor father, he has had crossover success with his operatic singing style. He
was a child actor and in 1999 his big break came when he won the lead role
in a West End production of Phantom of the Opera.
