Canadian soprano and conductor Barbara Hannigan is known for her profound commitment to contemporary music. Born in Waverly, Nova Scotia, on 8 May 1971, Hannigan has carved a unique path in the classical music world, seamlessly blending her extraordinary vocal abilities with her growing reputation as a conductor.
Barbara Hannigan © Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
Her performances are marked by an uncanny ability to inhabit a complex, often avant-garde repertoire. As a champion of new music, Hannigan has a particular affinity for works by Ligeti, Berg, and George Benjamin. In fact, she has become a muse for contemporary composers and a favourite among adventurous audiences.
To celebrate her birthday on 8 May, we’ve decided to feature some of her most iconic recordings and performances.
Barbara Hannigan Performs Gershwin’s Girl Crazy Suite
Written on Skin
Barbara Hannigan’s performance as “Agnès” in George Benjamin’s opera Written on Skin is one of the defining moments of her career. Hannigan was integral to the opera’s creation, collaborating closely with the composer and the librettist during its development. Benjamin tailored the role of Agnès to her vocal and dramatic strengths, particularly her ability to navigate extreme emotional shifts and a wide vocal range.
The vocal part is exceptionally challenging, requiring crystalline purity, agility, and emotional intensity across a broad tessitura. Since the score demands precise intonation, dynamic control, and the ability to convey both fragility and ferocity, Hannigan was ideally suited to the role. Critics praised her ability to “float stratospheric notes with ease, while grounding the character’s raw emotional outburst in visceral power.”
Barbara Hannigan Performs Benjamin: Written on Skin (excerpt)
Correspondances
Released in 2013 by Deutsche Grammophon, the Hannigan recording of Dutilleux’s Correspondances won the 2013 Gramophone Award in the Contemporary category. It also received a Diapason d’Or and was nominated for other international accolades. Dutilleux had been impressed with Hannigan’s earlier work with contemporary French repertoire, and he revised the cycle’s final movement specifically for her.
In “Gong II”, he specifically created a new ending that capitalised on Hannigan’s ability to navigate high, ethereal tessituras and dramatic climaxes. This new ending featured an extended stratospheric vocal line that soars above the orchestra. Hannigan’s execution of these passages was praised for its “otherworldly purity” and her “ability to sustain long and exposed phrases with emotional weight.”
Henri Dutilleux: Correspondances (Barbara Hannigan, soprano; Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra; Esa-Pekka Salonen, cond.)
Socrate
Barbara Hannigan and Sir Simon Rattle © Simon Jay Price
Barbara Hannigan’s recording of Satie’s Socrate has been hailed as a striking example of her ability to bring fresh insight to minimalist and introspective repertoire, “showcasing a different facet of her artistry.” Released in 2016 with pianist Reinbert de Leeuw, the recording is a deeply intimate and almost meditative interpretation of Satie’s enigmatic 1918 song cycle.
Hannigan’s performance in Socrate is a study in restraint and precision. Her light, clear, and almost transparent voice is perfectly suited to Satie’s unadorned vocal lines. Her diction is impeccable, rendering the text with clarity and natural phrasing. Despite the score’s simplicity, Hannigan infuses Socrate with profound emotional resonance. The Guardian described her performance as “heartbreaking in its simplicity.”
Erik Satie: Socrate, “Portrait de Socrate” (Barbara Hannigan, soprano; Reinbert de Leeuw, piano)
Mysteries of the Macabre
Barbara Hannigan
Hannigan’s performances of Ligeti’s Mysteries of the Macabre are celebrated for their theatrical flair and vocal virtuosity. Her performances are as much visual as musical, with exaggerated gestures, facial expressions and costume choices amplifying the absurdity of the piece.
Hannigan’s performances have been universally celebrated, with critics hailing her as the definitive interpreter of the work. She has been called “a force of nature,” and the performances are described as “a thrilling blend of vocal wizardry and physical comedy.” Mysteries is one of Hannigan’s most frequently performed pieces, embodying her fearless approach to contemporary music and her flair for theatricality.
Barbara Hannigan’s artistry is a singular fusion of vocal brilliance, theatrical daring, and visionary musicianship, redefining the boundaries of classical performance. Her fearless embrace of the new and the challenging continues to inspire audiences and artists alike.
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