David Corr on Rossini, ‘Rasher’ and The Shawshank Redemption

The son of a Tyrone father, David Corr lives in Dublin and was crowned as the Northern Ireland Opera Voice of 2020 earlier this year.
David CorrDavid Corr
David Corr

Here baritone David answers our questions:

Q. What is your favourite song and why?

A. I love music and as a singer I have so many favourites across lots of genres but for sentimental reasons I will go with Danny Boy. My love of music came from my grandfather and the “sing-songs” we had as a family. Together, we sang ‘Danny Boy’ on many occasions and it brings back great memories.

David CorrDavid Corr
David Corr

Q. What is your favourite film and why?

A. This is a difficult question as there are so many great movies. It’s a toss up between The Shawshank Redemption and Good Will Hunting but I will go with The Shawshank Redemption as my No1. It is a very powerful movie giving a strong message of hope during the greatest darkness and despair.

Q. What is your favourite piece of classical music and why?

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A. I have so many favourites, but I will pick the iconic baritone aria ‘Largo al factotum’ from The Barber of Seville by Rossini. I remember hearing it sung by many singers at competition when I was at school and I was fascinated by the various interpretations of the aria. It is still a big favourite of mine.

Q. What is your favourite musical and why?

A. My favourite musical is without a doubt West Side Story. It was the first musical I went to see as a young boy, and I was blown away by the production! I remember I was fascinated by the gang culture. It has really stood the test of time and I believe has all the magical ingredients of a brilliant Broadway show, Shakespearean tragedy, amazing dancing and choreography, and gripping music.

Q. What is your favourite play and why?

A. I really enjoyed the modern play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. The play by Simon Stephens is based on the novel of the same name by Mark Haddon. The story is told from the perspective of an autistic child, Christopher. Despite his huge fear of interacting with people, Christopher is mathematically gifted.

He decides to investigate the murder of a neighbour’s dog. It is a very funny play but also deals with some difficult and sensitive issues in a way that made me think well after the curtain had closed. The book is also a great read.

Q. Who is your favourite artist and why?

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A. I am no expert in art! Like many others I was introduced to the impressionist painters like Monet and Renoir when I studied art for a short period at school. Now I really enjoy contemporary art like the work the Irish artist Mark Kavanagh (Rasher). I am probably drawn to this artist because of his background. He is self-taught with a very colourful personality that matches his equally colourful and vibrant work. He is known for his paintings of human figures and there is always a unique twist to his work.

He says he is inspired by the great artists Caravaggio and Dali. Despite the odds against him, he has become a very successful artist. He has also helped make fine art accessible which I think is a good thing.

Q. What is your most special moment in the arts and why?

A. A very special moment was the first time I sang solo with a full orchestra. It was the Messiah and I sang bass soloist. It was so exciting to have the big and beautiful sound of the musicians behind me.

Q. What have you been watching/listening to /revisiting?

A. What I have missed most during lockdown was not being able to perform live or attend musical performances.

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I also missed sport (my other passion), particularly at the start of lockdown when there was very little happening.

I was lucky that I was kept busy with some virtual projects during this time which included the performing with the NI Opera Studio of Mozart’s ‘Soave sia il vento’ in tribute to the NHS and frontline workers and doing some outreach work with NI Opera.

I have been watching old football games and listening to sports podcasts as well as revisiting my favourite musical performances on YouTube and Spotify. I have really enjoyed watching musicians of all genres who went online to perform which I think helped a lot of people cope with lockdown.

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