The Lebrecht Interview - Ian Bostridge

Norman Lebrecht talks to tenor Ian Bostridge. Originally an academic specialising in English witchcraft in the 17th and 18th centuries, Bostridge burst onto the music scene in 1995 at the age of 30, rapidly becoming one of the most sought-after voices in the business. Celebrated on the operatic stage for Mozart, Monteverdi and Britten, in recital he is widely regarded as one of the great exponents of the German lied, particularly Schubert and Wolf. In a wide-ranging and penetrating interview, Bostridge reveals the soul-searching behind his decision to leave academia behind in favour of music, his anxiety about acting on stage and why he nearly abandoned his role in Thomas Ades' opera The Tempest because he found it so difficult.