The English countertenor James Bowman died yesterday at the age of 81.
A frontrunner in the early music revival, he displaced Alfred Deller in Britten’s mind as the defining Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and made his London debut in the opening concert of the South Bank’s Queen Elizabeth Hall.
Joining David Munrow’s Early Music Consort, he took charge of the group at Munrow’s early death, going on to work closely with Pro Cantione Antiqua.and Christopher Hogwood. He was a creative, mischievous presence on the London scene until his retirement in 2011.
