Matthew studied at Kings College, Cambridge, and at the National Opera Studio, and in 1982 won the Decca-Kathleen Ferrier Prize. At the outset of his career, he sang as a principal bass with The Royal Opera, Covent Garden, and as a guest with many other companies, and in recent years he has moved into the bass-baritone and Heldenbariton repertory. This process reached a significant landmark when he sang the role of Wotan/The Wanderer in Scottish Opera’s new production of Der Ring des Nibelungen, first seen at the Edinburgh International Festival.

Other engagements have included Kurwenal Tristan und Isolde with La Monnaie, Don Pizarro Leonore under Gardiner at the Proms, Salzburg Festival, Concertgebouw, Amsterdam and the Lincoln Center Festival, New York; Swallow Peter Grimes for ROH; Siegfried and Die Walküre and Orest Elektra in Stuttgart; Wotan Siegfried Opéra de Lyon; the title role in The Flying Dutchman, Opera de Rouen; Vairochana in the world premiere production of Jonathan Harvey’s Wagner Dream in Luxembourg, Amsterdam and Paris; Peneios Daphne for his debut with Santa Fe Opera, followed by Tsargo Adrianna Mater in 2008; Scarpia Tosca, Amfortas Parsifal, Kurwenal, Don Pizarro Fidelio for Scottish Opera; Count Walter Luisa Miller and Scarpia for Opera North; Wotan The Rhinegold, Ramfis Aida, Swallow Peter Grimes, King Marke Tristan und Isolde, Jochanaan Salome for English National Opera; Cadmus The Bassarids at the Châtelet, Paris and in Cologne; Jochanaan and Mr. Flint Billy Budd with LSO/Richard Hickox; and Pizarro Fidelio (concert performances) with both the CBSO and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra. On concert platform he has sung The Dream of Gerontius, Beethoven 9, Shostakovich 14, Elijah, the Verdi Requiem, Berlioz's L'Enfance du Christ, and Mahler 8 with orchestras in the UK and Europe.

His various recordings include Beethoven’s Leonore, Berlioz’ L’enfance du Christ, Britten’s Billy Budd and Peter Grimes, Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius, Falla’s El Retablo di Maese Pedro, Menotti’s Martin’s Lie and Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia.

Matthew also gained a high reputation in conducting, of which include his long-standing association with The Corydon Orchestra and Singers, of which he is founder and artistic director. His many notable recordings with them include highly acclaimed performances of Bruckner’s Masses and Te Deum, Berlioz’ L’Enfance du Christ and Vaughan Williams’ opera Hugh the Drover. His guest conducting includes appearances with the English Chamber Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the Northern Sinfonia, London Mozart Players, City of London Sinfonia, Royal Seville Symphony Orchestra, the RTE Concert Orchestra, The Manchester Camerata and The Hanover Band (where he was Principal Conductor for the 1998/99 season).

Engagements in 09/10 season include Pizzaro Fidelio in concert with the Rotterdam Philharmonic and Valery Gergiev, Sparafucile Rigoletto, Messiah with the Orquesta Sinfonica de Gran Canaria, Peneios Daphne for Oper Frankfurt and La Roche Capriccio for Grange Park Opera.

Matthew Best is represented by Intermusica.

Septembert 2009 / 496 words. Not to be altered without permission. Please destroy all previous biographical material.

Beethoven programme, Queen Elizabeth Hall
Corydon Singers and Orchestra
“This week there occurred one of those rivetingly rewarding experiences when you go to a concert and find yourself engrossed from beginning to end, with expectations of performance and interpretation far surpassed. The concert that riveted me this week was the Corydon Singers at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. To my shame, I had only previously heard them on disc, above all in a performance of Rachmaninov’s All-Night Vigil which has all those qualities of vocal resonance and textural lucidity that suggest you do not necessarily have to be a Russian choir to sing Orthodox music with feeling. In this Beethoven concert, words were precise, delivered with complete confidence. The orchestral playing was absolutely to the point, close of ensemble and keenly disposed to asserting interpretative thoughts that Best indicated from the podium. There was a sure sense of structure and of span, too. Taut but with an acutely judged expressive breadth and depth within a chosen, concise framework, these performances drew out the meaning of the texts with exciting immediacy. A memorable concert.”
Geoffrey Norris, The Telegraph

Beethoven Cantatas (Hyperion CDA 66880)
Corydon Singers and Orchestra
“Matthew Best conducts a superb performance, at once fresh, incisive and deeply moving, with excellent soloists as well as a fine chorus.”
Edward Greenfield, Gramophone

Berlioz L’Enfance du Christ (Hyperion CDA 66991/2)
Corydon Singers and Orchestra
“Matthew Best’s Corydon players imbue the sequence of mysterious string unisons with an extraordinary intensity. Best and his team maintain the balance between realising the full import of the emotional subtext without distorting its beautifully composed surfaces to perfection. No previous recording of L’Enfance du Christ has moved me like this one. The choral singing is a joy, the orchestral playing poised, resourceful, so aware. Technically, this version is magical, exploring the full theatrical potential of shifting perspectives. In a word: heavenly.”
Edward Seckerson, The Independent

“With a broadly phrased prologue and a crisp fugal Marche nocturne, Best promises in his L’Enfance du Christ ‘a more operatic treatment than it sometimes receives’. It is not often, of course, that the conductor himself is capable of a pretty mean Scarpia. But the approach is not eccentric; it takes the work as it is. Both stylish and enjoyable, the recording is surely the best available at present. It has a wide dynamic range: it may be difficult to find the optimum volume setting, but this is as it should be in Berlioz.”
Julian Rushton, BBC Music Magazine

Bruckner Te Deum and Mass in D (Hyperion CDA 66650)
Corydon Singers and Orchestra
“What better to mark the Corydon Singers’ 21st Anniversary than this resplendent coupling of two choral works by Bruckner? The singing is aptly glorious, and Matthew Best’s account stands with such earlier classics as Forster’s and Haitink’s. A triumph for Matthew Best and all others involved.”
Christopher Breunig, Hi-fi News & Record Review

“Bruckner’s Te Deum is a work I’ve sought out frequently since I first heard Baremboim’s recording, but only now has the spine-tingling thrill of that first encounter been vividly relived. Earth-shaking is the only way to describe it. The orchestra plays with a self-assurance and conviction which belie the fact that they have only once before been brought together for the recording studio, while the considerably enlarged Corydon Singers sing with consummate skill, rooting out all the subtleties and nuances of Bruckner’s magnificent score yet always faithful to Matthew Best’s thrusting, athletic direction. What a way to celebrate their 21st birthday! And how to follow that? With a performance of the D minor mass of extraordinary power and strength. There is an excellent team of soloists, but the greatest accolades must go to Matthew Best and his Corydon Singers: quite simply this is the best thing they have ever done.”
MR, Gramophone

“All the performers give a committed and stylish performance under Best, whose grasp of quintessential Brucknerian tempo relationships is admirable.”
Christopher Fifield, BBC Music Magazine

“Mathew Best’s performances combine spiritual intensity with great physical impact.”
Robert Cowan, The Independent

“Best’s idea of taking the piece in one basic pulse has resulted only in freshness and a truly Brucknerian sense of flow. Best understands the basic terms of reference well, but there’s a balancing affection for the music which ensures a warm afterglow.”
Stephen Johnson, The Independent

Bruckner Te Deum and masses (Hyperion CDS 44071/3)
Corydon Singers and Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra Wind Ensemble
“In the November 1993 BBC Music Magazine, I gave a rave review for the Te Deum and D minor Mass which now form part of this Corydon set. I am happy to award further accolades to all concerned. Bruckner’s Mass in F minor contains music of a singular beauty and profound mysticism. It gets a committed performance. So too does No.2 in E minor, the ECO wind providing rich sonority and the chorus (sopranos with pure, cathedral treble-type sound) mastering this demanding score.”
Christopher Fifield, BBC Music Magazine

Bruckner Mass in F minor; Psalm 150 (Hyperion CDA 66599)
Corydon Singers and Orchestra
“This is one of those recordings where one feels in absolutely safe hands from the opening bars….I have nothing but praise for this latest release from the highly gifted Matthew Best and his remarkable Corydon Singers.

Rarely have I heard the orchestral introduction to the F minor Mass delivered with such a tangible sense of expectancy, so that the choir’s first entry arrives as a combined inevitability and resolution. The dark, sometimes menacing undercurrents are realised with extraordinary potency here…once again the ebb and flow of this music is unerringly caught by Best, who encourages the widest possible range of dynamics and expression. Hyperion clearly have another hit on their hands with this splendid release”.

Bridget Remagen, Hi-fi News and Record Review

“Matthew Best’s performance….gives tremendous point to the inner conviction of Bruckner’s faith. His orchestra, brought together for this recording but sounding as if it has been playing this music all its days…as with everything the Corydon Singers and Best turn their hands to, it is an impeccable performance, infused with real artistry and sensitive musicianship. Enhanced by the glorious solo voices from a high-powered team this is a CD of rare depth and conviction.”
Gramophone Classical Good CD Guide

“Here are outstanding performances of both the Mass and the dazzling setting of that most exuberant of psalms. As always the Corydon Singers are in a class of their own, combining clarity, precision and close attention to detail with a feeling of genuine involvement in the music. Matthew Best is careful to avoid any hint of over-indulgence…and seems to plumb the very soul of the work….Best of all is this orchestra which plays with all the assurance of old Bruckner hands yet with the freshness and vitality of players exploring a magnificent score for the first time….hoping for a better all-round performance than this is probably an impossible dream.”
Gramophone

Finzi Dies Natalis; Intimations of Immortality (Hyperion CDA 66876)
Corydon Singers and Orchestra
“Matthew Best’s magnificent series of recordings with the Corydon Singers and more recently the Corydon Orchestra is one of the jewels in Hyperion’s crown. Equally distinguished in the music of composers as varied as Rachmaninov, Villa-Lobos, Mendelssohn, Duruflé, Bruckner and Berlioz, the Corydon team seem incapable of producing a dud disc. So it proves in this ravishing coupling of two major Finzi choral works which arguably surpass even the high standards achieved by Richard Hickox and the composer himself respectively. It is the more reflective side of man’s nature which is Finzi’s true metier, and in this important respect the present recording reaches the parts that no other recording quite manages.”
Julian Haylock, Classic CD

“These performances are marvellously good at clarifying the strengths of these works. Rather more than their predecessors, they clarify structure and texture. Best takes a very slightly quicker tempo and that helps to focus attention. Another factor is the sharper differentiation of instruments, more distinctive in flavour. Highly recommended.”
JBS, Gramophone

Goethe Nacht, St John’s Smith Square
Corydon Singers and Orchestra

“Best’s account of Mendelssohn’s Die erste Walpurgisnacht caught all of its freshness and vigour. The chorus was lively and the soloists strong. The score of Calm sea and prosperous voyage inspired alert, upfront singing from the choir. The orchestra revelled in Beethoven’s Egmont Overture, moving from a soft-grained opening to a blazing close.”
John Allison, The Times

Rachmaninov All-night Vigil (Hyperion CDA 66460)
Corydon Singers
“But there’s something about Matthew Best and the Corydon Singers’ version that touches me even more deeply. It’s slower, but it’s exquisitely phrased. You need real control to make phrasing breathe like this at such a devotional tempo…it may be chauvinistic of me, but I’m giving my casting vote to the home team…their performance has an intimate, almost confidential quality in the more inward movements.”
Stephen Johnson, BBC Radio 3 “ Building a Library”

“The Corydon Singers give a performance that is at once perceptive, sympathetic and finely sung.”
John Warrack, Gramophone

Simpson Media morte; Templi; Eppur si muove; Canzona (Hyperion CDA 67016)
Corydon Singers and Brass Ensemble
“In the Media morte and the contrasted Canzona, Matthew Best’s first-class Corydon Brass demonstrate as much fugal versatility as the exquisitely controlled choir.”
Roderic Dunnett, BBC Music Magazine

Tchaikovsky Liturgy of St John Chrysostom; Sacred choruses (Hyperion CDA 66948) Corydon Singers
“Best and the Corydon Singers bring out the freshness and energy in this inspired music, with basses focussed down to subterranean depths.”
Edward Greenfield, The Guardian

“Corydon Singers serve the music beautifully. I would even go as far as to say that this recording carries more musical conviction than any of its rivals. Even the St Petersburg Chamber Choir seem detached and solemn compared to Matthew Best’s inspired forces.”
Brian Hunt, Classic CD

Vaughan Williams Hugh the Drover (Hyperion CDA 66901)
Corydon Singers and Orchestra
“I am delighted to report that Matthew Best’s new version of Hugh the Drover has made it seem a far more worthwhile piece. The singer/conductor proves a superb interpreter of this music, his lively, loving approach revealing an inherent toughness that lifts the score right out of the category of the rural picturesque. He also seems able to tap into the ‘vision thing’ – a factor regularly present in the music of Vaughan Williams, whose intention of writing an English equivalent to The Bartered Bride no longer seems over-ambitious. The Corydon orchestral and choral forces are superb.”
Opera Now

“A great sense of theatricality emerges at the very opening of Best’s recording, where the tempo honours the marked Allegro vivacissimo and the fairground bussle is vividly drawn. Groves’ Ambrosian chorus is no match for Best’s Corydon Singers, whose diction and ensemble are well-nigh perfect. Best’s superb vocal and instrumental forces are all more warmly balanced and integrated than Groves’, with a more romantic aura to the sound. If this scrupulously prepared new recording doesn’t inspire a professional opera company to stage Hugh the Drover, nothing will.”
Matthew Rye, BBC Music Magazine

Vaughan-Williams Serenade to Music etc (Hyperion CDA 66420)
16 soloists, English Chamber Orchestra
“The real jewel in this anthology comes in the shape of the Serenade to Music, which here receives magical treatment from a rapt ECO under Matthew Best and his 16 dedicated soloists. In the introduction Best creates a ravishing, sensuous backcloth of orchestral sound against which the characterful contribution of the starry line-up of soloists gleams all the more enticingly.”
Andrew Achenbach, Hi-Fi News and Record Review

“In character and distinction this easily outshines the only other contender with a named line-up of British soloists, Sir Adrian Boult’s recording of 1968….Best appreciates that this is Vaughan Williams at his most gutsy, not just evocative, and the result is profoundly moving.”
Edward Greenfield, Gramophone

“The conductor, Matthew Best, draws radiant sounds from the English Chamber Orchestra….no previous recording quite matches this in its warmth and glow.”
Edward Greenfield, The Guardian