Over a 30-year career, Andreas Scholl’s voice has retained its remarkable beauty. The German countertenor talks to Clive Paget about the road to fame and fortune, taking care of his instrument, and the music he will sing with the Australian World Orchestra in October.

Andreas Scholl
Andreas Scholl. Photo courtesy of Felsner Artists

There are some voices that, once heard, are never forgotten. Back in the 1990s, a good friend and I used to enjoy a guessing game. Whenever I was invited for dinner, I would be sat down and told to close my eyes as a CD was slipped surreptitiously into the player. “OK, what, or who is this?” would be the inevitable question.

On this occasion, I sat up straight. The music was familiar – it was Ombra mai...