The World of the Castrati: The Voice of Angels

The extraordinary adulation accorded to castrati during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries is still today one of the most fascinating phenomena in the history of music. During this golden age of the castrato, these male singers endowed with high voices that combined incredible refinement, amazing power and superhuman virtuosity took the musical world by storm. The whole of Europe was overcome by infatuation for these vocal prodigies. In the absence of the castrati themselves, the singers of today face the formidable challenge of reviving their repertoire. In this double album, the greatest vocal artists of the present day offer their own vision of the singing of their legendary predecessors. Both male and female singers now undertake the task of bringing back to life the wondrous voices of their androgynous forebears, in music that is by turns unsettling, deeply moving and of a dizzying virtuosity. The World of Castrati features some of the greatest singers today including Natalie Dessay, Philippe Jaroussky, Kate Royal, Max Emanuel Cencic, Joyce DiDonato, David Daniels, Vivica Genaux, and many more.

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Monteverdi, Claudio : L'Orfeo :: Hor mentre i canti alterno

Performers: Natalie Dessay (Soprano); Giovanni Magli (Voice)
Conductor: Emmanuelle Haïm
Running Time: 1 min. 30 sec.
Period Time: Baroque
Form: Opera/Operetta
Written: 1607

Handel, George Frideric : La Resurrezione :: Duetto "Dolci chiodi"

Performers: Sonia Prina (Violin); Pasqualino (Castrato); Kate Royal (Voice); Pipo (Castrato)
Conductor: Emmanuelle Haïm
Running Time: 2 min. 59 sec.
Period Time: Baroque
Form: Cantata/Oratorio
Written: 1708

Handel, George Frideric : La Resurrezione :: Ho un non so che

Performers: Sonia Prina (Violin); Pipo (Castrato); Pasqualino (Castrato); Kate Royal (Voice)
Conductor: Emmanuelle Haïm
Running Time: 2 min. 30 sec.
Period Time: Baroque
Form: Cantata/Oratorio
Written: 1708

Handel, George Frideric : Giulio Cesare :: Dall'ondoso periglio ...Aure, deh, per pietà

Performers: Senesino (Castrato); Stephanie Blythe (Mezzo Soprano)
Conductor: John Nelson
Ensemble: Ensemble Orchestral de Paris
Running Time: 8 min. 34 sec.
Period Time: Baroque
Form: Opera/Operetta
Written: 1724

Caldara, Antonio : La Passione di Gesù Cristo Signor :: Giacche mi tremi

Performers: Gaetano Orsini (Voice); Laura Polverelli (Mezzo Soprano)
Conductor: Fabio Biondi
Running Time: 5 min. 37 sec.
Period Time: Baroque
Form: Cantata/Oratorio
Written: 1730

Vivaldi, Antonio : La fida ninfa :: Destin nemico... Destin avaro

Performers: Giuseppe Valentini (Voice); Vivica Genaux (Mezzo-Soprano)
Conductor: Fabio Biondi
Running Time: 5 min. 52 sec.
Period Time: Baroque
Form: Opera/Operetta
Written: 01/06/1732

Vivaldi, Antonio : Bajazet :: Sopsa son disprezzata

Performers: Vivica Genaux (Mezzo-Soprano); Pietro Morigi (Voice); Giovanni Manzoli (Voice); Farinelli Manzoli (Voice)
Conductor: Fabio Biondi
Running Time: 6 min. 28 sec.
Period Time: Baroque
Form: Opera/Operetta
Written: 1735

Vivaldi, Antonio : Bajazet :: Spesso tra vaghe rose

Performers: Giovanni Manzoli (Voice); Elina Garanca (Mezzo Soprano); Farinelli Manzoli (Voice); Pietro Morigi (Voice)
Conductor: Fabio Biondi
Running Time: 7 min. 21 sec.
Period Time: Baroque
Form: Opera/Operetta
Written: 1735

Vivaldi, Antonio : Bajazet :: Anche il mar par che sommerga

Performers: Farinelli Manzoli (Voice); Pietro Morigi (Voice); Patrizia Ciofi (Soprano); Giovanni Manzoli (Voice)
Conductor: Fabio Biondi
Running Time: 3 min. 44 sec.
Period Time: Baroque
Form: Opera/Operetta
Written: 1735

Handel, George Frideric : Ariodante :: [Excerpt]

Notes: Composition written: 1734.
Running Time: 10 min. 49 sec.
Period Time: Baroque
Form: Opera/Operetta
Written: 1734

Handel, George Frideric : Alcina :: Mi lusinga il dolce affetto

Performers: Della Jones (Mezzo Soprano); Giovanni Carestini (Voice)
Conductor: Richard Hickox
Running Time: 8 min. 10 sec.
Period Time: Baroque
Form: Opera/Operetta
Written: 1735

Handel, George Frideric : Serse :: Crude furie

Performers: Cafarelli (Castrato); Joyce DiDonato (Mezzo Soprano)
Conductor: Christophe Rousset
Running Time: 3 min. 41 sec.
Period Time: Baroque
Written: 1738

Handel, George Frideric : Serse :: Frondi Tenere...Ombra mai fu

Performers: Cafarelli (Castrato); Anne von Otter (Mezzo Soprano)
Conductor: William Christie
Running Time: 4 min. 4 sec.
Period Time: Baroque
Written: 1738

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus : La Clemenza di Tito :: Deh, per questante istante solo

Performers: Domenico Bedini (Voice); Véronique Gens (Soprano)
Conductor: Ivor Bolton
Notes: Composition written: 1791.
Running Time: 5 min. 54 sec.
Period Time: Classical
Form: Opera/Operetta
Written: 1791

Vivaldi, Antonio : Giustino :: Vedrò con mio diletto

Performer: Giovanni Ossi (Voice)
Conductor: Jean-Christophe Spinosi
Ensemble: Ensemble Matheus
Running Time: 5 min. 11 sec.
Period Time: Baroque
Form: Opera/Operetta
Written: 1724

Handel, George Frideric : Admeto, re di Tessaglia :: Se l'arco avessi, e i strali

Performers: Antonio Baldi (Voice); James Bowman (Countertenor)
Conductor: Alan Curtis
Notes: Composition written: 1727.
Running Time: 6 min. 15 sec.
Period Time: Baroque
Form: Opera/Operetta
Written: 1727

Handel, George Frideric : Admeto, re di Tessaglia :: Quivi tra questi solitari orrori...Ah, sì, morrò

Performers: Senesino (Castrato); René Jacobs (Countertenor)
Conductor: Alan Curtis
Notes: Composition written: 1727.
Running Time: 8 min. 34 sec.
Period Time: Baroque
Form: Opera/Operetta
Written: 1727

Handel, George Frideric : Fernando, re di Castiglia :: In mille dolci modi

Performers: Senesino (Castrato); Lawrence Zazzo (Countertenor)
Conductor: Alan Curtis
Notes: Composition written: 1732.
Running Time: 5 min. 8 sec.
Period Time: Baroque
Form: Opera/Operetta
Written: 1732

Hasse, Johann Adolf : La clemenza di Tito :: Se mai senti

Performers: Giovanni Carestini (Voice); Philippe Jaroussky (Countertenor)
Conductor: Emmanuelle Haïm
Running Time: 7 min. 37 sec.
Period Time: Classical
Written: 17th Century

Handel, George Frideric : Faramondo :: Ritorna pur, ritorna...Voglio che sia l'indegno

Performers: Cafarelli (Castrato); Max Cencic (Countertenor)
Conductor: Diego Fasolis
Notes: Composition written: 1737.
Running Time: 8 min. 9 sec.
Period Time: Baroque
Form: Opera/Operetta
Written: 1737

Handel, George Frideric : Serse :: Frondi Tenere...Ombra mai fu

Performers: Cafarelli (Castrato); Gérard Lesne (Countertenor)
Running Time: 3 min. 19 sec.
Period Time: Baroque
Written: 1738

Gluck, Christoph Willibald : Orfeo ed Euridice :: Che faro senza Euridice

Performers: Gaetano Guadagni (Voice); David Daniels (Countertenor)
Conductor: Harry Bicket
Running Time: 3 min. 51 sec.
Period Time: Classical
Form: Opera/Operetta

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus : Mitridate, Re di Punto :: Venga pur, minacci e frema

Performers: David Daniels (Countertenor); Giuseppe Cicognani (Voice)
Conductor: Harry Bicket
Notes: Composition written: 1770.
Running Time: 6 min. 59 sec.
Period Time: Classical
Form: Opera/Operetta
Written: 1770

Bach, Johann Christian : Ebben, si vada & Io, ti lascio, transcription of recitative & aria for voice & orchestra (after Mort

Performers: Giusto Tenducci (Voice); Frédéric Rivoal (Fortepiano); Markus Deuter (Oboe); Philippe Jaroussky (Countertenor)
Conductor: Jérémie Rhorer
Running Time: 5 min. 52 sec.
Period Time: Classical
Written: 08/1778

Rossini, Gioachino : Aureliano in Palmira :: Dolci silvestri... Perché mai luci apprimo

Performers: Max Cencic (Countertenor); Giovanni Velluti (Voice)
Conductor: Michael Hoffstetter
Running Time: 6 min. 28 sec.
Period Time: Romantic
Form: Opera/Operetta
Written: 1813

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