Farinelli castrato biography
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Cecilia Bartoli explores the life of the celebrated Italian castrato Farinelli with new release
Celebrating over three decades on the Decca Classics label, mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli releases a brand new album commemorating the life and career of the most famous opera singer of the eighteenth century: the castrato Farinelli. Set for release on 29th November, the record includes arias by Farinelli’s older brother Riccardo Broschi, and his teacher and mentor Nicola Porpora. It also features a new recording of ‘Alto Giove’ from Porpora’s Polifemo, which celebrates Farinelli’s unique capacity to sing long musical phrases and extraordinary high notes. Cecilia performs with the period ensemble Il Giardino Armonico and its conductor Giovanni Antonini, with whom she first collaborated on her Grammy award-winning Vivaldialbum, and again on Sacrificium, her first castrati album from 2009 which also won the Grammy for Best Classical Vocal Performance.
Many arias included on this new release were written specifically for Farinelli, with the composers often developing ground-breaking works with the castrato in mind. In 1725, Hasse’s Marc’Antonio e Cleopatrapremiered outside Naples, with the role of Cleopatra written for Farinelli (nicknamed “il ragazzo” – the boy –
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Carlo Broschi
Known as Farinelli
(1705 - 1782)
Source: Movie archive from the Sony Pictures Classic website (http://www.spe.sony.com/classics/farinelli/about/ffarinelli.html).
Farinelli was the most famous singer of his century and he is arguably one of the greatest singers of all time. His reputation and fame has lasted despite the disappearance of castrato singers and the unique musical style dedicated to them known as "opera seria."
Farinelli enjoyed a quasi-mythical status, even in his own life-time. The main reason for this was his exceptional voice, although his androgynous beauty clearly contributed. Farinelli was a highly skilled performer, much praised for the beauty of his sound, the breadth of his range, the purity of his intonation and his breath control and agility. It has been recorded that the range of his voice covered more than three and a half octaves. Some accounts of his life state that he could produce 250 notes in a single breath and sustain a note for more than a minute.
"Farinelli," says Charles Burney, the leading music historian of the period, "could hold his notes for such a long time that those who heard him believed that it was impossible to do so naturally. They believed he hid a special instrument which maintained the sound of his voice
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Life of interpretation great Ordinal century singer
Contributor: James Sanderson
Born Jan. 24, 1705, Naples
Died July 15, 1782, Metropolis
Related editions available stage this site
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