Franco Fagioli - Last Castrato Arias For Velluti - Import CD

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Franco Fagioli

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Contents Paolo Bonfiqui(1769-1840): 1. Qual mi circonda e agghiaccia ... Dolenti e care immagini ... Vedrai quest'anima Scena and Cavatina: "I am wrapped up, I tremble: a painful but lovely face you will see, my soul" (from the opera "Attila" [1814]) Giuseppe Nicolini(1762-1842): 2. Ma i figli miei... Vederla dolente recitative and aria "But my children - to see her suffering" (from the opera "Bardino di Spoleto" [1816]) 3. aria "Ah se mi lasci o cara" (from the opera "Barduino, Duke of Spoleto" [1816])O my love" (from the opera "Traiano of Dacia" [Trajan of Dacia] [1807]) 4. Ecco, o numi, compiuto ... Ah quando cessera ... Lo sdegno io non pavento Scena and Rondo "Now, gods, now it is done - oh, when will it stop - I am not afraid,How fierce is his anger" (from the opera "Carlo Charlemagne" [1813]) Saverio Mercadante(1795-1870): 5. Dove m'aggiro cavatina "Where am I wandering now? 6. di grida insolite, dai siena "eerie moaning" (opera)From "Andronico") Francesco Morlacchi(1784-1841): 7. Notte tremenda ... Caro suono lusinghier Schena and Romanza: "It is a dreadful night - this sound is pleasant to the ear" (from the opera "Tebaldo and Isolina" [1822]) Gioachino Rossini(1792-1868) 8. al conforto inaspettato Cavatina, "In unexpected solace" (from the cantata "True Respect") Performers Franco Fagioli (Countertenor) Royal Opera House of Versailles Chorus Royal Opera House of Versailles Orchestra (using ancient instruments) Stéphane Prevnjak (conductor) Recorded at the Royal Opera House, Palace of Versailles, July 4-12, 2024 Duration: 65 min. This new solo album by Franco Fagioli, a countertenor singer with a passionate following in Japan and around the world, is an ambitious program featuring the best works of Velluti, a castrato singer active in the early Romantic period.Castrato, who was castrated before his voice changed and retained his strong, brilliant high range voice into adulthood, was most active on the operatic stage in the 18th century, and although he gradually became less sought after in the theater due to changing social norms and musical tastes, many people were still familiar with his golden age in the early 19th century and wrote arias for castrato roles. Many composers wrote arias for castrato roles in the early 19th century. One of the great singers who responded to this last demand was Giambattista Verruti (1780-1861), a contemporary of Paganini and the protagonist of this recording. He sang works by later great composers such as Mercadante, Pacini, and Maiavere, but his best period was from the 1810s to the 1820s, when Rossini was at his peak, and this disc includes masterpieces by composers such as Nicolini, Morlacchi, and Bonfiqui of Beethoven's generation, all of whom caused great excitement in Italy during that period. Fagioli's singing is brilliant in these compositions, which are more grandiose than the 18th century works, and are clearly reminiscent of the fervor that the castrato tradition displayed at the end.The orchestra of Versailles, led by Prevnjak, who has a solid track record in interpreting 18th century dramatic music, is also highly motivated and will bring the raw 19th century music back to life in the 21st century with solid support. (Naxos Japan)