Notes and Editorial Reviews
CARESTINI—THE STORY OF A CASTRATO
•
Philippe Jaroussky (ct); Emmanuelle Haïm, cond; Le Concert d’Astrée
•
VIRGIN 95242 (72:06
Text and Translation)
Arias from:
PORPORA
Siface.
CAPELLI
I fratelli riconosciuti.
HANDEL
Arianna in Creta. Ariodante. Alcina.
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class="COMPOSER12">LEO
Farnace.
HASSE
La clemenza di Tito.
GLUCK
Demofoonte.
GRAUN
Orfeo
The current spate of vocal recitals focusing on singers of another era brings a new winner with French countertenor Philippe Jaroussky’s homage to Carestini. The name of Giovanni Carestini may not have the resonance today that it did almost 300 years ago, but he was up in the category of Farinelli or Senesino. Handel wrote two of his most exacting roles for him, Ruggiero in
Alcina
and the title role of
Ariodante
. Many anecdotes have come down, including Handel’s berating of him because he didn’t like Ruggiero’s “Verdi prati,” thinking it too unadorned. He was considered a technical marvel and also an effective actor.
The selections here range over a 50-year period, and Jaroussky’s programming never leaves us disappointed, with its fine contrasts. Whether in virtuosic flight or long-lined lament, the singer is communicative, clearly enjoying himself, while Emmanuelle Haïm and Le Concert d’Astrée (some of whose members also play in Le Cercle de l’Harmonie) offer brilliant support. Jaroussky’s “Scherza infida” (
Ariodante
) is taken at a singable tempo, not at the funereal pace adopted by Anne Sofie von Otter, however effective it is in the context of the complete performance. “Sta nell’Ircana” (
Alcina
) is properly martial, the singer dazzling us with his ornamentation. An aria from Gluck’s
Demofoonte
is slightly familiar, as Mozart later used the Metastasio text for one of his concert arias, but Gluck’s setting is strikingly individual. Hasse’s
Clemenza di Tito
is another Mozartean precursor, but the texts are different.
Frédéric Delaméa’s accompanying notes tell us not only about the music but also about Carestini himself, supplying us with the context that is so often neglected. And, of course, while we can only speculate as to the sound of the castrato voice, we can rejoice in the appearance of such virtuosic countertenors as Jaroussky or Max Emmanuel Cencic, who bring to life in such an engaging fashion the music of the 17th and 18th centuries.
FANFARE: Joel Kasow
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Works on This Recording
1.
Siface: Tu che d'ardir m'accendi by Nicolo Porpora
Performer:
Philippe Jaroussky (Countertenor)
Conductor:
Emmanuelle Haïm
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Le Concert D'Astrée
Period: Baroque
Written: by 1725; Italy
2.
I fratelli riconosciuti: Ciel nemico by Giovanni Maria Capelli
Performer:
Philippe Jaroussky (Countertenor)
Conductor:
Emmanuelle Haïm
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Le Concert D'Astrée
Period: Baroque
Written: circa 1716; Italy
3.
Arianna in Creta, HWV 32: Ove son, qual orrore?...Qui ti sfido, o mostro infame! by George Frideric Handel
Performer:
Philippe Jaroussky (Countertenor)
Conductor:
Emmanuelle Haïm
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Le Concert D'Astrée
Period: Baroque
Written: London, England
4.
Ariodante, HWV 33: Scherza infida, in grembo al drudo by George Frideric Handel
Performer:
Philippe Jaroussky (Countertenor)
Conductor:
Emmanuelle Haïm
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Le Concert D'Astrée
Period: Baroque
Written: 1734-1735; London, England
5.
Alcina, HWV 34: Sta nell' Ircana pietrosa tana by George Frideric Handel
Performer:
Philippe Jaroussky (Countertenor)
Conductor:
Emmanuelle Haïm
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Le Concert D'Astrée
Period: Baroque
Written: 1735; London, England
6.
Alcina, HWV 34: Mi lusinga il dolce affetto by George Frideric Handel
Performer:
Philippe Jaroussky (Countertenor)
Conductor:
Emmanuelle Haïm
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Le Concert D'Astrée
Period: Baroque
Written: 1735; London, England
7.
Farnace: Se mi dai morte by Leonardo Leo
Performer:
Philippe Jaroussky (Countertenor)
Conductor:
Emmanuelle Haïm
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Le Concert D'Astrée
Period: Baroque
Written: by 1736; Italy
8.
Tito Vespasiano: Se mai senti by Johann Adolf Hasse
Performer:
Philippe Jaroussky (Countertenor)
Conductor:
Emmanuelle Haïm
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Le Concert D'Astrée
Period: Baroque
Written: circa 1735; Italy
9.
Tito Vespasiano: Vo disperato a morte by Johann Adolf Hasse
Performer:
Philippe Jaroussky (Countertenor)
Conductor:
Emmanuelle Haïm
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Le Concert D'Astrée
Period: Baroque
Written: circa 1735; Italy
10.
Demofoonte: Sperai vicino il lido by Christoph W. Gluck
Performer:
Philippe Jaroussky (Countertenor)
Conductor:
Emmanuelle Haïm
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Le Concert D'Astrée
Period: Classical
Written: by 1743
11.
L'Orfeo: Mio bel nume by Carl Heinrich Graun
Performer:
Philippe Jaroussky (Countertenor)
Conductor:
Emmanuelle Haïm
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Le Concert D'Astrée
Period: Baroque
Written: by 1752; Germany
12.
L'Orfeo: In mirar la mia sventura by Carl Heinrich Graun
Performer:
Philippe Jaroussky (Countertenor)
Conductor:
Emmanuelle Haïm
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Le Concert D'Astrée
Period: Baroque
Written: by 1752; Germany
Sound Samples
Siface: Tu che d'ardire m'attendi - Erminio
I fratelli riconosciuti: Ciel nemico - Attalo
Arianna in Creta: Ove son... Qui ti sfido - Teseo
Ariodante: Scherza, infida - Ariodante
Farnace: Se mi dai morte - Farnace
La clemenza di Tito: Se mai senti - Sextus
La clemenza di Tito: Vo disperato - Sextus
Demofoonte: Sperai vicino il lido
Orfeo: In mirar la mia sventura
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