The World of Castrati : The Voice of Angels

Two CDs, one featuring thirteen of the most respected sopranos and altos engaged in performance of 17th and 18th C opera, and the other featuring ... seven of the most respected sopranos and altos singing the same repertoire. What's the difference? The singers on the first CD are all women, while on the second CD they are all men. I hesitate to use the term counter-tenor these days, as a euphemism for 'falsettist,' because the voices you'll hear on the second CD are more developed than mere falsetto. Gerard Lesne, who sings the aria 'Ombra mai fu' from Handel's Serse, calls himself an 'haute-contre' but, as you'll hear, he is really what 16th/17th C musicians called a 'padauner,' a naturally high tenor who could sing into his 'head' voice without an audible break. Anne Sofie von Otter sings that same famous aria, Ombra mai fu, on CD 1. Yes, I do have a decided preference, but I'm not about to declare it.The 'distaff' singers are von Otter, Natalie Dessay, Kate Royal, Sonia Prina, Stephanie Blythe, Laura Polverelli, Vivica Genoux, Elina Garanca, Patrizia Ciofi, Joyce di Donato, Della Jones, and Veronique Gens. The 'staff' corps includes Lesne, Philippe Jaroussky, James Bowman, Rene Jacobs, Lawrence Zazzo, Max Emanuel Cencic, and David Daniels. Yes, I am more impressed by some than by others, but I'll leave YOU to make your own choices. That's the first great value of this sampler, to give you a chance to pick whom you like and follow up. There are some major omissions from both camps -- Michael Chance and Andreas Scholl from the Staffs, Sara Mingardo and Simone Kermes from the Distaffs, for examples -- presumably for 'contract' rather than aesthetic reasons.The composers: Monteverdi, Caldara, Vivaldi, hasse, Handel, Gluck, Mozart, Rossini, and Johann Christian Bach, whose aria 'Ebben si vada' sung by Jaroussky may be the 'dark horse' delight of the sampler. And here's the second value of the selection, to give YOU a chance to discover ...... and to compare the artistry of the male and female singers, as you will inevitably do. There are no shabby performances on these two CDs, even acknowledging that they date far apart, from 1978 to 2008. [That's the one criticism I'd offer of this package; the performance dates are not specified.]The 'unifying concept' of this CD combo is that all the arias recorded here are known to have been written specifically for the celebrated virtuoso castrati of the era --Senesino, Carestini, Cafarelli, Farinelli, and others -- and for most of the arias, the original singer's name is included. Me, I'm not so intrigued by the unrecoverable voices of the castrati. The current public 'fascination' with them seems slightly salacious to me, as it probably was to audiences in 18th C London or Naples. I have no doubt that many of them were superb singers, but I truly doubt that they were immeasurably superior, possibly not even measurably superior, to the women and men you'll hear on these two CDs. It's a moot question, obviously, so please don't berate me in comments below.Frankly, stringing 25 baroque/classical arias in performance one after another doesn't serve them so well in terms of musical values. Any and all of them are better heard in the context of the operas they're taken from. That's not the point. This is inherently a sampler, even for a listener like me who knows all the singers and most of the operas already.

The music was not what I'd expected and consequently I was disappointed with the "angel voices." Perhaps the voices will grow on me and will become more angelic. I will give it some time. However, if I had it to do over I would not have spent the money and ordered the CD.

This is a wonderful chance to listen to the various high voices recording today. All the voices have their good points, and some their lacks. All the women are very, very good, but the higher range of many sopranos tends to turn into a timbre-less harsh screech. The sopranos are better at the trills and ornamentation characteristic of the Baroque. The countertenors show a wide range of types. Philippe Jaroussky has the highest, clearest countertenor voice I have heard, and his ornamentation is astonishing. Unfortunately his voice is so weak as to be almost inaudible and gets lost in the instrumentation. There appears to be a trade-off with countertenors: very high, but weak and short of breath on long notes or somewhat lower voice with a richer sound and good long sustained notes. Breath control is the greatest failing for most. I have been listening to David Daniels for 20 years and never yet met his match in rich resonant sound even in high notes and the amazing ability to change from countertenor to tenor with no perceptible change in quality.

I like the male half of this two CD set better than the female, though not by much. I recommend it.

This is one of the best compilations a have herd recent;y. Very refreshing and every track is excellent. I tried 2 different cd/dvd disc sets versions and the DVD I tried can only be played in my computer but not on my DVD player. The CD's play fine. Anyone else with this problem?

2 CD's and an excellent DVD. Good choice of the countertenors and the curiosity of hearing female singers in castrati roles - it's easier for them in the pitch, but there is somehow more feeling. A very good buy !Bijan Aalam

This set was purchased from Amazon at a fair price. Wonderful singing from many singers. The music too is great but generally of somewhat obscure operas. Yet no text is supplied. Criminal!Bill Maher

Unfortunately, the 'bonus" DVD does not work on my DVD player,

I am a great fan of this sung baroque music. I simply love it.