Helden-counter-tenor

**mercia** · 15-11-12, 14:19

totally out of my depth on this subject, but the vocal range of a castrato would have been much greater than that of a modern countertenor, is that correct ?
I don't know anything about Mr Fagioli, has he developed his voice specifically for these wide-ranging roles ?

**doversoul1** · 15-11-12, 14:53

Here are a few more video clips but these are not for the faint hearted.

Artaserse

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYdzQWbiblzmFOJcTW9pdwt9RQCB9KBff

Arias from Act 1 and 2 plus interviews with Philippe Jaroussky (Artaserse) and Max Emanuel Cencic (Mandane)

It seems to be a stage within a stage. I suppose it may look like an overblown pantomime otherwise.

Mercia
Here’s what our friend Wiki tells us about the countertenor.

Countertenor - Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countertenor#See_also

The difference between castrati and countertenors is, as far as I know,not so much the range but the power of the voice (though the range as well ). A castrato was pumping the air, so to speak, from a lung of a fully grown man through a boy’s vocal cord. And apparently, the growth that would have spread through the body concentrated on their lung (or something to the effect), so they had extra large lungs*. Countertenors are producing their voice as falsetto (I think ‘head voice’ is the preferred term these days) with normal size lung. I think we, especially in the UK, still tend to associate the countertenor with choir/church music but operatic countertenors do have very wide-ranging voices.

Having said all this, I still thing this performance of Fagioli is one of those performance that everybody talks about. It’s stupendous.

[ed] *this may well be a myth. Someone like ardcarp can give us more informed explanation.

**ardcarp** · 15-11-12, 17:27

Blimey dovers. I've just got round to hearing the original Fagioli clip. Nothing if not spectacular. I'd quite like to see him do Katisha in Mikado...but I suspect that isn't likely.

**Miles Coverdale** · 15-11-12, 19:07

Originally posted by doversoul View Post

The difference between castrati and countertenors is, as far as I know,not so much the range but the power of the voice (though the range as well ). A castrato was pumping the air, so to speak, from a lung of a fully grown man through a boy’s vocal cord. And apparently, the growth that would have spread through the body concentrated on their lung (or something to the effect), so they had extra large lungs.

One of side-effects of the lack of testosterone in the body is that castrati were often unusually tall, with a disproportionately large thorax, so that their lungs were much larger than usual. Caricatures of them often drew attention to their unusual body shape. See, for example, this picture of the famous Senesino: http://www.les-ambassadeurs.com/en/p...esino-haendel/

I have read that the best castrati could sustain a phrase for up to two minutes.

**ardcarp** · 15-11-12, 19:27

I have read that the best castrati could sustain a phrase for up to two minutes.

I'm trying desperately hard not to lower the tone by making a lewd comment....

**jean** · 03-03-13, 08:51

I have just had my attention drawn to Klaus Nomi who I had never heard - or even heard of - before:

klaus nomi / death

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiMavQgfCX8&feature=share&list=PLBA4D658E252D591B

Klaus Nomi / Death（Dido and Aeneas）

**doversoul1** · 03-03-13, 10:21

Originally posted by jean View Post

I have just had my attention drawn to Klaus Nomi who I had never heard - or even heard of - before:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiMav...4D658E252D591B

I haven’t either (heard of him) but maybe because he was more a performing artist in popular music/culture that a singer in classical music. Here’s what wiki says:

Nomi was known for his bizarrely visionary theatrical live performances, heavy make-up, unusual costumes, and a highly stylized signature hairdo which flaunted a receding hairline. His songs were equally unusual, ranging from synthesizer-laden interpretations of classical music opera to covers of 1960s pop standards like Chubby Checker's "The Twist" and Lou Christie's "Lightnin' Strikes". He is remembered in the US as one of David Bowie's backup singers for a 1979 performance on Saturday Night Live

Klaus Nomi - Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaus_Nomi

Incidentally, here is a new CD by one of the Artaserse Five.
Hasse: Didone Abbandonata (four stars).

Hasse: Didone Abbandonata – review

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2013/feb/20/hasse-didone-abbandonata-review

Hasse's reputation-making opere serie have rarely been recorded - but this take on Dido and Aeneas has some very fine moments, writes Andrew Clements