I just discovered this and it is truly spectacular: This is the countertenor Fagioli singing the heavy role of Arsace in Semiramide. In the recording the voice sounds really big, but it is hard to tell from recordings. Has anyone heard him live and if so is it a medium or the really large sized voice it sounds on this recording. Both his high notes and his low notes are amazing.
never heard him live, but I'd say that this is the golden age of counter-tenors: Fagioli of course, but Jaroussky, Cencic, Mynenko - just to name a few - are marvelous singers!
My reaction to Fagioli was the same as yours. Hearing him is like traveling three hundred years back in time. I had the impulse to look between his legs to see if there was any...um...irregularity.
I still would rather go see David Daniels, who is almost as marvelous, because Fagioli is a chore to watch whereas David always fills my mind with amorous thoughts. Fagioli does really weird things with his mouth and is slightly spastic as times. I love listening to Fagioli in the car!!!!!!!!!!!! Vocally he is a miracle. Don't hate me.
Hold the rotten tomatoes as I feel I am the one at fault but I've tried and tried through the years and just can't warm to a counter tenor voice ... period!
Good gawd I hate the counter-tenor voice. Back in my day men sang like men! Get off my lawn!!
I was so excited to come in here & applaud SeattleOperaFan for giving a male voice a chance, until I realized it's just a man who sounds like a woman lol
I had the great good fortune to see Fagioli live very early on in his professional career, singing Giulio Cesare in Oslo. At that time I had no idea who he was, and took no particular note of his voice, preferring instead to immerse myself in the drama. But still today that is perhaps the greatest performance of any opera I've ever attended anywhere. And I've attended possibly a hundred or more. Fagioli no doubt was one of the principal contributors to that enjoyment, and I do have fond memories of his portrayal.
Since then he has come, quite justifiably, to greater and greater prominence. I normally don't buy recital CDs, but I have a few of his on my wishlist.
I'll have the opportunity to see him again next year, when he sings Nerone in Handel's Agrippina alongside Iestyn Davies.* Can't wait!
*Incidentally, I saw Iestyn Davies perform Oberon in the controversial but wonderful Christopher Alden production of Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream in London at the ENO in 2011. Unfortunately he had a throat infection and so his role was sung off-stage by a sub. So the upcoming Agrippina will be my first opportunity to hear Davies live.
I am also a fan of Franco Fagioli and I have the following recordings where Fagioli takes part in vocal cast:
- Leonardo Vinci. Catone in Utica. Riccardo Minasi / Il Pomo d'Oro.
- Agostino Steffani. Stabat Mater. Diego Fasolis / I Barocchisti.
- Leonardo Vinci. Artaserse. Diego Fasolis / Concerto Koln.
- Antonio Caldara. La concordia de' pianeti. Marcon / La Cetra.
- Pergolesi. Adriano in Siria. Adamus / Capella Cracoviensis.
- Porpora. Germanico in Germania. Adamus / Capella Cracoviensis.
Have you listened to Hasse. Re di Persia recording?
Petrou is one of my favourite conductors and I was thinking about getting this recording.
San Francisco Opera has just announced their 2019-20 season, and it includes a revival of Partenope. Franco Fagioli is singing Arsace.
The cast also includes Louise Alder, Daniela Mack, Jakub Józef Orliński, and Alek Shrader. Christopher Moulds is conducting; he makes his SFO debut in June 2019 with Orlando. The Christopher Alden production was performed here in 2014; Mack and Shrader were both in the cast for that run.
There are 5 performances in June 2020.
So while I have not yet seen Fagioli live... check back with me in 18 months.
Many contraltos and mezzos sound like countertenors on recordings, particularly if they eschew their vibrato.
I don't necessarily prefer contraltos or mezzos to countertenors in certain rolês, and it seems especially apt to have a male figure play a male rolê, however high the sound. While I had the privilege to see Marilyn Horne many times in trouser roles, and however suitable she was vocally, she was visually awkward as a "man," and her high-heeled boots made it hard for her to walk. And many contraltos and mezzos make it hard to suspend disbelief on stage, as their figures are very not very "male."
I've seen David Daniels, Iestyn Davies, and Jaroussky on stage, and all were visually satisfying and vocally ravishing. Max Emmanuel Cencic, whom I've only seen in videos and heard on recordings, is my favorite vocally - listen to his 'Rossini Opera Arias.' I've been following his progress since he was a Vienna Choir Boy and he made the transition from a star there, to a star everywhere.
Countertenors are the plat du jour, like it or not. I look forward to next year's 'Partenope,' when I'll have the pleasure to see Jakub Jozef Orlinsky on the San Francisco Opera stage. Oh, yeah, Fagioli, too.
I saw MEC singing (and performing) Nero in L'incoronazione di Poppea at the Staatsoper in Berlin a while back. While I think his voice is very good, I was impressed much more with his presence on stage, his professionalism, and his acting chops. He was perfect in the role (And also a very interesting production, btw) I hear he is directing now, also. I'd love to see one of his productions.
Incidentally, the Frank Beans Agrippina I mentioned in my previous post (to keep this thread on topic) was also quite ok. But I was less impressed with Fagioli this time than when I saw him back in 2008 in Giulio Cesare. Still very good, but not as large or bright as on CD. Iestyn Davies was in fine voice, but unfortunately not much of an actor.
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