Articles > Newspapers > International Newspapers, Major Markets > The Independent (London, England) articles > July 1995

Article: The pursuit of eternal youth

Article from:
The Independent (London, England)
Article date:
July 12, 1995
Author:
Copyright

The fluting, disembodied voice of the castrato enraptured opera- goers of the 18th century and somehow contrives to fascinate writers, film-makers and composers right down to the present day. Two novels about castrati have just been published (Julian Rathbone's louche Intimacy and Ross King's intricate Domino) and this autumn Tom Cruise look-alike Stefano Dionisi takes the title role of a famous castrato in the film Farinelli, promising to strike them all dead, just as the real Farinelli did in the 1740s, with a soundtrack that has already won five awards including a Golden Globe.

The practice of castrating young boys to preserve their voices became institutionalised in the Sistine Chapel ...

Read all of this article with a FREE trial

Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:

Article: MCA hits cultural high note with 'Castrati'
Chicago Sun-Times (IL);  March 20, 2009 ;     700+ words ... ... MONSTERS AND PRODIGIES: THE HISTORY OF THE CASTRATI' - 7:30 tonight and Saturday, 3 p ... 4010; www.mcachicago.org - - - The castrati, male opera singers in 18th century ... s Teatro de Ciertos Habitantes. The castrati's voices were lithe and pure in a way ...

Article: Castrati honored in opera star Bartoli's new album
AP Worldstream;  September 25, 2009 ;     700+ words ... ... they were the original showbiz victims. Castrati were young opera singers in past centuries ... recorded before, written specifically for castrati by composers including Handel and Nicola ... difficult pieces and made superstars out of castrati like the legendary Farinelli, who was ...

Article: Eunuchs and Castrati: A Cultural History.(Book Review)
Journal of World History;  June 1, 2003 ;     700+ words ... ... of historical figures. In Eunuchs and Castrati: A Cultural History, Scholz seeks to ... particular group of men, eunuchs and castrati, at the center of a primarily religious ... men called eunuchs from those termed castrati. Although the two terms are often equated ...

Article: Celestial sacrifice; Cecilia Bartoli's new album.(Cecilia Bartoli ...
The Economist (US);  October 24, 2009 ;     700+ words ... ... soprano that honours the art of the castrati LONG before singers became superstars ... biggest singing celebrities were the castrati: surgically snipped "man-boys" whose ... is trying to resurrect the art of the castrati with her new Decca album, "Sacrificium ...

Article: Opera's Prime Cut: 'Caesar' Sans Castrati; Handel ...
The Washington Post;  February 6, 2000 ;     700+ words ... ... roles, including the title role, for castrati, the celebrated 18th-century Italian ... cut out for the part." The casting of castrati didn't originate with Handel. The ... Opera performed it in 1997 with the three castrati roles sung by countertenors, men with ...

Article: Cecilia Bartoli, boldly casting herself in the castrati ...
The Washington Post;  October 25, 2009 ;     585 words ... ... album; and the theme of her latest is castrati, the gelded male singers who were the ... heft and high-soprano range that the castrati reportedly commanded. On balance, even ... remarkable, very much in the spirit of the castrati themselves. Perhaps I've aged into ...

Article: A CUT ABOVE THE REST; Neither fully man nor woman, they were ...
The Daily Mail (London, England);  December 31, 2005 ;     700+ words ... ... society. This was the phenomenon of the castrati, who were as celebrated in 18th-century ... Mayfair for 36 years, was so entranced by castrati singing that he rewrote part of The Messiah ... acclaimed in the heyday of the fashion. The castrati of Handel's time were immortalised ...

Article: Chant, castrati and chesting top C
The Irish Times;  June 27, 2009 ;     700+ words ... ... author then moves on to the early days of opera, in which castrati, not tenors, were given the main roles. Boys in pre-late ... around the end of the 19th century to end the practice of using castrati finally put a stop to the mutilation of young boys. There ...

 
 
Newsweek Harper's Magazine The Washington Post Chicago Tribune Crain's Chicago Business PRNewswire Pediatric News The Nation Advertising Age The Economist (US) A FREE trial gives you access to over 80 million articles! Access over 6,500 publications with a FREE trial!

Find articles, research, and archives