Omschrijving
A study of castrati, including castration, the nature of the castrato voice, and the underlying conflicts in these singers adored by Mozart and Casanova alike.
It is hard to understand how 17th and 18th century Italy managed somehow to accept the idea of castration, even for musical reasons... Professor Barbier's book explains it in a way that makes the operatic conventions sound almost reasonable, giving us a full picture of the training, techniques and personalities of the castrati themselves.
Authoritative and entertaining.
Patrick Barbier's history of opera's most bizarre subplot is both scholarly and fun.
A vibrant and engrossing study.
Patrick Barbier is a Professor of Music at the West Catholic University in Angers. He has also written the highly acclaimed Vivaldi's Venice, published by Souvenir Press.