The World of the Castrati: The History of an Extraordinary Operatic Phenomenon

Rating:
Summary: Opinioni
Review: I thought the book did very well in revealing the great yet mysterious past of some of operas greatest exponents, the castrati. Through their eventful history vocal technique was able to reach past its highest peaks, and audiences were able to be thrown, into raptures of ecstatic bliss, by listening to the angelic voices in all their skill.... and unassailable perfection of the greatest singers our world has known through the music of some of the greatest composers. However petty some may make themselves in attacking the style of the author or some phrase he was supposedly ridiculous to have uttered in the book, Patrick Barbier indeed accomplished much in revealing to us in wonderful detail the history of music's glorious past. I also wish to thank him for all that he has given me through the publishing of this great book.

Rating:
Summary: Eviva
Review: No serious discussion of opera would be complete without mentioning the castrati; the period which gave rise to the castrati, their lives and work, and their legacy as it affects us today. In Barbier's book the reader is given an extraordinarily well researched, informative and entertaining look at the castrato phenomenon from it's earliest beginnings, through the so called "golden age", and right on into the twentieth century. While presenting a tremendous amount of information the book is never boring or pedantic but rather gives a unique insight into a subject that many, even the most learned opera cognoscenti, would not want to discuss.

Along with the lives of the greatest operatic castrati (Farinelli, Senesino et al.) Barbier gives details of almost every castrato of any significance in the history of opera. He also provides an informative description of the physical caharacteristics of eunuchs along with the social, religious, and political conditions that ushered in and provided for the existence of the castrati.

Any person who wishes to learn more about the castrati, their role in the development of opera, or simply to expand his or her knowledge of opera history should read this book.