Search - George Frideric Handel, Nicolo Porpora, Johann Adolf Hasse :: Philippe Jaroussky - Carestini (The Story of a Castrato)

The Story of Perfection

Akimon Azuki | 12/31/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For me, this is, hands down, best classical album of 2007. Not just because Jaroussky's voice has achieved a sort of perfection, doing whatever it is asked of it without any hint of effort and with great innate artistry; he has wonderful, very natural coloratura, incredible dynamic control, beautiful tone and sweet high notes that put other countertenors, Scholl included, and even many haute-contre tenors to shame. In the second track, Ciel Nemico, he does a sequence of interval leaps that sound out of this world; and that is just the second track! Right afterwards, he sings the living daylights out of Scherza Infida, which has been sung by many great singers before him, notably Lorraine Hunt, and yet he puts his stamp on it - and how. That is not to say that the prevailing tone on this album is high drama, quite the opposite. The material is mostly wonderful Baroque fluff, created for the great castrato Carestini, and of course it is chockful of showy vocal tricks and juicy ornamentations. Hearing it made me grin like mad right from the start, and it gets better and better upon repeats.

I need to mention few other things: the orchestra conducted with great gusto by Emmanuel Haim, the marvelous recorded sound, and really good CD booklet with liner notes on Carestini, great illustrations, and access to Open Disc content: a video of the recording sessions, and Jaroussky's musings on the life and art of Carestini. I love the cover, too; it's about time a countertenor had embraced the castrato showmanship. This album is, shall a say, le package total: great thematic concept, great music, played and sung to perfection, and with a sense of urgency, energy and plain fun."

Nothing Short of Spectacular

Michael A. Murray | 02/10/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"We live in a great musical age with the abundance of historically informed male sopranos who possess both beautiful voices and stylistic intelligence. Arguing for just who is the best male soprano today would be like arguing over Milanov, Tebaldi or Callas a half century ago. Jaroussky, by any standard, has got to be among the finest of today's team of male sopranos. I had the good fortune of hearing him for the first time in London last May and, as a result of leaving the Purcell Room walking on air, I have begun to collect Jarousksy's recordings.



What I enjoyed about this particular recording is the singer's phenomenal vocal accuracy, the beauty of his sound (lighter than David Daniels, not as other-worldly as Andreas Scholl) and the extraordinary imagination of Jaroussky's ornamentation. The purchase price is more than justified on the merits of one track alone. Handel's great aria "Scherza infida!" from the opera Ariodante receives a performance that is breath-takingly beautiful. Recordings of this aria have major competition as far-ranging as those of Janet Baker, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, David Daniels, Ian Bostridge, and many more. What distinguishes Jaroussky's version is the singer's ornamentation. It is much freer and more extensive than competing versions. Let's face it, who would want to be without any of the recordings of "Scherza infida!" listed above? But missing Jaroussky's version is to deny yourself of a very enormous musical pleasure.



I would unhesitatingly recommend this and any Jaroussky recordings to anyone who loves Baroque music, great singing or just the fun of jaw-dropping virtuosity."

If Angels had voices, this would be it

Chris Protopapas | New York | 12/05/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There's something unearthly about Philippe Jarousky's voice. It's almost too perfect, compared to a meatier, fuller countertenor voice, like David Daniels. The art of the countertenor is still young enough to acommodate widely different sound qualities, unlike much of the rest of classical singing, where a certain homogenized sound is more prevalent (with certain exceptions, it is true).



This is a wonderful recital, combining the familiar (Handel) with works by some of his fine contemporaries such as Porpora and Hasse. Jaroussky's interpretation of "Scherza Infida" from Handel's Ariodante is particularly interesting, in that he varies the repeat of the A section of the aria not just by ornamenting it, but varying the melodic line in some very creative ways. A wonderful voice and good musicianship to boot. What's not to like?"