Il castrato del granduca - Arias for Gaetano Berenstadt
10/20/2023, 16 Tracks, 1:08:46
Featuring
Samuele Lastrucci
Filippo Mineccia
I Musici del Gran Principe
George Frideric Handel
Attilio Ariosti
Antonio Lotti
Francesco Gasparini
Giovanni Maria Capelli
Giovanni Battista Bononcini
Johann Adolph Hasse
Leonardo Vinci
Domenico Natale Sarro
Giovanni Antonio Giay
Did you know?
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Composer Biography
The Medici family, patrons of artists and musicians, supported Berenstadt's international career, with the last Grand Duke, Cosimo III, encouraging him to seek opportunities in Germany.
Historical Context
Berenstadt's parents decided to castrate him at a young age due to his aptitude for music and promising voice.
Composition History
George Frideric Handel, Francesco Gasparini, Attilio Ariosti, Giovanni Bononcini, Leonardo Vinci, Johann Adolf Hasse, and Domenico Sarro all composed arias for Berenstadt.
Composer Biography
Despite his success, Berenstadt was considered a 'second-rate castrato' compared to more famous colleagues like Farinelli or Senesino, partly due to his 'huge unwieldy figure'.
Compositional Technique
Berenstadt's large stature made him unsuitable for female roles, so he typically sang roles of fathers, counselors, and villains, often portraying intriguing, lascivious, and perverse characters.
Recording & Production
The album's curator, Filippo Mineccia, chose to include arias from lesser-known operas by various composers to provide a broader overview of Berenstadt's repertoire, rather than focusing solely on Handel's most famous works.
Composer Biography
Gaetano Berenstadt, the castrato featured on this album, was born in Florence in 1687 to German parents, his father working as a timpanist for the Grand Duke of Tuscany.
