Customer Reviews

Moreschi - The Last Castrato

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There will never be anything quite like this cd again. And thank God for that! Castration was a hideous dark spot on the history of classical music. Still, anyone interested in the human voice should own this cd. Many listeners have pointed out the technical flaws in the performance and Prof. Moreschi's voice. I would like to suggest that they are missing the point. No, he was not a great singer but he was the last of his kind. This one disc is all that is left of a tradition, a vocal type, a way of life and a group of people. As such, its value is beyond belief. Whenever I hold it in my hands I think with awe "This is all we have." The sound of the voice is unlike anything you've ever heard. If you are an aficionado of baroque opera like me you've probably heard countertenors, women playing castratos and the simulated castrato voice in the film "Farinelli". All are worth hearing but none truly capture the un-earthly sound of even a so-so castrato.
And actually, Moreschi isn't really all that bad. The strange thing is that, for a kind of singer whose prime was the baroque era, Moreschi is an arch romantic! He truly comes alive in the Tosti songs (in "Ideale" we even get to hear something like a knockout castrato performance of old), Rossini's "Crucifixus" and the Bach-Gounod "Ave Maria". At least we can tell he was an involved singer. When he sings he means it. And the sound in the lower ranges is rather nice and as fully Italian as Caruso!
On repeated listenings, I have developed a liking for Moreschi as a person. It could not have been easy for him but he sounds like someone who was determined to do his best despite his limited talents and that is as admirable as it gets.
A word about the music on this disc. Much of it is sacharine pseudo-church mucic. I cannot say it is great but it does have sentimental charm and is performed with touching conviction by the Vatican musicians and the indomitable Prof. Moreschi (who conducts some of it). And this music is worth preserving in some way. Aside from its greater purpose, this disc fills a small gap in the history of church music. Aside from the songs, we also get some Mozart, Rossini, Palestrina, Vittoria and Gregorian chant. The choral pieces are especially valuable since they give us a glimplse of what a castrato was supposed to sound like contrasted with other voices.
In historical terms, I refer readers to the critic who pointed out the insight this disc gives us into the somewhat sad but fascinating world of the Vatican at that time. The sound is shockingly good; my hat goes off to the Opal remastering team. Wonderful liner notes as well although I would have liked to have seen the photograph of Moreschi accompanied by Fred Gaisberg. If all this was not enough, we even get to hear the voice of the castrato-friendly Pope Leo XIII reading the "Ave Maria"!
If you love classical music or the human voice or both, you should own this disc. In pure musical terms it gets three stars. In musical-historical, emotional and spiritual terms, the disc is simply priceless.

Just because the album says, "the last castrato," one should not expect the likes of Senesino, Cusanino, or Farinelli. This recording was made in 1903, far past the dusk of the castrati singers, and it was made by a man past his musical prime, if he in fact ever had one in the first place. By the time Alessandro Moreschi was castrated in the later 1850s, the Age of Enlightenment, Napoleon, and Revolutions had come and gone, taking Baroque aesthetic notions along with the dusts of time. Of course, it is unfair to rate one's musical abilities based on a recording made in the later stages of life, however it is obvious that Moreschi was not a particularly great musician or singer, and it is important to note that by the time he began studying there was no one capable of training castrati anymore.

This does not necessarily imply that this CD is bad. In fact, it is a very enjoyable as well as historically important and interesting recording. However, one should note a number of things. First of all, the recording quality is poor by today's standards, considering that all the tracks were originally recorded on a foil or paper cylinder (the Edison system), and the singers and/or instrumentalists had to crowd around an amplifying horn. Recording equipment was not necessarily by professionals. Also, it was not until the middle part of this century, beginning with the efforts of the great Gerald Moore, that piano accompaniment had become an art unto itself. The anonymous pianist on this recording does not do particular justice to the singers or the pieces. Thirdly, some of the stylistic aspects of these recordings may be somewhat shocking to the modern-day listener. Traditional bel canto singing contains a large number of "portamenti" (accacciaturas under each note) and swells in voice in tone that are a bit jarring by today's aesthetic notions. Given his age and lack of extensive training, Moreschi executes these nuances rather interestingly, to say the least. Another example is the intonation of the bass voice in the recording of "La Cruda Mia Nemica" by Giovanni da Palestrina. Lastly, just because the choir is the Pope's own from the Sistine Chapel does not imply that it is a great choir. Mired in exhausted and trite training techniques and notions of antiquity, the Sistine Choir, made up solely of men and boys, was not a particularly polished group for its time, and it is evident on this recording. In fact, the Sistine Choir is not even that wonderful today.

The fascinating thing about this recording is that it provides one with a glimpse into the closed and anti-modern world of the early 20th century Vatican, at that time an institution out of touch with progressive trends in the world. This was the home to the last of these self-tortured, melancholy creatures, who were not man nor woman, the castrati. Astounding.

Even upon listening to the first piece of this Cd, I felt as though I was beholding something truly remarkable. This is a piece of musical heritage from a time we cannot possibly understand. You almost feel haunted by the ghosts of music long-forgotten

If you are a fan of Opera or history or music or any of these things then you simply must hear this disc. These are recordings of extreme rarity which are made available and, perhaps more importantly, audible, through the dedication of the producers and the miracle of modern technology at the Yale noise reduction lab. Professor Moreschi's voice is something that will never be heard again, and is the only example of what a Castrato sounded like, and that sound is amazing. It is at the same time beautiful, ethereal, and a little bit disturbing. In the event of a fire I will grab my wallet, my autographed Renee Fleming picture and this disc; everything else can burn.

I bought this recording after reading Anne Rice's A CRY TO HEAVEN. Also, I am a professional musician and voice teacher. I had read about and heard about il castrati for years and jumped at the chance to hear one. I now use this recording in all my music classes and Renaissance history classes at the school where I teach. This is the only opportunity we will ever have to hear a sound that was once part of the larger musical culture, especially in Italy. My students often tell me that having once heard this sound, it will never be forgotten. It will haunt you forever! The utter purity of the boy soprano with the power and range of a man. Any serious student of history must experience this disc.

Why do so many people miss the point with Alessandro Moreschi. Some of the 'facts' peddled about him are indeed true: he was the last castrato to die, although in 1898 there were still 7 at the Sistine Chapel, and one remained in the choir after he himself had retired. He was slightly past his best, certainly as earlier reports (and indeed the title 'The Angel of Rome') would suggest. The problem is actually largely one of taste. If you listen to Nellie Melba there are aspects of her singing which are displeasing. Portamento abounds, as here. Also higher frequencies did not record well. Listen to the violin sound here in the Bach/Gounod Ave Maria and hear the distortion.

The best and most balanced criticism on Moreschi in general and these recordings in particular can be fund in Nicholas Clapton's book 'Moreschi: the last castrato'. The points he makes are fully supportive of what I have felt for a long time. Here was actually a very fine singer. He was no opera singer because members of the Sistine Chapel Choir were not allowed to be, and fashion had changed in any case. But even 10 years after the last of these recordings, when he was certainly well past his prime, a professor of singing who heard him singing live said:

"Moreschi's voice can only be likened to the clarity and purity of crystal. The absolute evenness and timbral unity of his sound...awoke in me a compelling impression of the most beautiful wind instrument ever given life by human breath..."

I believe we have to judge his singing by the standard of his time, as he could only ever have been expected to sing in this style.

I also believe that there are some staggeringly beautiful moments in these recordings. Ideale is profoundly moving, as evidenced by the spontaneous applause at the end of the performance. The Bach/Gounod has some stunning moments, and all through the recording the brilliance of his high notes still shines through, despite the recording quality.

To sum up, a truly critical listener will recognise the genuine quality present here. If you want easy listening, however, this is not for you!

I've wanted to hear this record since I saw the movie "Farinelli". The moment I heard Professor Moreschi's voice it broke my heart. It brought tears to my eyes. Oddly enough I kept thinking of the Olympic Creed written by the Modern Olympic movement's founder Baron De Coubertin:

"The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well."

Thank you Professor for walking into that long ago early 'stadium' ready to do battle and recording this treasure for our 21st Century ears. How tragic for music history buffs (even this amateur buff) if we did not have your efforts on record. You were not a champion singer but you had a champion's heart. And to think you sang not at your prime but with your final strength. You showed as much love for singing, as much heart, and soul as a Caruso, a Callas, or a Pavarotti.
You made the effort. You did honor to yourself. You do honor to us all. And I thank you.

Although the recording was made when Moreschi was very old and past his prime and the recording methods archaic. Couple this with the fact that the choir and musicians of the Vatican at that time were not the best that money could buy.

This is a fascinating chance to hear a true Castrato. The practice had been banned by the church for many years before the basics of recorded sound were in place. We are lucky that these recording still exist. Moreschi was the last of his kind. Luckily this barbaric practice went the way of other such, once socially acceptable, mutilations, like foot binding in China.

As I stated earlier, Moreschi was of advanced age and the recording quality was / is very poor. Despite a stellar job by the producers to filter out the hiss factor.

A MUST HAVE FOR ANY TRUE MUSIC COLLECTION.

Historical significance is immeasurable.

THIS RECORDING HAS SOME HISTORICAL VALUE, BUT THAT'S ABOUT IT!

Professor Alessandro Moreschi (1858-1922),made in 1902-3 about 10 recordings all devoted to 19th century religious music. For us today the great question is: how far do Moreschi's records allow us to form any notion of the characteristics of castrato singing in the great periods? To that question there can be no certain answer, but I think that the resemblance must be slight!

To begin with Moreschi's technique, far from being impeccable, often sounds shaky; in some passages he fumbles for his notes and wavers almost comically as Florence Foster Jenkins herself. These vocal shortcomings can hardly be ascribed to the singer's advanced age, for in his mid-forties he ought to have been not far past him prime. Ancient though the records are, they are reasonably well-recorded and probably give a fairly accurate impression of Moreschi's tone quality, if not his volume. The voice, unquestionably a soprano, resembles that of neither boy or woman, being stronger than the one and less sauve than the other. And I am totally sure that he is a long way from Farinelli. He is surprising, but never exquisite.

The most painful for me to listen to were:'Ave Verum' Mozart- 'Crucifixus' from 'Petite Messe Solenelle' Rossini-and 'Ave Maria' Schubert. My problem with this disc is no doubt the fact that I would not want anyone to think that Moreschi's voice even in his prime was in any way equal to the great castrati singers of the 17th century!

As a long-time lover of classical music but an amateur in opera I got interested into the opera voices and the castrato voices especially since I read a book about the castratos (Anne Rice: Cry to Heaven).
I was at first slightly shocked about the CD. Spoiled by our standards today I had to get used to the voices and especially to the low quality of the recordings (1902-04). The more I was listening the better I liked it. I started to understand that this long ago poeple were feeling different and therefore singing different. So many more emotions and so much suffering, you can hear it in the music if you can open up to it and, ignore the bad technical part of it.
I don't regret buying this rare recording since it gave me more than just music.
Thanks for saving these recordings and thanks to Amazon for making it possible to buy them.