The return of the great virtuosity competition of the three countertenors Thursday January 30, 2025, 9:00 p.m. SALON D’HERCULE 45
Start and end dates and times (year – month – day – time):
Start: 2025-01-30T21:00:00 – 2025-01-30T22:30:00
Fin : 2025-01-30T21:00:00 – 2025-01-30T22:30:00
The return of the great virtuosity competition of the three countertenors.
In Baroque Europe, the castrati had an unusual place: that of the first “stars” in the history of music. Almost all Italian and trained in the conservatories of Naples, they dedicated themselves to opera careers or to the service of the most prestigious princely chapels, going as far as the Vatican and the Royal Chapel of Versailles, often combining both jobs.
In numerous lyrical or sacred oratorio productions, from Vienna to London, castrati systematically played the title role (in Rome all female roles) and several important roles, creating a real competition on the stage. It was then an escalation of virtuosity and emotion between the singers, of which the public became the arbiter, as much by its requests for encores as by the sumptuous gifts offered to the most adored. The opera was also regularly supplemented with “suitcase” tunes that the most sought-after castrati brought with them to shine.
With a trio as extraordinary as that formed by Samuel Mariño (Venezuela), Théo Imart (France), Rafał Tomkiewicz (Poland), the public is invited to a high-level competition: baroque to the highest point, the emulation between these primi uomi was the attraction of Italian operas, here to relive the most thrilling vocal dynamics, through the voices of three countertenors, for an evening to the glory of castrati.
Royal Opera Productions.
Programme
Airs de Vivaldi, Handel, Porpora…
SALON D'HERCULE PLACE D'ARMES 78000 Versailles Versailles 78000 Notre-Dame Yvelines Île-de-France
The return of the great virtuosity competition of the three countertenors
The return of the great virtuosity competition of the three countertenors SALON D’HERCULE Versailles
