Search - George Frideric Handel, Camerata Anxanum, Angelo Manzotti :: Angelo Manzotti - Handel Arias for Castrato

Good high notes, little else

M. Tietjen | Syracuse, NY, USA | 10/21/2003

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Angelo Manzotti boasts in the liner notes of this disc that he has perfected a new way of "falsetto" singing that is superior to that of other countertenors. Apparently he can somehow sing with only part of his vocal chords which helps him to imitate a female sound, or something to that effect. This leads to a countertenor (excuse me, "sopranista") sound which can extend phenomenally high. This is all well and good. Unfortunately, besides high notes, this disc has little to recommend it. If you have any interest in authentic performance practice, you will not enjoy these performances. There is too much vibrato, the sound of the voice, although slightly different from other countertenors, still has the countertenor "hoot" that just sounds silly, the coloratura is just plain horrible, and little authentic ornamentation is used, which add up to the result that Manzotti sounds like the tired old spinto soprano tripping over delicate baroque music which was written for a lighter, purer, more agile voice a la Emma Kirkby or, if countertenors are your thing, Andreas Scholl. If, on the other hand, you are not interested in authentic early music performances and you like huge voices blundering through baroque arias, you will STILL not enjoy this album, because you can find plenty of large-voiced women who sing, or attempt anyway, this repertoire--Ewa Podles and Stephanie Blythe both released Handel albums and they both sound better than this, and I'm not a fan of either one's baroque stylings (although both of them sound lovely in more modern music). The bottom line here is that this CD is not good. It's hard to listen to. It's silly. It's pretentious. The coloratura is a train wreck. The only reasons I give this two stars instead of one is that (1) the high notes are impressive and (2) Manzotti doesn't sound as bad when singing quietly and slowly; Cara sposa is lovely until the fast section, where it quickly falls apart. If, as the liner notes proclaim, this is Italy's first foray into authentic performances of early music, I suggest that Italy cut its losses and have another go at it with someone else."