Giovanni Carestini

Carestini (around 1740)

Giovanni Carestini (born 13. December 1700 in Monte Filottrano in Ancona , Papal States ; died 1760 ) was an Italian opera singer , and neuter ( soprano , later Old ), in stage works by George Frideric Handel , Johann Adolph Hasse and Christoph Willibald Gluck occurred.

Life

According to Frédéric Delaméa, Giovanni Maria Bernadino Carestini was born on December 13, 1700 in Monte Filottrano, today Filottrano near Ancona. Other sources only mention 1705 as the year of birth. Carestini's career began in 1719, supported by Cardinal Agostino Cusani (1655–1730) in Milan. That is why he was nicknamed Il Cusanino . He made his public debut in the Carnival of 1720 on the stage of the Teatro Regio Ducal . In 1721 he sang for Alessandro Scarlatti in Rome . Engagements followed in 1723 at the Viennese court in the imperial chapel, 1724 in Venice , 1726 in Parma and 1728 in Naples in operas by Hasse, Vinci and Porpora, among others . Via Piacenza 1730, Alessandria 1730, Munich 1731, Venice and Milan, he came to London in 1733 , where he sang for Handel on the stage of the Haymarkt. Carestini replaced the castrato Senesino for Handel, who had fallen out with Handel and switched to the rival company in Covent Garden .

For Handel, Carestini sang the leading roles in Arianna in Creta , Ariodante , and Alcina . He also appeared in the oratorios Deborah , Esther , and Athalia . As in Naples in 1735, he received a higher fee than his competitor Caffarelli . With the London season of 1740 unlucky, Carestini returned to Italy in the early 1740s. In Milan he appeared in Gluck's Demofoonte in 1743 . In 1744 he was engaged at the Viennese court. From 1747 to 1749 he sang for Hasse in Dresden . Then he moved from Venice in 1749 to Berlin in 1750. St. Petersburg followed from 1754 to 1756. The performance of Carestinis in Naples in 1758 fell through. Carestini's voice was worn out and out of fashion. Carestini turned away from the stage pathetically and returned to his birthplace, where he died two years later.

Voice and reputation

The range of Carestini's voice changed over the course of his career. According to Charles Burney , he initially had a "strong and complete soprano voice" which later "turned into one of the most beautiful, strongest and deepest contraltos". Carestini was highly regarded by the critics of his time. Hasse noted that "whoever has not heard Carestini has not come into contact with the perfect singing style". Johann Adam Hiller described Carestini as follows: “He had a great skill in passages which, according to the good school of Bernachi , like Farinello , he thrust with his chest. He undertook much in arbitrary changes, mostly with good success, but sometimes to the point of debauchery. His action was very good and, like his singing, fiery. "

Hogarth: Morning lever (detail, around 1734)

The English painter, engraver and caricaturist William Hogarth included the singer Carisini in one of his caricatures of English social life in 1734. Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, in turn, interpreted the picture in his detailed explanation of the Hogarthic copperplate engravings in 1798 and was not particularly friendly with Caresini.

Recordings

• Philippe Jaroussky : The Story of a Castrato - Carestini. Le concert d´Astrée, Emmanuelle Haïm , Virgin Classics 2007
• Vesselina Kasarova : Sento brillar. Il complesso barocco, Alan Curtis, RCA Red Seal 2008

literature

• Claudia Maria Korsmeier: The singer Giovanni Carestini (1700-1760) and “his” composers. The career of a castrato in the first half of the 18th century. Eisenach: Verlag der Musikalienhandlung Karl Dieter Wagner, 2000, ISBN 978-3889790842 . Dissertation University of Münster, 1998

Web links

Commons : Giovanni Carestini  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

• Alan Riding: In Opera, a Different Kind of Less Is More: 'Handel and the Castrati.' New York Times, April 13, 2006 ( online )

Individual evidence

1. ^ Charles Burney: Diary of a Musical Journey. Third volume. Through Bohemia, Saxony, Brandenburg, Hamburg and Holland. Potsdam. P. 132 ( online at Zeno.org ).
2. ↑ Allatson Burgh, Christian Friedrich Michaelis: anecdotes and remarks concerning music. Baumgärtnersche Buchhandlung, 1820, p. 139 ( online in the Google book search).
3. ^ Johann Adam Hiller: Lives of famous music scholars and musicians, more recent times. First part. Verlag der Dykische Buchhandlung, Leipzig 1784, p. 220 ( online at Kölnklavier ).
4. ^ Georg Christoph Lichtenberg: The wedding according to fashion , in: Writings and letters. Ed. And commented by v. Wolfgang celebrities. Volume 3, Zweiausendeins, 1994, ISBN 3-86150-042-6 , pp. 951f.