Everything about Giovanni Carestini totally explained
Giovanni Carestini (born
Filottrano, near
Ancona, circa
1704 — died Filottrano (?) circa
1760) was an
Italian castrato of the 18th century, who sang in the
operas and
oratorios of
George Frideric Handel. He is also remembered as having sung for
Johann Adolph Hasse and
Christoph Willibald Gluck.
Career
Carestini's career began in Milan in 1719, patronised at the time by the Cusani family (hence the alternative name
Cusanino). He sang for
Alessandro Scarlatti at
Rome in 1721. The scope of his burgeoning career quickly began to expand; he was at the
Viennese court during 1723, and followed this up with performances at
Naples,
Venice and Rome again, singing in operas by Hasse,
Leonardo Vinci, and
Nicola Porpora. He sang at
Munich in 1731 before coming to
London to sing for Handel in 1733.
For Handel he sang the main roles in
Arianna in Creta,
Ariodante, and
Alcina, and also performed in the oratorios
Deborah,
Esther, and
Athalia. While in Naples in 1735, he commanded a fee higher than that of the renowned
Caffarelli.
Charles Burney records an entertaining anecdote from this time:
Following this peak, Carestini's career began to wane quickly. A London audience of 1740 was indifferent, and he returned to Italy in the early 1740s (singing in Gluck's
Demofoonte at Milan in 1743), but was an employee of
Maria Theresa by 1744. From 1747-49 he sang for Hasse at
Dresden, and then moved to
Berlin (1750-54), and then
St Petersburg (1754-56). Audiences at Naples were actively displeased by his performances in 1758, and Carestini seems to have died not long after.
Voice and reputation
The range of Carestini's voice changed throughout his career - he began as a "powerful and clear
soprano" (according to Burney), but later descended to "the fullest, finest, and deepest
counter-tenor that has perhaps ever been heard" (again according to Burney). He was held in high regard by many critics across Europe. Hasse commented that "He who hasn't heard Carestini isn't acquainted with the most perfect style of singing", while Quantz remarked that "He had extraordinary virtosity in brilliant passages, which he sang in chest voice, conforming to the principles of the school of
Bernacchi and the manner of
Farinelli". He was also reputed to be a fine actor, and was furthermore noted for his striking good looks. As a mark of his continuing impact upon operatic history, in 2007 French counter-tenor
Philippe Jaroussky released a CD tribute to Carestini, largely comprised of
arias written for Carestini's voice.
Further Information
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