Moreschi - The Last Castrato Review

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Moreschi - The Last Castrato ReviewThere 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.Moreschi - The Last Castrato Overview

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