Radu Marian - Lascia Ch'io Pianga ( Rinaldo )

[ninachkah]

Amazing! Can't believe human actually can sing like this. Beautiful!

[rcarlomagnus]

the beauty of tone is exquisite, it s not hurting my ears when I listen to it. It s soft and I ts lullaby like quality is outstanding! This is truly very Baroque!

[rcarlomagnus]

This is the best rendition of the song I have ever heard, you can compare that with other videos here in YouTube.

[TheOriginalGayman]

He never went through puperty

[Pre114]

This is better than countertenor, though the countertenors are becoming better, their voices are noticeably fake if you listen closely.

[51m0n77]

@Pre114 absolutely! Countertenors in my opinion pale in comparison.....

[tweepixie]

Where can I find his mp3?

[Iepuras007]

Proud! im sooo proud being romanian because of him. congratulation Raducu!!!

[jihyunhae]

I CRY EVERYTIME I HEAR THIS MUSIC .. I CAN STILL REMEMBER THE MEMORIES OF SS3 MANILA .. KANGIN OPPA, I MISS YOU .. ♥

[sterneflamme]

He resembles Alvin the squirrel

[FRAGIORGIO1]

@sterneflamme  That's a judgement only a squirrel could make, poor animal.

[sterneflamme]

@FRAGIORGIO1 please,read the other comments about Mr Radu Marian and his performances: countertenor voices are generally weak, with a lack of " appoggio" and often a bad technic, especially for what concern coloratura. Using this voices in baroque opera is a complete mistake. In addition, Mr. Marian is definitely NOT one of the best countertenor of our days. Remember also that Lascia ch'io pianga is a soprano aria and has nothing to do with countertenors or even castrati.

[FRAGIORGIO1]

@sterneflamme I am surprised you call Radu Marian a "counter tenor". He is obviously a Soprano, and that is well pointed out by a number of other knowledgeable commentators. Please read the other comments, and you should see. Also, listen to recordings of Counter tenors, and you should hear the difference. Alvin the squirrel, which you unjustly compare him to, has very different features and is the result of speeding up a recording, which also gives it a nasal sound. Please reconsider.

[sterneflamme]

@FRAGIORGIO1 I beg your pardon for my little joke about Alvin the squirrel that you too so seriously (too seriously, I think), but soprano is a vocal category for women and young boys, generally singing in choir, not for an adult men. Mr. Marian, whatever could be the physical condition that makes him singing in this way is a counter tenor and his voice is a falsetto, with a lack of resonance. He rarely sings in theatres or concert halls, while he often plays in recording sessions.

[FRAGIORGIO1]

@sterneflamme  You call a squirrel a dog and a soprano a counter tenor? Look at the other comments, read them, and you will see you are mistaken.

[sterneflamme]

@FRAGIORGIO1 dear fragiorgio where do you live? What kind of music you listen to? What kind of musical knowledge have you? And, last but not least, what kind of sense of humour have you? I apologized, even if it was unnecessary, for using the image of Alvin the squirrel (but I am a great fan of him) but, and I close here our correnspondance on this argument, he is not a soprano, since sopranos are women, he is not a boy singer and is not a great singer

[FRAGIORGIO1]

@sterneflamme Where do I live? In Texas, for what that's worth. What kind of music do I listen to? A great variety, actually, but my favorite composers are Haydn, Handel,Lully, Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Vivaldi, Schubert, Dvorak, Brahms, and have a number of others, such as Monteverdi and Purcell. I received your apology and explanation without a problem about the squirrel. You say he is not a soprano, ergo he is not? Again, read the other commenters to see who agrees with you.

[lathanregintree]

@FRAGIORGIO1 thst guy s a talentless arse hole who is jus hateing. you can tell he is a hater by hwo he says radu is not a great singer etc.. i am opraticly trained and voice teachers all over the world know and agree that radu is a true male soprano and is not the ol one there are 2 others in opratic music with his "NATURAL" vocal styleing

[lathanregintree]

@sterneflamme u say he is not a true male soprano and that he is not a great singer but can u do this?NO #DISMISSED,LOL

[TheMathias456]

@sterneflamme Radu Marian is what is called an endocrinological castrato as his voice never matured. He is not using falsetto in the slightest bit and how dare you consider him a countertenor. Does a countertenor sound like this in any possible way ?

[Shanniquitie]

radu is an endocrinological castrato, and a gift from heaven

[Bassetenator]

i liked it, but it was a little heavy on the vibrato.

[soprana53]

@jp40798 Radu Marian was born in 1977, so he is 33. And all the rumours about endocrinological "castrato" a mere speculations. There are other reasons why a voice can sound like that.

[MATTMUDORCK]

o melhor momento de Radu como cantor lírico!.

[blitschk]

His tone reminds me a lot of Sarah brightman, that same ethereal feel. Maybe sarah Brightman really sounds like a sopranist?

[pavarotiguimaraes]

Ei? Qual é a classificação vocal dele?

Nossa parece q é castrado!

Bravo..

[OlDoinyo]

@pavarotiguimaraes Sorry, I don't speak Portuguese; but he is a modal sopranist countertenor, NOT of the endocrinological type (those tend to be short and stocky; I understand he is a tall, rangy fellow.)

[borres88]

Què voz...Un sopranista con unos dotes enormes....

Soy fan de la aria "Lascia ch`io pianga" y es la primera vez que un cantante se arriezga a tocar una nota como la que insertaron en la versiòn de Farinelli il castrato, suena bien aunque siento que estuvo un tanto inestable la entrada a la nota.

[TheProcrastiMaster]

@jp40798 That's because he IS a boy...

[sparkiersuperjet]

amazing

[bigmandrel]

You are all assholes, only I know everthing about music. ...and I hope I sound as stupid as some of you. Look, fuckers, we are all in this together, so let's make the most of this, okay? Jeez.

[xxpunkxxgirl]

she left out the recitative and skipped staight to the aria

she still did a great job though

this will def help me for my test solo in voice class

[ZolotayaKoshka]

@xxpunkxxgirl It is a man singing :-)

[feleciomaaa]

q hermoso es muy angelical su voz

[Shanniquitie]

DIVINO, ANGELO!

[GABUAGGIE]

extraordinariamente bello

[aliusmodum]

Just uploaded a new version of "Lascia ch'io pianga" on aliusmodum channel performed by Radu Marian with ensemble aliusmodum

Please search for "aliusmodum" on youtube search tool

happy listening!

[Patpoussin]

It is the first time I 'm hearing Radu Marian's voice and, as it is said in the comments, it is unique but I must say that it is not the one I prefer.

[Shanniquitie]

you have no ear. this is an angelic voice, the only voice worth having. this is the music of heaven.

sorry. i respect your right to have bad taste, but i reject it's worth.

:)

[Craglozer]

Is there anyway to get a recording of this performance?

[marisolex119]

His voice is really unique and extraoriginaire. It's almost androgunus. Reminds me if Caetano sings this.

That's what I want, I would sing comme ça.

[mmabrato]

ENTREN A MI CANAL

hay que unirnos amigos contratenores compartiendo material, partituras,

experiencias y nuestra voz al mundo.

el registro en la pagina es gratis y muy sencillo

ENTER TO MY CHANNEL

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experiences and our voice to the world.

registration page is free and simple

[Shanniquitie]

this is the true voice. keep your jaroussky, scholl.... etc. this is the angel.

[nikosaspros]

I think they are different voices. Scholl for example has more profound a tone. Jaroussky is a wonderful singer also, nobody can deny his technic. Actually Radu Marian is unique. Unique.

[marisolex119]

Blavo!

[alainwilliam]

la castration resutat criminel de l'eglise catholique romaine d'une époque -cela n'enlève rien sur la beauté de cette voix

[jasminaz02]

from now on every time i hear it it will make me think of Antichrist-such an amazing film!

[serenaluce]

It's so beautiful and so moving! Clear pure tone! Bravo!

[Achorafa]

I beg your pardon.. what do you mean by 'pure'? If someone cut your testicles while you were a child would your voice be 'pure'?

[serenaluce]

And what are YOU talking about?! I meant the quality of the sound only! Such an amazing crystal-clear pure tone. You heard something about castrati but perhaps forgot that we live in the 21st century. Nobody castrates boys now for the purpose of singing in a high voice. The past is in the past. Radu Marian is only an endocrynological castrato. It's in the voice, not in the body. That's why he sings like that. There are some others who sing in their unbroken voices but his timbre is unique!

[Achorafa]

Sorry, i did not mean to upset you. By endocrynological do you mean his gonads had issues in producing testosterone? If thats the case, maybe he should not be considered a 'castrato' because i believe there was no removal of the testicles.

[serenaluce]

Why should it upset ME?! I'm just surprised. Do you really think that Marian sings like that because he was castrated as a boy?! There is such a term for voices like his "endocrinological or hormonal castrato". It's not my invention. Check also e.g. Xavier Medina, Abel Paulo do Nacimento, Michael Maniaci... Do you think that countertenors who sing high are castrated too?! Do you know anything about singing in falsetto? They are usually men whose natural voice is a baritone, sometimes tenor...

[Achorafa]

Hey Take it easy, i never knew he wasn't even a castrato. I was told that i should search for Marian to know how a castrato sounds like. I did not know what to expect and i thought he was a castrato until now. Thanks for the clarification but TAKE IT EASY. Fuck, why all the anger? Btw, yes, i know something about male sopranos, tenors and countertenors, Abel do Nascimento is from my country if you didnt know. Dammit, just calm your ass down.

[serenaluce]

What anger?! I said I'm just surprised how ignorant people still are. YOU began this discussion about "cutting the testicles". Remember? Nobody now living has ever heard how Farinelli and other great castrati really sounded. Why all these speculations then that Marian sounds like them?! Who told you this nonsense?! YOU should take it easy. Judging from the words you use YOU should calm down and do your own reserch.

[Offertory]

Radu Marian isn't a castrato. He's a non-falsettist counter-tenor. :/

[soprana53]

With all respect: a counter-tenor is, as the name says, a TENOR that is trained to sing up in altus-or mezzo-voice. Radus voice did not change. He kept his soprano-range he had as a boy. There is DEFINITELY no tenor -voice underneath. The reasons are not known, but of course he is´n´t a castrato, you are right with that. Have a nice evening!

[Offertory]

I know. He has a naturally high voice due to endocrine problems. Some say he's a natural castrato, but he's usually referred as a non-falsettist countertenor. You're right, though. Falsettist countertenors sing up, but non-falsettists already have high unbroken voices, which is why he's usually called a countertenor anyway. Some non-falsettists like Marian perfer the term "male soprano", but that's still contraversial. Sorry for the confusion. :)

[CaraPhilos]

@soprana53 Sorry about a small correction: a counter-tenor is not automatically a tenor; actually most of them have a baritone chest voice beneath their head voice altus or mezzo-soprano. Contra-tenor means it is the voice which sings "against" the tenor. Latin.

[MaeWestsKnickers]

@soprana53 Actually, counter-tenors are hardly ever tenors in their chest voices. Generally, they have a bass voice and are singing in a good falsetto... Interestingly, that suggests that there is some similarity between the vocal technique of the bass and that of the counter-tenor.

[marchesano]

@soprana53 In fact, most counter tenors of today are in natural voice baritones, not tenors.

[2010wieliczka]

@soprana53 Hm, in my opinion male soprano/ castrati (or boy soprano) supports on chest register and small (about 14 mm) larynx. Contre- tenor is a voice produced in a big, male, extended larynx (baritone or tenor size) using very sublime head voice or falsetto wchich is similar to soprano and much more better then ordinary falsetto.

[soprana53]

No. Haendel.

[avola50]

ECCO IL TESTO ITALIANO:

Lascia ch\'io pianga mia cruda sorte,

E che sospiri la libertà!

Il duolo infranga queste ritorte

De\' miei martiri, sol per pietà.

PS: Vorrei augurare a Tutti Veramente un Buon ascolto!

[Nickkell58]

Beautiful, clear voice...3:07 to 3:10 wow! Does anyone know how many octaves he can cover?

[franklindavid]

lovely voice! nice rendition, love it.

[marisolex119]

et in arcaida lego.

[bramarant]

All I can infer for now, once I don´t know him, is that he´s from Romania (due to his name). Now, from 3:04 to 3:12 it´s perfectly understandable why some of these singers are called sopranistas, as a common (?) counter-tenor couldn´t reach and performthe way Radu does. Great, clear and so beautiful voice. I wish I could hear more, much more of him.

[trulylovelylady]

While yet untrained, listen to Gregg Pritchard singing Nessun Dorma on a talent show and let me have your comments. Do you hear anything to believe that this young man could be a great star of the future? Browse for Britains Got Talent, Gregg Pritchard. Thanks.

[bramarant]

Dear "Trulylovelylady", I´m surprised for having received a mail from you with the words above. So I heard Gregg Pritchard some minutes ago. Like other people, I got astonished, as we don´t even know whether that is a live recording or playback, whether it´s a real or a funny performance, whether he sings some notes out of tune or not, whether all that is a mere joke or a a dirty game. I can´t guess Radu Marian´s future. I´m neither musician nor scholar, undertaker or businessman. Sorry.

[serenaluce]

Though it's only my opinion but why use such words?! His singing is just extremely unusual. Any voice at all can be very appealing to you or on the contrary cause a very negative reaction. It's normal. But it has absolutely nothing to do with what you said.

[bobbelibob]

When I mention the brilliant movie 'Antichrist'...?

[trulylovelylady]

Bravo!!

[99whiterabbits]

What a treat it is and a blessing to be alive during this time and able to hear such an angelic voice. I just compared this clip with the same piece in the Faranelli movie. There is no comparason. The female singer chosen for the movie voice over for the movie sounds rough compared to the crystal clear voice of Radu Marian. Radu seems a little breathy, but the sheer beauty of his voice makes that quality almost insignificant. Bravo.

[tlatol12345]

Lascia ch'io pianga mia cruda sorte,

E che sospiri la libertà!

Il duol infranga queste ritorte

de' miei martiri sol per pietà.

[OperaApasionada]

goosebumps at 3:07 thx so much for posting this... it's absolutely riveting ! :)

[Totanz]

Really sound like a female voice. What a sopranista!

[timaenot]

In my opinion, he sounds rather like a boy than like a woman.

[99whiterabbits]

I agree wholeheartedly! Most women who are this talented have a natural vibrato. Radu's voice is crystal clear with no vibrato - just as a boy's would be.

[BoiledFingers]

@timaenot thats what you think

[2010wieliczka]

@timaenot without 3:6 :)

[Gaseoushead]

Sopranista is how the counter-tenors are referring to themselves, these days. Counter-tenors are usually baritones who have cultured their falsetto. All baritones have better falsetto than real tenors. It is the nature of the instruments.

[deutschesmaedchen]

magnificent voice, and great rendition. :)

[Nathanderweise8]

Most beautiful aria ever heard! Thank you Handel!

[mradaChris]

I would love to hear his speaking voice. Such a nice voice none the less...

[Sieglinde84]

Incredible. He should do Cherubino or Oscar.

How can a man have a voice like this? It's extremely rare.

[rudypea]

I love him

[margyoseven]

I love this aria and this performance is sublime. Purity plus strength. Heavenly!

[PhillipLWilcher]

Music alone suspends time and for this moment, it certainly stands still. I'm moved to tears and my world has suddenly been undone. Thank you for posting this. It's beyond exquisite....

[avola50]

Voce impressionante! Forse la voce dei cantori evirati (Castrati) doveva essere simile o uguale alla sua!

[siwa69]

Of course, he sings the best version of this song. The most pure voice of all, better than a soprano.

[Jiwpgakis]

they should have chosen him for Farinelli the film

[philomelodia]

I don't think he had the range though, I agree that his voice and that of Maniaci, and/or Medina shouldve been used in that film since they are grown men with unbroken voices and that is what Farinelli was.

[agnellodei]

The thing is that Farinelli also encompassed the tessitura of the contralto as well as ornamenting to high D's and Eb's. Maniaci's and Marian's vocal ranges is mainly the two octaves of a normal soprano.

[philomelodia]

Correct. I do, however, think Maniaci could sing alto or contralto were he so taught instead of using his voice much as a female soprano would use it. Last castrato to sing contralto and soprano was Salvatori who died in 1909. Started at the Cappella Giulia as contralto and finished at Sistina as soprano.

[agnellodei]

well might be an issue of technique, let's not forget that modern technique is not as good as bel canto technique. Nowadays sopranos have no chest voice, tenor pull chest voice up instead of using the natural head voice like women do (which is true bel canto technique), and maybe whoever taught him treats his voice as that of a counter-tenor discouraging the use of chest resonance.

[coloraturacontralto]

I think Maniaci would have been too young to make the recording for the movie.

[philomelodia]

He would've been 20 when the movie came out.  He was still finishing up his studies but he was already making waves and winning awards at that time. He would've been a perfect age for the role, actually.

[coloraturacontralto]

I still don't think his voice would have carried a movie at the age of 20. It's a nice idea, but voices don't really mature until way after 20.

[philomelodia]

How do you figure? Farinelli had his debut in his teens and was in his very early twenties when he was in England. Radu Marian released his first album at 23 and had been performing earlier than that. Are you thinking of women's voices? Do THEY not mature at 20? Please remember that we are talking about male sopranos which aren't technically natural and could be argued to be voices that never fully matured since adult men (20-year-old men) typically have tenor to bass voices.

[coloraturacontralto]

The castrati had a completely different training regime and a very different technique. My response was about Maniaci not Marian. The castrati did not have testosterone like Maniaci does. Several of these singers were able to premiere in their teens with perfect technique because they trained as if were a full time job much harder than any modern singer. They also had a different body type. It is speculated that they were typically tall with huge rib cages.

[coloraturacontralto]

As for the maturity of a voice...Female voices are not fully built until they are well into their thirties. Men seem to mature slightly earlier. Modern singers today typically don't reach a height to their career until they are in their mid to late thirties and sometimes their fourties. Voices mature around adulthood the the technique does not. Take an afternoon to walk the halls of a music school and you will hear that.

[Masamuneblader]

Men actually do normally have a high range through the falsetto and most counter-tenors like Philippe Jaroussky (spelling) and Vitas actually have a well developed baritone voice as well. Also Radu isn't castrato/i he has kallman's and thus his genitals are intact if likely undeveloped. meh personally i like counter-tenors and falsetti better than the sound of Radu.

[philomelodia]

This is true. All men have a falsetto register and many train it to sing in the alto range and soprano range like Scholl and Christofelis. They never gain that distinctive timbre which the full voiced alto and soprano singers have though. And, what's more, falsetista are a dime a dozen whereas men like Radu Marian are exceedingly rare. and, no, he's not castrated, he's an "endocrinological castrato" meaning he's got a deffective pair. Where'd you hear he had Kallman's?

[Masamuneblader]

You know to be honest I can't recall at moment where I ran into the bit about him and Kallman's but either way it fits the eternal quote of him being an "endocrinological castrato"

[philomelodia]

Well, I suppose it's possible though, Kallman's isn't the only thing that will do that to you. Look at Javier Medina. With him, it was the drugs he took to combat Leuchemia as a 7-year-old.

[Masamuneblader]

True, funny enough that hits close to home as my little step-brother has leukemia and I've noticed despite him being 17 he hasn't quite seemed to go through puberty aside from getting taller. Makes me wonder.

[philomelodia]

OMG, dude. I hope he gets better. I don't think they use the same drugs anymore. Medina was born in 1970 which puts his fight with the disease in late 70's/early 80's. PRetty sure your brother will be fine.

[ericjohn0510]

wow....wonderful.......heaven voice......boy voice with man lungs should not exist in earth........

[Masamuneblader]

Which is why the practice of castrating youths to maintain their voices was put to an end. Again he is an endocrinological castrato and was born with a disorder.

[bigfutbigfut]

de ce noi, romanii, trebuie sa vedem (sa auzim) doar pe youtube asemenea minunatie de voce?

nici nu stiam ca exista un roman cu asa voce

[pepamicro]

I'm simply not impressed by his quality as a singer. With such a physiological advantage he should have cultivated his technique better. The voice is amazing, for its rarity, but the prasing sounds quite vulgar and plain to me. Nothing close to the wonderful musicality of Jaroussky, to put an example of another male soprano. Even the falsetto countertenors, like Daniels, Mena or Scholl sound more human and authentic.

So the hormone does not make the singer. It's in the brain.

[pepamicro]

I meant "phrasing", sorry.

By the way, his treble notes are just screams.

[philomelodia]

Is this the only example of his singing you have heard? I assure you, he is very very good at what he does. He's a bit weak in Voce Di Petto but, overall, I think that you'd find the other examples of his work very satisfactory. Have a listen to the sul margine adoratto posted on youtube or the lamento d'il castrato. His Gounod's Ave Maria is quite beautiful and this is a noncatholic telling you this. Seriously, explore more of his work.

[philomelodia]

See and hear him live in this clip and tell me if you feel the same. Very sweet singing, I thought.

watch?v=0cJKD-9SJBc

[pepamicro]

Yes, you're right, he's good and this recording does not make him justice.

Not so sure about his Ave Maria, though... his portamento-to-a-screamed-high-­C sends shivers down my spine :-) and BTW, my opinion here is totally unrelated to being nonreligious - I love sacred music, and singing Bach is one of my highest spiritual experiences.

[pepamicro]

So we have a pearl here - a quasi-real castrato, very sweet and musical. Still it is a matter of taste that I find a certain lack of emotion - too pure and naif, I would say - I would like to listen to him performing some more "dramatic" roles...

(see my previous comment)

Anyway, many thanks for pointing me out his other works! (although somebody should post a better version of his Lascia ch'io pianga, this one is awful)

[pepamicro]

... listen to Jaroussky and tell me what you think.

I saw him last Sunday: Vivaldi "la fida ninfa". Spectacular.

[philomelodia]

Nothing but praise for Jerousky. Absolutely exquisite falsetto on that man. His technique is impeccable. I won't compare him to Radu though because what distinguishes Radu's voice is the fact that it is NOT a falsetto. I've heard Radu really get into a song with a Thaikovsky piece. I'll find and send you the link. I don't speak Russian so, I can only speak to the feeling he gave it not the aria itself. I don't care for Russian opera much though so, you're on your own. :)

[pepamicro]

I am not sure that Jaroussky's technique is totally falsetto - he takes hormones-. In a sense this is somehow related to Radu Marian, but he's got more a "female" than a "child" voice.

Look at this: watch?v=9zQX2XqAE8c

I would love to see your link - curious to listen to that Tchaikovsky

[pepamicro]

I think I found it: watch?v=E27erGPLhzQ

Remarcably pure

[philomelodia]

That's the one.

[philomelodia]

I've heard him speak on other vids too. There is nothing feminine about that vioce. There's no way he can get that high on a voce piena that low in timbre. If you like a more romantic era sound, perhaps you'll like the main man himself. L'angelo Di Roma, Alessandro Moreschi recorded himself before he died. he was a real evirato cantore (castrato was bad manners):

watch?v=M07Qga3LbcM

[orlando098]

I don't especially see why being called evirato (emasculated) sounds that much better than "castrato". Bit of a toss up I would have thought

[philomelodia]

I never understood that either. Evirato always seemed much more graphic to me but, I didn't invent the appelation, I just read about it and passed it on. =) You'll have to take that up with the long-dead members of 18th and 19th century art music society in Italy.

[billyboh78]

It is just a question of linguistic feeling... in Italian, "castrato" is commonly used for beasts, while "evirato" is used only for men; the first is a popular term, while the latter is a more educated because of its clear latin origin.

[philomelodia]

Know what you mean. Spanish has similar quirks. For people's feet, we use the word Pie with pies as plural. For animals, we use pata with patas being plural. If you want to be rude and demeaning to someone, you refer to their feet as patas unless you happen to be from a family with little education and you and your folks just use the one word for everything.

[cabbalistic]

Jaroussky takes hormones for his voice??

[orlando098]

can the original poster expand? did you mean that he has some unusual hormonal condition (that preserved his higher voice) and he now has to take testosterone?

[philomelodia]

If he took testosterone, he'd lose that voice he has. Some people are born with a condition that prevents their testicles from working properly. That or they have this happen as a result of treatment for a nonhormonal illness as in the case of Javier Medina whose childhood leuchemia was treated with drugs that killed his testicles and kept his voice from breaking while the rest of him grew. Not sure what Radu's specific hormonal condition is but, he's what is called an endocrinological castrato.

[orlando098]

thanks - but I was actually referring to someone who claimed Jaroussky needed to take hormones. By the way, has Radu agreed he is some sort of "endrocrinological castrato" and does not use a falsetto technique, or is this just what people assume from his sound? What is his speaking voice like?

[philomelodia]

Well, I read an article from a jouirnalist who interviewed him and described him as having "the voice of a eunuch." Radu tells this journalist that he once had a music teacher ask him if he was a woman to which he replied: "If you were younger, I'd show you." As for him being a falsettist, there's no doubt he's not a falsettist. To compare:

watch?v=I2YByhdnXIY

[99whiterabbits]

According to an article I just read interviewing Radu Marian, he claims he is a complete man. His voice was described only as quiet and whispery.

He does not have the body type of someone with Kallman's syndrome. However, he is very small in stature and described as somewhat elfen.

[secretmax07]

and what did you read? Word of Warcraft magazine? *lol*

he is actually quite tall and thin...his voice is so beautiful because a hormonal disorder that didn;t thickened his voice at puberty...search 'Ave Maria' sung by him at AGE 7...he sounds NOW like he sounded THEN.

[Arkidas]

The Ave Maria recording on his début CD, 'ALIA VOX' is probably recorded around when he was 23 ( the CD was released in 2000 ). It is the Queen of Night Aria on the same CD that he sang at 7 and his voice was surprisingly different at that time. He lost about an octave of his ( upper ) range. Most likely due to straining by attempting to sing in a lower voice and the laryngitis that followed. You can read about this in an interview with him at MaleSopranos *dot* Com

[andreatrucco]

the original fascination of castrato was not the "child" voice but the power of adult voice mixed with the high tones. Only in Rome castratoes sung as female part, en travestie. everywhere else they were "primo uomo"

[DerWandrer]

I feel that often his vibrato is to slow and turns into a wobble. It is a poor estimation of what a true period castrato would have sounded like because he has yet to demonstrate a sense of bel canto legato truly cultivate bel canto technique. Also, he just doesn't have the intense training that bel canto castrati would have had from childhood.

[philomelodia]

Well, remember too that he isn't a castrato in the same way the baroque castrati were so, he will sound different. As to the instruction, this is hardly surprising since Moreschi himself didn't have the sort of proper tutilage of a castrato like one of Porpora's students would've had. Vibrato isn't supposed to be very much in evidence in baroque pieces according to what I've read. It came into heavier use in the classical and romantic periods and really took off with Verdi and Puccini's stuff.

[johncart2]

Just noticed it was recorded in 1977, how old would that have made him? I wonder how much his voice may have changed in 30 years. This is a marvellous recording at any age.

[Thrax1982]

He was born in 1977, the recording is only couple of years old.

[Arkidas]

I can not tell you the exact age but it must have been somewhere between 1998-2006. He is born in 1977.

[johncart2]

Oh good, that is good news, am learning more about Radu Marian all the time. I have heard older ones on sfkcbf channel and had hoped he would improve. Please excuse my misunderstanding, 1977 (ha ha)

[Arkidas]

His first cd ( Alia Vox ) was released in 2000.

[johncart2]

Thank you I will hunt it down. He really is Quite enchanting one wonders how close to Farinelli his voice comes. Probably the closest I will hear in my lifetime.

[Thrax1982]

In case this is the same recording that can be found on the aliusmodium site then it's from March 2005.

[cabbalistic]

Thanks for recommending this. :-)

He sounds more like a treble than an adult male soprano. He has a unique voice but I don't quite like his higher note, they sound edgy and almost uncontrolled?

[cabbalistic]

Hey thanks for recommending this! :)

I've never heard of him before. How does he go about sounding more like a treble than an adult male soprano/countertenor?

He has an intriguing voice but I don't like his interpretation of this aria. And the high notes (around 3:08) have an edge to them, and sound almost uncontrolled.

[Thrax1982]

Radu Marian is claimed to be an endocrinological castrato and I have little doubt that he is.

This interpretation here is really not the best, I agree with that.

Try those clips

watch?v=thr-CK_LVWg

watch?v=KADVcyjScuc

watch?v=RvZzc8s1Ipo

And the live video here

watch?v=gx5t6bqnjeQ

[johncart2]

I would reiterate the first comment, How old was he or when was this wonderful recording made, truly one of God's miracles.

[OhSungTaek]

Oh My God!!

Unbelievable!!!! ㅇ.ㅇ!!

[philomelodia]

read somewhere that he's going to be performing in Budapest in March. Wish I could go. Remarkable singer. I've yet to find a song of his which I don't find beautifully done. I hope he's going to continue to do more late baroque stuff by more well-known artists. Either way, I'll still be a fan much to my wife's dismay. She can't stand the sound of a male soprano voice. finds it unnatural and creepy.

[flute1982]

unbelievable!!

[broschette]

Now I understand all the stories about women swooning when Farinelli sang. I honestly almost passed out on hearing Marian's final trills. Have you any more information on this eerily beautiful but elusive voice?

[Arkidas]

You can find information about him on Wikipedia. He is active now and will perform in Estonia in February 2008 where he'll sing with the Clemencic Consort and is to sing in a program titled "In the Footsteps of Farinelli". According to our best knowledge, Marian is an "Endocrinological castrato" or "natural castrato".

[velvetcaress]

Apparently he's performing Feb 7th and onwards in Estonia. I wonder if someone has the presence of mind to record it in one form or another for future release. It's such a rare and wonderful event that should be immortalised indeed...given that there'd be such beautiful pieces sung there.

Thanks for posting this by the way! :-)

[GoldenAwakening]

haha I know what you mean. Makes me swoon all the time...

[stanncie]

How old was he when he sang this??

[bramarant]

As I can see here, he was born in 1977. So...