Max Emanuel Cencic - Rossini Arias

[andyuk]

Bloody fantastic!!

[ImmaculataMaria]

歌うマックスの姿を久しぶりに拝見しました。　少年合唱団時代を懐かしく思い出しました。大人になって声量も増­して、より魅力的な声になっていて、大変感動いたしました。

[GOGGYgant]

svaka ČAST ...... MAX JE IPAK MAX.... BRAVO

[crazygirl0071]

So Cencic is a castrato or what?

[whistlenotelover]

@crazygirl0071 NO he is NOT by any means he jokes around with it he's my friend, and so does male [modal register] soprano Michael Maniaci. he is simply an INCREDIBLY TALENTED and exquisitelty trained COUNTER-TENOR or tenor singing in falsetto which transposes the voice about an octave up in tessitura placement, making his voice equivalent to that of MEZZO-SOPRANO fach.

[amatorynumber]

But how many languages does this guy speak??? Shit. :-)

[periquito350]

opino que este cantante tiene una tecnica excepcional,pero no deja que las arias se interioricen dentro de el,canta muy bien pero friamente

[khothye]

This is very artificial to me. The aria is evidently changed in it's tonality, much lower than the original. I think it wasn't Rossini's desire; also he was thinking clearly in a woman when he wrote this repertoire. I prefer Horne and Bartoli!

[UlfenDaddy]

The score is written in E-flat, he sings in E-flat. Compare to the other Rossini aria (w/ Spinosi,) which is in E-natural, same opera. Slides right on up to G-sharp with no trouble at all and it's not a falsettist-style. Prefering Horne or Bartoli is simply taste, neither right nor wrong; he does a FANTASTIC job of it. I do however get really tired of the accusation that singers ajust tonality for a vocal advantage; an absurd charge and untrue here as in other places it's been said in youtube.

[khothye]

@UlfenDaddy Maybe you are right about the tonality, but I still think that if a composer think in a specific kind of voice when he designe the arias (in this case, a woman's voice), that kind of voice should sing the part, at least that is the ideal for me. But I agree with you, at the end, is a matter of taste.

[UlfenDaddy]

@kh Oh for the most part I agree; the composer's intention was a clear, high female coloratura voice. The intrigue is a talent such as Cencic: how should he, with his experience (Weiner SngK, etc) proceed? That high male voices for opera will never be typical is obvious. This repertoire with him is sui generis, and while it's odd, the question is, Was is a pleasant musical experience? With his talent and personal joy of singing, I enjoyed it thoroughly. I suspect Rossini would've also...

[yarmo28]

super wonderful voice - I hope he will one day travel on tour to the USA.

[tetrazzini]

The conductor is very cute...Impressive coloraturas ! She voice sounds very natural. Good job

[MGHall07]

this is a perfectly absurd statement. A countertenor does not require drugs or anything else to "keep his voice like this." It's training in the falsetto range that provides the sound. This is nothing like a true soprano or even a boy soprano. Further, critics praise Cencic's work, so he cannot be quite as awful as you're stating.

[serenaluce]

Cencic sounds just great now! What is your concern then? Why don't you just relax and listen to his wonderful singing instead of speculating what he might have done while he didn't sing?! Do you like this aria or not in his rendition? I guess not if you think only about this...

[hibyeeee2]

@MGHall07 A man can also be a male Soprano if he uses his head voice. It actually preferred to used head voice. David Daniels, and Andreas Scholl are countertenors that use head voice. I think Max Emanuel Cencic might use head voice too. Male Sopranos use head voice to. Head voice gives a stronger sound then falsetto.

[whistlenotelover]

@hibyeeee2 Let me try to clarify your statements, because you are apparently confused in some fundamental facts. First of all, a man such as RADU MARIAN or MICHAEL MANIACI can be termed male MODAL sopranos because their physiology is producing the voice in MODAL register, NOT falsetto, Falsetto is a TONE of HEAD VOICE and is a function of MODAL register, therefore it is allowed in operatic repotoire if disciplined accordingly.

[2010wieliczka]

@MGHall07 I do not aree with you, it is not like natural soprano. Natural soprano is something like a cotton, falsetto is something like nylon. Voice of Cencic and Jaroussky is like coolmax- not natural but excellent, very nice for body.

[MGHall07]

@2010wieliczka I'm not saying that countertenors are like sopranos. I was just pointing out that it does not require drugs for a man to sing in a higher register. As I wrote, it is nothing like being a true soprano or a boy soprano. I'm confused what the disagreement is. Either way, Cencic has a great voice and is an amazing talent.

[vctvi]

Not to my taste; not very good

[serenaluce]

His singing is just awesome!

[TheEvaCarlson]

Je découvre ce grand chanteur. Quelle voix ! Et quel magnétisme...

[chevrox]

very well executed coloratura

[Edulirios]

Perfeito !!!

Bravo !!!  Bravíssimo !!!

[skitzo429]

i dont like that he cant sing the high notes a female contralto would have sung

[Tigermuc]

Brilliant!"!!!!!

[wironalga]

This guy is fenomenal. I agree his acting may look effeminate, although the style of portamento from a castrato voice requires a delicate approach. Very nice coloratura indeed. The one and only thing I should bother is the use of ancient strings and woodwinds, which makes the result falling a bit short. The timeless greatness of Rossini's crescendos within cabalettas is far beyond any presumptous effort in faithful reconstruction.

We love you Max!

[skitzo429]

his coloratura is solid, but his voice is small and kind of weak. He also does really awkward things with his hands when he sings haha

[TrebleB4Mi]

I don't believe that one could accurately compare Cencic and Daniels, they each have their strengths. Cencic truly sounds like a soprano which, to me, isn't always preferable to the more masculine sound that Daniels has which fits the masculine roles that he sings. Cencic on the other hand has a beautiful tone though it can be effeminate at times and his coloratura rivals that of Daniels but again its's like trying to compare Cecilia Bartoli and Sumi Jo

[sk8nruff]

having half the band on period hardware and the other half on modern hardware is like trying to run a new car on a lump of coal. it doesn't make a difference. Classical bows have no effect on metal strings and a modern set-up. Tension, people, tension. If you're going to be modern be modern, if you're going to be HIP be HIP. Just don't half-ass it and sell it as a good alternative. Rossini sounds great on 100% modern OR historical instruments. This is just lame.

[sour7lemon]

I don't understand your rant?

[sk8nruff]

i was just ranting because i think it's a half-assed way of making music, as far as the instruments being used. there are natural brass instruments mixed with modern winds, among other really odd particulars. my point is that mixing two very different colors such as metal strings on modern set-up violins or having half the band on period instruments and the other half on modern creates a very bad balance in terms of sound production, dynamics, and articulation making it very uneven.

[sour7lemon]

Ah I get what you're saying. How can you tell that the instruments are not all true period instruments?

[skitzo429]

this isnt mozart era opera, most woodwinds achieved what is essentially their modern keywork by the mid 19th century when this was written. how would you be able to tell that anyway just from watching a video? if youre looking for black wooden flutes as constituting 'period' instruments, they still use them in europe most of the time, silver is just what most american player prefer, and they dont really sound much different. period instruments arent typically a big concern in bel canto.

[agnellodei]

The conductor is fucking hot!

[studiapolichrom]

Daniels cannot be even considered after this marvel of bel canto. I am crazy about this guy.

[agnellodei]

And his tone is way nicer than Daniels'

[Lotiolenti]

He is awesome. Always has been.

[mradaChris]

Nice voice!

[Iareto]

As far as countertenor's go, I prefer Daniels, but this guy is good. I do agree that the voice might be a little high for some of the lower pants roles.

[phirze]

c'est magnifique !

[Heraopera]

But the body is not enough used and the pitches are not on a good breathcontroll - listen please to marilyn Horne, she will show how!

[MissElfreda]

I listened to Marilyn Horne as you suggested and there's no doubt I much prefer Cencic's rendition. He has a much sweeter, mellower voice and his interpretation is very pleasing to my ears! But these things are all a matter of taste.

[aifar]

Sorry i love the way he sing but i dont like see mans singing like women, sorry he is fantastic i know but i dont like it

[juju1305]

why? does that make you feel uncomfortable?

[aifar]

a man must be act like a man no? anmens have a voice different, what kind of role they can do in an opera a angel may be or a god but, i dont know, is difficultmmm you are looking a man, but your shut your eyes and you are listening a woman if there have a different with a soprano or a mzzo i cant found it variation. may be is better explain in this way =)

[juju1305]

Well, during the baroque era, it wasn't so. Some male parts were sung by women, and this went on after the baroque period (Verdi, Strauss) and the contrary (female roles sung by men) existed as well.

And this is a heritage from much more ancient times, for example in Greek theater, all parts were played by males.

[newhotmailit]

LA MERAVIGLIA!!!

[ilcodega]

Cencic sei unico!!!

[jovi1715]

weeeeeeee!!!!

[ilcodega]

perfidoneeeeeeeee sei proprio un cenciconeee!!!

[mariokalogeropoulos]

great coloratura!

[sk8nruff]

anybody else notice the two natural trumpets against an army of modern instruments?

[NedRorem]

After all the enthusiasm of the past years, I think I'm not the only one who is tired of countertenors. There are a lot of good female contraltos that deserve more attention (especially in this Rossinian repertoire, of course). But if countertenors are to be used, we should not accept anything less than Cencic. Bravo!

P.S. Hofstetter is a stud!

[scarpia1965]

Right! If you compare those singers with Ewa Podles you will notice, countertenors sound not good at all. Anyway Cencic is cute!

[Heartlessiceboy]

right you can't compare Ewa Podles with a countertenor...the countertenor is male singing male roles in the baroque style...

the most of the transvestite contraltos and mezzos are female singing MALE characters and in the most of the cases tottally out of style they sing Purcell or Handel like Verdi or Bizet

[Heartlessiceboy]

of course that this is dificult poit cause these Rossini's arias are for male characters originally written for transvestite females...

[iskenderuna]

Rossini actually wrote this Role of "Arsace" in Semiramide for Rosa Mariani. As the name Rosa suggests she was a female (contralto). So from the beginning a woman was intended to play a male role. Neither a castrato, nor a counter tenor and definitely not a transvestite. Ok Rosa was probably in that moment a cross-dresser. It does not really matter if a male plays a male role and sings with a female voice, or a female plays a male role and sings with a female voice. Its all a shambles anyway.

[andreasscholl]

Indeed Hofstetter is a STUD!

Cencic does a verry good job as countertenor in this reportoire.

[Spinple]

great voice!god job!betrer than some so-called good sopranos

[Saumannheim]

Unbelievable good! There is no better counter at the moment!

[thetuscanman]

I love the orchestra and the conductor, appropriately ebullient. The singer,however, is not satisfying.  Even provided you accept a falsettist for roles written for contralti, his voice is way too light and sopranoish for such low-lying tessituras.

[DrGarri]

This guy is a wonder!

[foropera]

He sings really well, and has a gorgeous voice. Now, on stage, would it work too? I can't wait to see.

[Meyerbeer1]

Lovly

[harmoniques]

Michael Hofstetter is very very cute !!!!!!!!!

[fidelious]

It's Arsace's II act aria from Semiramide. Try listening to Marilyn Horne, Ewa Podles or Martine Dupuy for the REAL thing. Mr Cencic should sing Bel raggio lusinghier, or even better Di piacer mi balza il cor (from The Thieving Magpie).

[sour7lemon]

Isnt Bel Raggio Lusinghier a female role song? I question this because i'm a male soprano and I'm working on In Si Barbara, and I'd much rather prefer to sing Bel Raggio Lusinghier!

[fidelious]

Yes, Bel Raggio is Semiramide's presentation aria. But since Rossini wrote neither Arsace nor Semiramide for falsetto voices (the first Arsace being Rosa Mariani, the first Semiramide Isabella Colbran), I think you can sing whatever you want :)

[sour7lemon]

Even though Arsace is a male role (pants role), and Semiramide is a female role? I mean, I'm not one to complain, I sang Olympia's Doll Song from the Tales of Hoffman for a recital, but that was more of a "character" song. I wouldn't be able to actually preform as Semiramide or Olympia, but Arsace? Sure! I may look at Semiramide's aria though. It's fun!

[MHayes85]

Which Aria is this?