Pulcinella Orchestra - Les Soirées Musicales

"the golden age of castrati in Naples"

Pulcinella Orchestra
Ophélie GAILLARD (cello and conductor),
Luan GOES (counter-tenor),
Daniel DE MORAIS (theorbo),
Constance TAILLARD (harpsichord) After Venice, Naples was a fantastic artistic centre to explore. During this period in the 17th century, the cello became emancipated in its vocation as a solo instrument. Naples was also the city that made the art of the castrato its emblem and its reputation, with generations of young boys from modest families nurturing this fantasy of glory.
Castrato Caffarelli, for example, trained in Naples before embarking on a career as a pop star. The arias tailor-made for him demanded vocal qualities and virtuosity that placed him at the pinnacle of his art, in works by Alessandro Scarlatti and Porpora, not forgetting Vivaldi. Ophélie Gaillard's virtuoso cello brings this world to life, breathing boundless energy into an ensemble deeply committed to fascinating research into the baroque and classical repertoire played on historical instruments, while at the same time displaying an immoderate passion for voice and singing.