Gaetano Guadagni (1728-1792) was one of the leading castrati of his time and composers such as Handel and Gluck wrote important roles for him. He was known not for having a particularly large voice but for his dazzling technique and dramatic sensitivity. Iestyn Davies does not, on first impression, stand out as among the most spectacular of the extraordinary crop of counter tenors to emerge in the first decade of the 21th century. His singing, though, is notable for the openness and freedom of his vocal production, which ...
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Gaetano Guadagni (1728-1792) was one of the leading castrati of his time and composers such as Handel and Gluck wrote important roles for him. He was known not for having a particularly large voice but for his dazzling technique and dramatic sensitivity. Iestyn Davies does not, on first impression, stand out as among the most spectacular of the extraordinary crop of counter tenors to emerge in the first decade of the 21th century. His singing, though, is notable for the openness and freedom of his vocal production, which gives him an appealing, natural, and unmannered sound. He sings with absolute security, precise intonation, timbral clarity, and his vowels are impeccably pure. He excels in long-breathed lyrical lines and seamless legato phrasing, and most of these selections highlight those strengths rather than providing the kind of high-octane pyrotechnics that singers like Philippe Jaroussky and Max Emanuel Cencic thrive on. Davies is fully capable of the most agile coloratura, though, as he...
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![Arias for Guadagni [Hyperion: Cda67924]](https://www0.alibris-static.com/cover/n45889wrlro_t.jpg)
