# Radu Marian (male soprano)



## Ksenia (Apr 28, 2012)

Hello everyone!
I am new to this forum.

Since it seems that male soprano voices, despite being very rare are beautiful, are relatively unknown, I would like to recommend to listen to Radu Marian (male soprano).

You can listen him singing Ave Maria here: 



, or just do a YouTube search.

What do you think about this singer?


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## sabrina (Apr 26, 2011)

Ksenia said:


> Hello everyone!
> I am new to this forum.
> 
> Since it seems that male soprano voices, despite being very rare are beautiful, are relatively unknown, I would like to recommend to listen to Radu Marian (male soprano).
> ...


Yes, he is amazing. Though I am not a big fan of male sopranos, I still think they have amazing voices. I have no idea why are they not used in operas where mezzo sopranos play the role of a young male.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

sabrina said:


> Yes, he is amazing. Though I am not a big fan of male sopranos, I still think they have amazing voices. I have no idea why are they not used in operas where mezzo sopranos play the role of a young male.


If you are thinking about roles such as Sesto in Handel's Giulio Cesare, it's because they were originally written for women, as it was deemed that a woman would embody a young boy more effectively than some 40 year old castrato.

Of course counternenors and male sopranos take many of the castrato roles in Baroque operas nowadays.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Ksenia said:


> Hello everyone!
> I am new to this forum.
> 
> Since it seems that male soprano voices, despite being very rare are beautiful, are relatively unknown, I would like to recommend to listen to Radu Marian (male soprano).
> ...


I'm glad you posted this. I've heard him before but I forgot his name. He's got a very beautiful unearthly voice.

I read on the comments that this is his natural voice - like Michael Maniaci:






I suspect that Marian sounds more like the original castrati (my dream is to travel back in time to hear the premiere of Giulio Cesare).


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## sabrina (Apr 26, 2011)

mamascarlatti said:


> If you are thinking about roles such as Sesto in Handel's Giulio Cesare, it's because they were originally written for women, as it was deemed that a woman would embody a young boy more effectively than some 40 year old castrato.
> 
> Of course counternenors and male sopranos take many of the castrato roles in Baroque operas nowadays.


I am thinking of Cherubino from Mozart' Le nozze di Figaro.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

sabrina said:


> I am thinking of Cherubino from Mozart' Le nozze di Figaro.


Same argument. Written for a mezzo, so sung by mezzos. Apart from the fact the role is too low for him, a bearded Radu Marian would look funny as Cherubino.


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