# Snegoruchka from the Paris Opera and countertenors in trouser roles



## Troy (Apr 23, 2015)

I went to see "Snegoruchka" at the cinema recently and as I've never seen it before nor heard a recording I didn't know that the role of Lel isn't normally sung by a countertenor. And I wondered a few things.

If anyone reading this actually attended the performance was the countertenor in the role (Yuriy Mynenko) as beautifully resonant as he seemed in the broadcast? I remember someone mentioning that countertenors are particularly well served in the cinema because they often sound thin on the stage.

One thing that struck me was that most trouser roles are children or adolescents on the cusp of manhood, so to speak. And I've often seen mezzos put on a sort of exaggerated, swaggering kind of masculinity. Which highlights the immaturity as well as the maleness of these roles.

Mynenko, on the other hand didn't do that. In fact, some of his mannerisms were quite feminine, for example he had long, golden hair and he kept flicking it back in a way I've never seen a guy with long hair do. That along with the high singing range made Lel seem androgynous but mature. I don't think a mezzo would or could approach the role in the same way.

Any other thoughts?


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