# Franco Fagilii !!! OMG Has anyone heard him live??????



## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

I just discovered this and it is truly spectacular:



 This is the countertenor Fagioli singing the heavy role of Arsace in Semiramide. In the recording the voice sounds really big, but it is hard to tell from recordings. Has anyone heard him live and if so is it a medium or the really large sized voice it sounds on this recording. Both his high notes and his low notes are amazing.


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## Madiel (Apr 25, 2018)

never heard him live, but I'd say that this is the golden age of counter-tenors: Fagioli of course, but Jaroussky, Cencic, Mynenko - just to name a few - are marvelous singers!


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Seattleoperafan said:


> I just discovered this and it is truly spectacular:
> 
> 
> 
> This is the countertenor Fagioli singing the heavy role of Arsace in Semiramide. In the recording the voice sounds really big, but it is hard to tell from recordings. Has anyone heard him live and if so is it a medium or the really large sized voice it sounds on this recording. Both his high notes and his low notes are amazing.


My reaction to Fagioli was the same as yours. Hearing him is like traveling three hundred years back in time. I had the impulse to look between his legs to see if there was any...um...irregularity. 

Here's another great one:


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

......he sounds like Ewa Podles!


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## ldiat (Jan 27, 2016)

now then here ya go 300 hundred years ago.......ok i could be off a few years....


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## ldiat (Jan 27, 2016)




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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

Yes and he sounded like a sheep giving birth. Maybe it was an off night!

N.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

I still would rather go see David Daniels, who is almost as marvelous, because Fagioli is a chore to watch whereas David always fills my mind with amorous thoughts. Fagioli does really weird things with his mouth and is slightly spastic as times. I love listening to Fagioli in the car!!!!!!!!!!!! Vocally he is a miracle. Don't hate me.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Hold the rotten tomatoes as I feel I am the one at fault but I've tried and tried through the years and just can't warm to a counter tenor voice ... period!


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

nina foresti said:


> Hold the rotten tomatoes as I feel I am the one at fault but I've tried and tried through the years and just can't warm to a counter tenor voice ... period!


Listen to David Daniels before you add that period!


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## ldiat (Jan 27, 2016)

Seattleoperafan said:


> I still would rather go see David Daniels, who is almost as marvelous, because Fagioli is a chore to watch whereas David always fills my mind with amorous thoughts. Fagioli does really weird things with his mouth and is slightly spastic as times. I love listening to Fagioli in the car!!!!!!!!!!!! Vocally he is a miracle. Don't hate me.


really, thourght i was the only one who liked Fagioli on this forum. I have a friend!!!!!


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

nina foresti said:


> Hold the rotten tomatoes as I feel I am the one at fault but I've tried and tried through the years and just can't warm to a counter tenor voice ... period!


99% of the time I would agree with you. this time, I closed my eyes and heard a contralto more than a man, so I made an exception.


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## Belowpar (Jan 14, 2015)

nina foresti said:


> Hold the rotten tomatoes as I feel I am the one at fault but I've tried and tried through the years and just can't warm to a counter tenor voice ... period!


Agree and it makes it even more perplexing to me that modern Opera composers can't seem to do without one.


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

Belowpar said:


> Agree and it makes it even more perplexing to me that modern Opera composers can't seem to do without one.


all the while there is no love for real contraltos....which are quickly becoming one of my favorite voice types.

this is just speculation, but, tbh, I feel like the swing in this direction is ideological more than it is simply a matter of tastes. like it's part of some social movement to rebel against supposed gender norms by casting men singing in a female range.

alternatively, it could be the influence of pop music with its celebration of light, teenager-y sounding voices and over-use of falsetto. at the risk of sounding like an alt-right nutter (or tooting my own horn as a lower voiced male), I don't think masculine, dark voices get a lot of appreciation in modern music. in fact, it's almost like people are afraid of them.


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## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

Good gawd I hate the counter-tenor voice. Back in my day men sang like men! Get off my lawn!!

I was so excited to come in here & applaud SeattleOperaFan for giving a male voice a chance, until I realized it's just a man who sounds like a woman lol


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

Bonetan said:


> Good gawd I hate the counter-tenor voice. Back in my day men sang like men! Get off my lawn!!
> 
> I was so excited to come in here & applaud SeattleOperaFan for giving a male voice a chance, until I realized it's just a man who sounds like a woman lol


I literally spit out my tea :lol:


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Woodduck said:


> Listen to David Daniels before you add that period!


Not only have I listened to Daniels (perhaps my favorite if you could call him that) but I have seen him live several times (_Giulio Cesare, Rodalinda _etc.) That voice just doesn't grab me. Sad for me, isn't it?


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## mountmccabe (May 1, 2013)

Seattleoperafan said:


> I still would rather go see David Daniels, who is almost as marvelous, because Fagioli is a chore to watch whereas David always fills my mind with amorous thoughts. Fagioli does really weird things with his mouth and is slightly spastic as times. I love listening to Fagioli in the car!!!!!!!!!!!! Vocally he is a miracle. Don't hate me.


I have only heard David Daniels as Arsace in _Partenope_; he was really quite good.

I only know Franco Fagioli from his aria CDs and other recordings and they're fantastic. I think I will listen to his Handel Arias album now!


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Bonetan said:


> I was so excited to come in here & applaud SeattleOperaFan for giving a male voice a chance, until I realized it's just a man who sounds like a woman lol


Baby steps, baby steps...


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

BalalaikaBoy said:


> all the while there is no love for real contraltos....which are quickly becoming one of my favorite voice types.
> 
> this is just speculation, but, tbh, I feel like the swing in this direction is ideological more than it is simply a matter of tastes. like it's part of some social movement to rebel against supposed gender norms by casting men singing in a female range.
> 
> alternatively, it could be the influence of pop music with its celebration of light, teenager-y sounding voices and over-use of falsetto. at the risk of sounding like an alt-right nutter (or tooting my own horn as a lower voiced male), I don't think masculine, dark voices get a lot of appreciation in modern music. in fact, it's almost like people are afraid of them.


Now that I think about it, I too have regretted the loss of the baritone in popular music. Now that I think about it, I've regretted the loss of "legit" singing in popular music. In fact, now that I think about it, I've regretted the loss of melodies worth singing in popular music. Well, OK, now that I think about it, I'm an old fogey.

I'd rather not think about it.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Woodduck said:


> Listen to David Daniels before you add that period!


I saw him in concert and it was one of the best concerts Ihave ever heard. He was very audible over the orchestra and his voice was so so beautiful. He also is a good actor and proudly out of the closet.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Bonetan said:


> Good gawd I hate the counter-tenor voice. Back in my day men sang like men! Get off my lawn!!
> 
> I was so excited to come in here & applaud SeattleOperaFan for giving a male voice a chance, until I realized it's just a man who sounds like a woman lol


You made my day with that!!!! I'm funny. I love male singers live in the opera house. I have been blown away with some. They just don't capture my imagination like the various female vocal types do. I listen only in the car and always for the female opera singers unless in duets, etc. If I sing in the car by myself it is always, always falsetto. I think I am glad for most of what my testes brought to me, but I miss my coloratura soprano range of puberty when I could sing up to G6. I could imitate Callas. I wish I had recorded myself back then. it was the only bright spot in my otherwise dismal gay youth in Mississippi.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Woodduck said:


> Now that I think about it, I too have regretted the loss of the baritone in popular music. Now that I think about it, I've regretted the loss of "legit" singing in popular music. In fact, now that I think about it, I've regretted the loss of melodies worth singing in popular music. Well, OK, now that I think about it, I'm an old fogey.
> 
> I'd rather not think about it.


I am with you. That is why I loved David Bowie's dark baritone. Here is some trivia: Bowie's style was influenced by Anthony Newley, who also had a lovely baritone.. with great high notes. Occasionally in singers of my youth you would find someone like Newley or Tony Bennett who had a big range and used it, but no one uses a big range now in pop music. Jeff Buckley did 20 years ago, but he was a freak and he also had a great falsetto voice and sang some opera.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

BalalaikaBoy said:


> all the while there is no love for real contraltos....which are quickly becoming one of my favorite voice types.
> 
> this is just speculation, but, tbh, I feel like the swing in this direction is ideological more than it is simply a matter of tastes. like it's part of some social movement to rebel against supposed gender norms by casting men singing in a female range.
> 
> alternatively, it could be the influence of pop music with its celebration of light, teenager-y sounding voices and over-use of falsetto. at the risk of sounding like an alt-right nutter (or tooting my own horn as a lower voiced male), I don't think masculine, dark voices get a lot of appreciation in modern music. in fact, it's almost like people are afraid of them.


I replied to some items in your quote in a quote of this by Woodduck, if you are interested.


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## Taplow (Aug 13, 2017)

I had the great good fortune to see Fagioli live very early on in his professional career, singing Giulio Cesare in Oslo. At that time I had no idea who he was, and took no particular note of his voice, preferring instead to immerse myself in the drama. But still today that is perhaps the greatest performance of any opera I've ever attended anywhere. And I've attended possibly a hundred or more. Fagioli no doubt was one of the principal contributors to that enjoyment, and I do have fond memories of his portrayal.

Since then he has come, quite justifiably, to greater and greater prominence. I normally don't buy recital CDs, but I have a few of his on my wishlist.

I'll have the opportunity to see him again next year, when he sings Nerone in Handel's Agrippina alongside Iestyn Davies.* Can't wait!

*Incidentally, I saw Iestyn Davies _perform_ Oberon in the controversial but wonderful Christopher Alden production of Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream in London at the ENO in 2011. Unfortunately he had a throat infection and so his role was sung off-stage by a sub. So the upcoming Agrippina will be my first opportunity to hear Davies live.


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

Taplow said:


> I had the great good fortune to see Fagioli live very early on in his professional career, singing Giulio Cesare in Oslo. At that time I had no idea who he was, and took no particular note of his voice, preferring instead to immerse myself in the drama. But still today that is perhaps the greatest performance of any opera I've ever attended anywhere. And I've attended possibly a hundred or more. Fagioli no doubt was one of the principal contributors to that enjoyment, and I do have fond memories of his portrayal.
> 
> Since then he has come, quite justifiably, to greater and greater prominence. I normally don't buy recital CDs, but I have a few of his on my wishlist.
> 
> ...


You are in for a treat. Davies makes Frank Beans as we refer to him in our household sound like a squawking jackdaw.

N.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Seattleoperafan said:


> I saw him in concert and it was one of the best concerts Ihave ever heard. He was very audible over the orchestra and his voice was so so beautiful. He also is a good actor and proudly out of the closet.


I never liked countertenors until a friend of mine dragged me to a Vivaldi concert, featuring David Daniels. He completely overturned my prejudices and since then I have rarely missed any of his appearances in London. A beautiful voice, fantastic musicality, a great communicator and winning personality. What's not to like?


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## ldiat (Jan 27, 2016)




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## JSBach85 (Feb 18, 2017)

I am also a fan of Franco Fagioli and I have the following recordings where Fagioli takes part in vocal cast:

- Leonardo Vinci. Catone in Utica. Riccardo Minasi / Il Pomo d'Oro.
- Agostino Steffani. Stabat Mater. Diego Fasolis / I Barocchisti.
- Leonardo Vinci. Artaserse. Diego Fasolis / Concerto Koln.
- Antonio Caldara. La concordia de' pianeti. Marcon / La Cetra.
- Pergolesi. Adriano in Siria. Adamus / Capella Cracoviensis.
- Porpora. Germanico in Germania. Adamus / Capella Cracoviensis.

Have you listened to Hasse. Re di Persia recording?










Petrou is one of my favourite conductors and I was thinking about getting this recording.


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## simonamango (Jul 9, 2018)

ldiat said:


> really, thought i was the only one who liked Fagioli on this forum. I have a friend!!!!!


And another one  I think he's a fantastic singer and he also looks like a funny guy


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

simonamango said:


> And another one  I think he's a fantastic singer and he also looks like a funny guy


This is typical of what I said earlier. about Fagioli He was made for CD and MP3 listening. He is an astonishing singer but is always making faces when he sings like he is about to explode. I've never seen a singer contort their neck and face so to produce lovely sounds. His voice sounds richer on other recordings to my ears.


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## JSBach85 (Feb 18, 2017)

Seattleoperafan said:


> This is typical of what I said earlier. about Fagioli He was made for CD and MP3 listening. He is an astonishing singer but is always making faces when he sings like he is about to explode. I've never seen a singer contort their neck and face so to produce lovely sounds. His voice sounds richer on other recordings to my ears.


I guess such voice pitch is not easy to achieve...


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## WildThing (Feb 21, 2017)

Robert Levine recently gave his new Handel arias disc a rave review on classicstoday:

Stupendous Handel from Franco Fagioli

I must say I've been blown away by the examples posted in this thread. I'll definitely be acquiring this album.


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## ldiat (Jan 27, 2016)




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## ldiat (Jan 27, 2016)




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## ldiat (Jan 27, 2016)




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## ldiat (Jan 27, 2016)




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## mountmccabe (May 1, 2013)

San Francisco Opera has just announced their 2019-20 season, and it includes a revival of Partenope. Franco Fagioli is singing Arsace.

The cast also includes Louise Alder, Daniela Mack, Jakub Józef Orliński, and Alek Shrader. Christopher Moulds is conducting; he makes his SFO debut in June 2019 with Orlando. The Christopher Alden production was performed here in 2014; Mack and Shrader were both in the cast for that run.

There are 5 performances in June 2020.

So while I have not yet seen Fagioli live... check back with me in 18 months.


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## gellio (Nov 7, 2013)

JSBach85 said:


> I am also a fan of Franco Fagioli and I have the following recordings where Fagioli takes part in vocal cast:
> 
> - Porpora. Germanico in Germania. Adamus / Capella Cracoviensis.


I'm confused here. This isn't the first time I've seen someone say Fagioli is on the Germanico recording, but he isn't! Am I missing something?


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## Meyerbeer Smith (Mar 25, 2016)

gellio said:


> I'm confused here. This isn't the first time I've seen someone say Fagioli is on the Germanico recording, but he isn't! Am I missing something?


No, definitely Cencic!


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## ldiat (Jan 27, 2016)




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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

ldiat said:


>


Breathtaking. At first I thought it was "da Vinci".


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## ldiat (Jan 27, 2016)




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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

Many contraltos and mezzos sound like countertenors on recordings, particularly if they eschew their vibrato.






I don't necessarily prefer contraltos or mezzos to countertenors in certain rolês, and it seems especially apt to have a male figure play a male rolê, however high the sound. While I had the privilege to see Marilyn Horne many times in trouser roles, and however suitable she was vocally, she was visually awkward as a "man," and her high-heeled boots made it hard for her to walk. And many contraltos and mezzos make it hard to suspend disbelief on stage, as their figures are very not very "male."

I've seen David Daniels, Iestyn Davies, and Jaroussky on stage, and all were visually satisfying and vocally ravishing. Max Emmanuel Cencic, whom I've only seen in videos and heard on recordings, is my favorite vocally - listen to his 'Rossini Opera Arias.' I've been following his progress since he was a Vienna Choir Boy and he made the transition from a star there, to a star everywhere.









Countertenors are the plat du jour, like it or not. I look forward to next year's 'Partenope,' when I'll have the pleasure to see Jakub Jozef Orlinsky on the San Francisco Opera stage. Oh, yeah, Fagioli, too.


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## ldiat (Jan 27, 2016)




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## Taplow (Aug 13, 2017)

MAS said:


> Max Emmanuel Cencic, whom I've only seen in videos and heard on recordings, is my favorite vocally


I saw MEC singing (and performing) Nero in L'incoronazione di Poppea at the Staatsoper in Berlin a while back. While I think his voice is very good, I was impressed much more with his presence on stage, his professionalism, and his acting chops. He was perfect in the role (And also a very interesting production, btw) I hear he is directing now, also. I'd love to see one of his productions.

Incidentally, the Frank Beans Agrippina I mentioned in my previous post (to keep this thread on topic) was also quite ok. But I was less impressed with Fagioli this time than when I saw him back in 2008 in Giulio Cesare. Still very good, but not as large or bright as on CD. Iestyn Davies was in fine voice, but unfortunately not much of an actor.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

MAS said:


> Many contraltos and mezzos sound like countertenors on recordings, particularly if they eschew their vibrato.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I can't find it on Youtube anymore but there was an outdoor concert with Cencic when he was young, still had his hair, he was one of the handsomest men in the history of opera, and he sang Rossini arias for women spectacularly. I wish I could find it again.


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## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

*Franco Fagioli: "Cruda furie" by Handel*






Baritone low D-flat to soprano high D-flat (Db3-Db6). You've gotta admit, Frank's got some Beans.


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## gellio (Nov 7, 2013)

Barelytenor said:


> Baritone low D-flat to soprano high D-flat (Db3-Db6). You've gotta admit, Frank's got some Beans.


I would absolutely buy anything this guy records. He is spectacular.


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## ldiat (Jan 27, 2016)




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## ldiat (Jan 27, 2016)




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