The release on CD by Glossa of The Medici Castrato introduces a new vocal talent – countertenor Raffaele Pe – onto the label and, with this programme, a new reflection of the creative currents coursing through the Italian states (and beyond) at the beginning of the seventeenth century. Originally hailing from Lodi in Lombardy, Italy, Pe studied in London and it is from there that his rapidly expanding career is developing, the alluring timbre of his voice and his innate musicality bringing him to the attention of concert – and opera – audiences across Europe and beyond. That talent is much in demand with many of today’s leading directors of early music. For The Medici Castrato Pe has chosen to focus on the life and career of a castrato, Gualberto Magli, whose own fabulous talents coincided with the rise of opera in Italy, the maturity of astonishing composers such as Claudio Monteverdi and Giulio Caccini, and the lavish patronage provided to the world of culture by the House of Medici. Magli was, for example, called upon to perform at the opening performances of the favola in musica composed by Monteverdi in 1607, L’Orfeo. [read more...]