There is good reason for the fact that Farinelli is to this day the one most famous castrato singer. The young countertenor Philippe Jaroussky has now recorded an album dedicated solely to arias which Nicola Porpora, renowned composer and Farinellis singing teacher, has composed for him. Many of those arias where composed for the Opera of the Nobility while both Farinelli and Porpora where in London, in a fierce musical contest against the opera of Handel. So those arias were intended to dazzle the audience, written by one of the most able composers of the time for the astonishing abilities of the singer whose voice and vocal skills nobody knew better than Porpora - and they did.

It is astonishing how Jaroussky masters these often technically extremely difficult arias not only perfectly and with obvious ease, but how they actually fit him as if they had been composed for him. This countertenor with his famously cristal clear voice makes the coloraturas, often over two octaves (as in "Come nave") not only seem effortless and delightful, but adds manyfold embellishments, showing a flexibility of the voice that is truly astonishing. He gets the opportunity to show his virtuoso abilities and how strong and clear, always sweet his voice is up to the highest register in difficult bravura pieces like "Nell attendere", even against trumpets and horns.
But Jaroussky not only delivers notes, he always sings with heartfelt and intense expression, not only tickling the listeners ears, but also touching his soul. It is difficult not to be moved by such deeply emotional arias as the pathetic "Sente del mio martir" or the grateful and intense "Alto Giove".