"Le Grand Tour".- France3

It can be very interesting:

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That should be in Media! Very interesting, thanks a lot, Rosamunda!

Who can record it on France3 at 4. April , 20.35 ????

Great News! This is my current area of research...I would love to watch this programm! Thanks Rosamunda!

Oh, rats! I'll be on holiday with absolutely no access to France 3. It would be wonderful if someone could upload it (at least Philippe's contribution) - pretty, pretty please! I don't mind translating if necessary (but after my return).

A.

Yes, pleeeease!! Could someone be so kind to record it? [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Live stream online
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Any link to a recording? I was working last night....

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Unfortunately, the video is blocked in some countries..

Like in my country..

rats.

Nor was seen in Spain. Helàs!

Unfortunately, the video is blocked in Germany too.

I guess this vid is only available in France.

Instead of video..

Spoiler:

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Thanks Joanna! Those pictures are great. I wonder if there is any possibility to have a copy of that tv programm...

Philou is a hopeless scruffbag! That suit (see second pic back view) could definitely do with a good pressing. I can do ironing and pressing as an Olympic sport and offer my services for free ...

A.

Joanna,

Mmmmaaaamma mia!!!! ( and ) What a great pics! Immense thanks for sharing!
Mr. Jaroussky on stage as Il Primo Uomo.....

I would pay for any recording of this TV- documentary!

hahahaha you're right dear Artemis!!

click on the link below to watch "le grand tour" The programme starts right after the commercials. You can see Philippe (after 15 minutes and 42 seconds). Enjoy!!! [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Hallo Egbertine,

thank you very much for this link!!!! I enjoyed!

Thanks so much, Egbertine. I did enjoy it. Even apart from Philippe's interesting contribution, the footage of Naples is gorgeous.

I think this video is only available until 30th January - so anyone who wants to see it had better hurry up!

A.

Hello Egbertine, thank you.

How majestically the "Teatro di San Carlo"!
And great to listen Philippe Jaroussky on this stage...

I was surprised: At the time, the audience ate, drank and played cards.
No seats (furniture) in front of stage... it was a lively place...

Let´s dream a little bit...: Philippe Jaroussky in a place full of majestic charisma...
maybe, he would wear a costume in timeless design...
... Mirrors?... Moving candels in water?... Special lights and a touch of gold...

I`m dreaming... about more majestic places ... of course with Philipp´s interpretation...:
Opéra Garnier in Paris or Opéra royal versailles
or Margravial Opera House Bayreuth in Germany and beautiful more around the world.

So, we don´t need a "time machine" but we need a "reality machine"!
Let´s zoom... in thought.

Hi, is it possible that I am doing something wrong? I can't watch it, it puts no longer available in PC! Please, some help! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Thank you, Egbertine!

Now on You Tube [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Haha, then I stop working on the same!

Thanks Egbertine!! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Hello Nenuphar, Artemis, Saskia, Pilard en Sjuli, it was a real pleasure to share this video with you. But we have to thank Enfant Sage for putting this film on You Tube. Kind regards, Egbertine

Egbertine,

many thanks for sharing!

Does anyone want (or need) a translation of this footage with Ph. J.? If so, please let me know. I could do it after the weekend; I'm just about to leave to catch up with the divine Max and his "Venezia" recital - YAY!

A.

Artemis

Yes, that would be great!

Enjoy "the divine Max" properly!

As promised, here's the translation of "Le Grand Tour" (with Philippe in Naples)

A.



Voice over: … the Palazzo Capodimonte, overlooking the town, or the Palazzo Reale, seat of royal power, but one of the most imposing achievements of the ruler remains the Teatro San Carlo, a legendary place built in only 270 days.

Presenter: Just look! It’s an absolute marvel – 3000 seats – it’s the only theatre in Italy not to have a chandelier hanging from its ceiling, which enables it not only to keep its capacity, but also gives it this majestic aspect – splendid! In the 18th century, the Teatro San Carlo was the largest in the world – a prestigious showcase for the Neapolitan artistes, first and foremost of whom were the castrati. The theatre in the 18th century was above all a political arena – one came to show oneself, to put in an appearance. One came to observe also – and who? – the king who was in his Royal Box. You could do so thanks to the mirrors (strategically) placed in every box – there are 180 in all and, of course, these mirrors are all pointing towards the king. When the king applauds, everyone stands up and applauds too; when the king looks sulky, one wonders why and nobody moves. At the time, the theatre was also a lively place – while the opera is taking place on stage – there are no seats in the pit – everyone is there - talking, eating, drinking, playing cards, hurling abuse, paying visits from one box to another. When the hero, that is the castrato, appears on stage, then one shuts up, the theatre becomes silent and one judges the performance.

Presenter: Philippe Jaroussky – countertenor – one of opera’s most beautiful voices …

Footage of Ph. J. singing “Se mai senti spirarti sul volto”

Presenter: Philippe – the piece we’ve just heard is an extract from Gluck’s “La Clemenza di Tito” …

Ph. J.: Exactly. It was first performed here in this magnificent Teatro San Carlo in 1752 with the great castrato, Caffarelli.

Voice over: Gaetano Majorano, known as Caffarelli, the son of a poor peasant, was one of the greatest castrati of the 18th century. He appeared for 14 seasons on the stage of the Teatro San Carlo.

Presenter: At that time, on stage, the castrato was a god.

Ph. J.: Yes, and as far as Caffarelli is concerned, he was the superstar of this theatre for about 15 years; he must have trodden on this stage about 300 or 400 times. The big stars in particular often had a theatre or a season specially appointed for them. They (the castrati) very rarely sang together because there was enormous rivalry amongst the star castrati.

Presenter: Stars, and very, very capricious gods …

Ph. J.: Yes. Caffarelli, for example, had the reputation of being extremely capricious, very vain, making fun of other singers, thinking nothing of singing another singer’s aria during an opera just to prove that he could sing it better.

Presenter: There was a lot of competition between them …

Ph. J.: Yes. I think that most of the castrati came from a poor background and when they “made it” – and very few of them actually had a great operatic career – when they had (the opportunity of) this revenge on life, then they took it. Many of them were vain – but this wasn’t a hard and fast rule.

Presenter: We’re speaking about Caffarelli, but there is a legend …

Ph. J.: Yes, the great Farinelli …

Voice over: Farinelli, real name Carlo Broschi, made his debut at 15 and was an instant success. He was Caffarelli’s great rival. He performed all over Europe, notably at Versailles in front of Louis XV, before becoming one of the most influential people at the Spanish Court.

Ph. J.: The great Farinelli was of a very much sweeter disposition – maybe because he came from a less underprivileged background – he came from quite an aristocratic background – and he didn’t have the same (life) story as the others.

Presenter: and the castrati took stage names …

Ph. J.: Yes, most of them, like Farinelli or Caffarelli, took their names from their employers or patrons – Caffaro or Farina – and some of them had birds’ names like Farfallino, which is a little bird, because he probably had a rather light voice. (Strange. I thought “farfalle” were butterflies – or am I going nuts? - A.) It’s also part of the prestige. There were castrati who didn’t have a stage name but generally speaking, with all the castrati who did have a stage name, it was a way for them to show that they had arrived at the top.

Presenter: It’s a tradition which is no longer continued …

Ph. J. No – they don’t give birds’ names to singers any more!

Presenter: Jaroussky is your real name …

Ph. J. Yes. I could call myself “Jarousskelli” or something. No, it’s my real name but, in fact, you can make a comparison with pop stars who take a stage name, like Madonna or Lady Gaga. They have a stage name to hide behind but it’s no longer done in operatic circles.

Presenter: Many of these castrati came from humble backgrounds; when they were successful, they amassed a fortune to match and some of them built magnificent palaces in Naples.

Voice over: Since the Middle Ages, the Neapolitan palaces played a part in establishing the reputation of the town. For the great aristocratic families, they were a symbol of wealth and power. Having arrived at the height of their fame, the greatest castrati also displayed their ambition and their success. Here we find Patrick Barbier, author of a history of the castrati.

Patrick Barbier: Here’s a place in Naples that I like very much. We’re standing in front of the palace of the castrato, Caffarelli. What is interesting is that we can still find the inscription in Latin that he had engraved in 1754. It makes reference to Amphion (yes, THAT Anfione! – A.), a character from antiquity, who was supposed to have built Thebes armed only with the sound of his voice. Hence, he had the inscription made “Amphion built Thebes. I built this house” and a joker of the time had added a panel saying “He (Amphion) had one (a voice??, a house ?? – A.), not you”. (Ho, ho, clearly poking fun at Caffarelli’s parvenu status but as jokes go, it seems a bit obscure to me. – A.)

Voice over: In the 18th century, at the instigation of Charles de Bourbon, Naples underwent intensive architectural activity. The baroque style was at its zenith. The palaces were transformed and embellished. To admire them today, you have to be able to “open doors”.

PB: It’s really sublime. I’ve always seen it by day, but by night there’s truly something magical about it. It’s really unique. At the time of Charles de Bourbon, the architect; Sanfelice, filled Naples with these absolutely sumptuous staircases – exceptionally magnificent and of utterly surprising volume – in order to brighten up and ornament the interior courtyards of the palaces. Obviously, it was a symbol of success for the aristocratic families who all, in competition with the other (aristocratic) families, wanted a staircase designed by Sanfelice.

Voice over: Exuberant, abundant, Naples offered a fertile ground for the baroque style – in the palaces, on the squares where sumptuous columns were raised – but it’s in the churches where the baroque style enjoyed its most brilliant manifestation. The church of San Gregorio Armeno is the finest example.

PB: I think the great marvels of San Gregorio are its organ chest and its tribunes which are really the archetype of baroque style, pushing decoration to its absolute limits. As well as being a jewel of the early 18th century, it’s a particularly important place from a musical point of view – not just because we can see (the figures) of singing angels, but we can imagine that the little castrati from all the 4 Neapolitan conservatories stood up there in those tribunes and that they sang during the service. The church initiated the anomaly of the castrati because they were looking, at all costs, for ideal female voices in the bodies of men – because women were forbidden to sing in church. The castrati were the perfect subterfuge to obtain magnificent soprano and contralto voices.

Voice over: But this search for excellence demanded dreadful sacrifices. In order to understand this, we have a rendezvous with the barber. In the 18th century, barbers held an important position in Neapolitan society.

Barber: Under the supervision of doctors; barbers carried out amputations on legs riddled with gangrene (hmm, nice! A.), they pulled out teeth - they were medical auxiliaries – and that’s how it was until the beginning of the surgical profession. Then the surgeons robbed them of their livelihood (took the bread out of their mouths).

Voice over: Former Director of Naples Conservatory, Father De Gregorio has rediscovered some documents illustrating the special part played by the barbers.

Father De Gregorio: They carried out operations requiring great skill in the handling of blades and knives - because their profession gave them great dexterity in the handling of these instruments. We have documents at Naples Conservatory confirming that barbers received money for carrying out castrations on children. It’s a well documented fact. Out of numerous candidates, few managed to have a great career. But in any event, in the conservatories, they nevertheless learned a profession which guaranteed that they had a good start in life. Naples was full of music. In civil as well as religious life; one needed musicians and those who studied music were assured of a minimum dignity and a paid profession.

Voice over: In the 18th century, Naples trained hundreds of castrati and throughout the town the churches resounded to (the sound of) these angel voices. With Philippe Jaroussky, we decided to return to the Chapel of the Treasure of San Gennaro where all the great castrati performed.

Presenter: Philippe, the Chapel of San Gennaro is a very important place both for the Neapolitans and for the history of the castrati.

Ph. J.: Yes. It’s one of the most prestigious places where the castrati sang a lot. We forget – we think of them as only singing in the theatre – that they also sang at all the great religious ceremonies of the year in front of the king and all the nobility, and the great Caffarelli sang for a good ten years or so at all the ceremonies in this chapel.

Presenter: The greatest castrati sang here. Was it just the castrati who sang here?

Ph. J.: The castrati and the children. Incidentally, we forget that it was children who sang in church before the castrati. I think there’s a choir rehearsing …

Ph. J. (in Italian) Hello, how are you? Is everyone well? Do you all like singing? I’m Philippe, I’m French and I’m also a singer. I’m a countertenor. Do you know what kind of voice that is?

Child: A white voice.

Ph. J. A white voice? A high voice like yours but I’m much older than you. Would you like to sing something for us?

Miss Smarty Pants (in French): We were just trying (to sing) the start of Stabat Mater because we started studying it a short while ago …

Ph. J. Perfect. You speak better French than I do Italian. I’ll listen to you now …

(Do my ears deceive me, or do these children sound particularly ropey? I think a LOT of after-school choir practice might be called for if they don’t want Pergolesi to spin in his grave. – A.)

Ph. J.: Can we start again? Have you only worked on the contralto part?

Choirmistress: Yes.

Ph. J.: Well then, I can sing the soprano part. Let’s do that.

Choirmistress: They’re a bit shy but we can try …

Presenter: We’ll leave Philippe Jaroussky with the children in this place dedicated to San Gennaro to continue revisiting the repertoire of the castrati, notably Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater (and jolly good luck with that one, Philippe! A.).

Dear Artemis-traslator, thank you very much!
¿Il divino "Jarousskelli"? Doesn´t sound bad, not bad![You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
I agree with you, Pergolesi had to turn in his grave and call out to Herod ([You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]). I don´t know as "Il divino Jarousskelli" has been able to capture the initial note. Ayyyy!

Hi, Rosamunda!

I too was rather taken with the idea of "Il divino Jarousskelli" but I really wouldn't want him to make such a sacrifice for the sake of his art!

A.

Il Divino Giaruschelli !

Perfetto!

Dear Artemis!

Endless thanks for your work ( con anima e con a lot sacrificed time! )

How was Il Divino Cencicchino ?

Coming back to the castrati who carried the name of their supporters (or financiers) in their nom de plume, I'd rather prefer to call Philippe "Fallienelli" ...

Nice one, Duffy! I like it ...

Mr. Bendo,

Il Divino Cencichino was, err, divine - especially in the second half of the concert when he treated us to arias from his "Venezia" album, which I think is one of the best things he's done. Max, as always, was great in the slower arias which seem to bring out the best qualities in his voice. I loved "Mormorando quelle fronde" (Porta - not a composer I'm very familiar with) and "Sposa, non mi conosci", which knocked my socks off! I got a bit upset as people sitting near me were making snide remarks about Max's dress sense (couldn't they hear how great the singing was?). Anyway, Max's idiosyncratic style is part of his personality and I love him for it!

A.

Artemis,

many, many thanks.

Finally I uploaded this video with subtitles!

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Thanks to Artemis for translation!

Artemis

Quote :

Patrick Barbier: Hence, he had the inscription made “Amphion built Thebes. I built this house” and a joker of the time had added a panel saying “He (Amphion) had one (a voice??, a house ?? – A.), not you”. (Ho, ho, clearly poking fun at Caffarelli’s parvenu status but as jokes go, it seems a bit obscure to me. – A.)

I corrected a bit there - "He ( Amphion ) had some, you - not".

This was a bad joke - an naughty hint at certain parts missed by castrati....

nightspell

Thank you forever!

DUH!!! NOW I get the joke - I'm obviously too naive for my own good. Thanks, Jana (and Nightspell).

A.

hahaha, I didn't understand the joke till now!!

Artemis

You ´re very welcome ( as naive as you are!)


Pilarddcc

You see, sometimes I can be also a bit useful .