Episode 7: Robert Crowe and Rachel Cowgill on the Last Operatic Castrato

Rachel Cowgill interviews Robert Crowe about his work as a male soprano and research on Giovanni Battista Velluti, the last operatic castrato. Robert and Rachel discuss the differences between the castrato, countertenor, and male soprano voices, how the public reacted to Velluti in nineteenth-century London, and what it means to be an artist at the end of an era. This episode features extracts from Robert's award-winning CD, 'The Romantic Castrato' (Toccata Classics, 2020), on which he sings music from Velluti's repertoire. Clip 1: ‘Eco o numi’ from Carlo Magno by Giuseppe Nicolini. Clip 2: ‘Nel cor più non mi sento’ from La Molinara by Giovanni Paisiello. Clip 3: ‘Ah can I think of days gone by?’ by Thomas Welsh. Thanks to Martin Anderson and David Weuste for generously allowing us to play these tracks. You can stream 'The Romatic Castrato' or buy it here: https://toccataclassics.com/product/the-romantic-castrato/ Rachel Cowgill's profile: https://www.york.ac.uk/music/staff/academic/rachelcowgill/ Robert Crowe's website: https://www.robertcrowe.com/ Bent Notes is produced by the LGBTQ+ Music Study Group: https://www.lgbtqmusicstudygroup.com/