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With its unique, soaring beauty, the high male voice is today enjoying a huge resurgence in popularity. Heirs to the celebrated castrati of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, today’s countertenors produce their voices by wholly natural means.
In this program international stars Michael Chance, Andreas Scholl and James Bowman, as well as pop star Jimmy Somerville, shed light on the appeal of the male falsetto. Meanwhile, experts such as Michael White place today’s countertenors in their historical context.
What emerges is a compelling portrayal of an unmistakable vocal style, rooted in church and operatic tradition, yet completely up-to-date, resonating louder today than at any time in the last two hundred years.
Following the South Bank Show is a 70-minute program of specially recorded performance material, showcasing the extraordinary talents of today’s most popular countertenors.
SOUTH BANK SHOW 1. What is the countertenor voice? 2. Dowland, Purcell, Bach 3. Alfred Deller 4. A Midsummer Night’s Dream 5. Popular music 6. Castrati 7. Rodelinda
CONCERT 1. Never Weather-Beaten Saile 2. Sorrow Stay 3. Can She Excuse My Wrongs? 4. Flow My Tears 5. Since First I Saw Your Face 6. Sound the Trumpet 7. O Dive Custos 8. Strike the Viol 9. Evening Hymn 10. Ode on the Death of Henry Purcell 11. Cantata BWV 170 12. Cum Dederit 13. Stabat Mater 14. Ombra Mai Fu (Xerxes) 15. Dove Sei 16. Vivi Tiranno (Rodelinda) 17. When I was one-and-twenty 18. Is My Team Ploughing?
“…a well-illustrated history of the male alto voice in music. Recommended.” - Video Librarian
Associate Producer Mathew Tucker Produced & Directed by David Thomas Edited & Presented by Melvyn Bragg Photography: Catherine Ashmore and Hanya Chlala
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