Arias for Nicolino

Description

The creator of the principal roles of Händel’s Rinaldo and Amadigi, Nicolò Grimaldi (Naples, 1673 – Naples, 1732), known as Nicolini, was the leading castrato of his time, an exceptional artist praised as a fine actor and singer. A generation older than Carlo Broschi (Farinelli), Gaetano Majorano (Caffarelli) and Giovanni Carestini, he possessed exceptional vocal agility and virtuosity, contributing significantly to the establishment of the legend of castrato virtuosity. The young Italian countertenor and rising star of Baroque opera Carlo Vistoli gives us a perfect picture of him in this anthology by retracing key moments of his career, including excerpts from Händel’s operas but also, among others, from Giovanni Battista Pergolesi’s first opera, Salustia, which Nicolino would have sung in Naples had he not fallen ill and died during rehearsals.