Gaetano Orsini (c. 1667 ‐ 1750), often only named Gaetano, was a castrato singer. Born in Bologna, his path took him to Milan and Vienna. At the court of Vienna, he was one of the busiest singers; his career at the Hofkapelle lasted more than 50 years in which he performed in many oratorios and operas. As the Österreichisches Musiklexikon notes, his voice was often accompanied by a violoncello or chalumeau obligato, not a very frequent choice, which helps us to make assumptions about the character of Orsini's voice that it complemented the obligato part so well.
Gaetano Orsini | |
|---|---|
| Born | Gaetano Orsini ca. 1667 Bologna |
| Died | October 21, 1750 (aged 82–83) Vienna |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Years active | 1694 or earlier until 1739 or later[1] |
An incomplete list of works where Orsini's part was paired with the violoncello:
- Antonio Caldara: Andromaca 1724,
- Antonio Caldara: La Clemenza di Cesare, 1727
- Antonio Caldara: Telesilla 1729
- Georg Reutter der Jüngere (Georg Reutter the younger): Il Tempo, e la Verità, Dialogo, 1731
- Antonio Caldara: Enone, 1734,
Works where Orsini's voice was matched to the Chalumeau:
- Giovanni Bononcini: Turno Aricino, 1707
- Francesco Bartolomeo Conti: Teseo in Creta, 1715
- Johann Joseph Fux: Orfeo ed Euridice, 1715, 1728
- Johann Georg Reinhardt: La Più Bella, 1715
- Antonio Lotti : Il Costantino, 1716
- Francesco Bartolomeo Conti: Sesostri Rè d'Egitto, 1716
- Antonio Caldara: Ormisda, 1721
- Antonio Caldara: Il Re del Dolore, 1722 (oratorio)
Orsini was one of Johann Joseph Fux' preferred singers. With the exception of his opera Psiche (1720), Orsini appeared in all of Fux's operas, as well as in the coronation opera Costanza e Fortezza (1723) in Prague.
Towards the end of Karl VI's reign, Orsini's performances became rarer, especially after Caldara's death in 1736. However, he appears in the singers' lists of Viennese opera scores until at least 1739. (abridged from the Österreichisches Musiklexikon)[2]
Gaetano Orsini in Philippe Jaroussky's discography
Solo Albums/Recital albums
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 2020 | La Vanità del Mondo |
Complete list of musical numbers originally sung by Gaetano Orsini
This listing only contains the musical pieces performed and/or recorded by Philippe Jaroussky.
| Year published or performed | Title | Work | Lyricist | Composer | Album, Video or Concert Program | Year first published/performed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | "Bacio l'ombre e le catene" | Giovanni Domenico Filipeschi | Antonio Maria Bononcini | 1709[3] |
References
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedÖsterreichishesMusiklexikon - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedÖsterrreichischesMusiklexikon - ↑ "Antonio Maria BONONCINI (1677-1726), La decollazione di San Giovanni Battista (1709)". Musicweb International. Archived from the original on October 21, 2021. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
<ref> tag with name "ÖsterreichischesMusiklexikon" defined in <references> is not used in prior text.Further Reading
- "Orsini, Gaetano Felice". Österreichisches Musiklexikon Online. Archived from the original on October 21, 2021. Retrieved October 21, 2021.