Sopranista

Venezuelan male soprano Samuel Mariño has been feted for his phenomenal vocal range, similar to that of a female soprano and far above that of the modern-day countertenor. Alongside the soprano and “trouser role” arias (written for sopranos playing male characters), Mariño performs arias originally scored for male castrato. These last are a revelation, given that roles such as Aminta from Mozart’s Il re pastore and Orfeo from Gluck’s opera Orpheus and Eurydice have been sung exclusively by female sopranos ever since castration was banned more than 150 years ago. Mariño, at one time mentored by the great soprano Barbara Bonney, has a voice of pure liquid gold with a technique to match. The final aria by Cimarosa, a world-premiere recording, is a faultless display of vocal control, stratospheric acrobatics and sheer dramatic poise.