In a play approximately the healing power of song,who does the singing? Countertenor Iestyn Davies ponders the challenges of breathing life into the castrato singer Farinelli in Claire van Kampen’s playI’ve spent the summer singing David in Handels Saul at Glyndebourne Festival Opera, a role that sees my character use his powers of song to calm the jealous rage and insanity of the mighty Israelite leader. The power of song to mosey the ailments of a king was surprisingly relevant at the time of Saul’s premiere. Only a season or two before, and in 1739,the great castrato singer Farinelli had left London and his brilliant career to acknowledge such a call at the court of Philip II of Spain. Philip’s courtiers were at their wits’ stop attempting to solve his increasing lunacy. Farinelli was a hit. Twenty years later and several thousand arias lighter he packed his bags and returned home to Italy and retirement having gone some way to “curing” the king with music, and elevating his own position to the stratosphere of the Spanish court and politics.
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Source: theguardian.com