Nicola Porpora - Polifemo "Alto Giove" Philippe Jaroussky

Nicola Porpora
Polifemo "Alto Giove"
Aci's aria from the act III, sc. 5
Text: Paolo Rolli
Forces: Soprano, strings & continuo
In part from the website 'Cantata Editions' (www.cantataeditions.com):
''The aria made famous through the film 'Farinelli: il castrato' Beautiful and virtuosic, it concerns Acis thanking Jupiter for making him immortal.
In two sections, the beautiful lento with its slowly moving harmony and sinuous vocal line, and an unexpected andantino middle section."
Philippe Jarroussky is only singing the lento part.
In this recording:
Philippe Jaroussky, countertenor
Australian Brandenburg Orchestra
Paul Dyer, harpsichord/director
(Recorded live in the City Recital Hall, Angel Place, Sydney, July 2007)
Original Text:
Alto Giove, è tua grazia,
è tuo vanto il gran dono
di vita immortale
che il tuo cenno sovrano mi fa.
Translation (by Marc D.):
Almighty Jupiter, your grace
and your fame are the great gift
of immortality
that you give me in a sovereign gesture.

[@orfeonegro]

Belleza... qué belleza.

[@virginielafrench3921]

Magnifique ! J 'essaie de chanter avec Philippe cet air plutôt difficile

[@lylesargent4863]

I don't know why people in the modern day don't compose pieces like this. This is incredible

[@garysantiago4437]

+ Lyle Sargent is the paradise

[@mariaashot5648]

+Lyle Sargent It's because the music industry promoters have an agenda to destroy the minds and souls of the young. So they pick the worst possible stuff to promote: much of it isn't even "music" anymore, really. There are still a few great composers out there. Sometimes you will hear a bit of extraordinary work in the score of a film, for example, or even a particular elaborate TV commercial. But mostly the real talent is kept hidden away, because, after all, if you promote a Philippe Jaroussky properly, who would ever again be interested in hearing the voice of Miley Cyrus, or Justin Bieber? Especially if you took away all the technological crutches being used to make them sound halfway credible in the profession that has made them so rich?

[@rosemaryallen2128]

@@samuellabrecque880 'Like this'! Wow, you are confident that you are going to produce masterpieces! Well, if you do, we shall be profoundly grateful! But remember, the very greatest are invariably the most humble.

[@rosemaryallen2128]

Because no art is produced in a vacuum: classical music peaked in the C18, declined into increasingly self-indulgent romanticism, and is now no more than messing about with dissonance. The same degeneration can readily be seen in painting. New artistic movements will doubtless arise elsewhere, but civilisation in Europe is in its last gasp. I should be glad to be proved wrong!

[@Nemorino80]

Perfetta interpretazione e timbro meraviglioso......complimenti

[@rustyspo0ns]

There is something that just gets me in the first few notes. This magnificent vibrato and the way he just grabs that high E with such force yet it sounds like his last breath. This interpretation is truly special.

[@settecentista8469]

A rich treasury of perfectly deployed galant schemata: 00:10 Lully over tonic pedal 00:18 Scalewise Romanesca 00:26 Fenaroli-Ponte 00:36 Morte 1:18 Scalewise Romanesca 1:37 Le-Sol-Fi-Sol 1:51 Scalewise Romanesca 2:05 Heartz 2:11 Meyer 2:14 Scalewise Romanesca 2:31 Scalewise Romanesca 2:42 Fenaroli-Ponte 3:23 Le-Sol-Fi-Sol 3:39 Prinner 4:26 Morte

[@martyrrt]

Truly beautiful. A masterpiece.

[@DvdMr69]

I love to sing this piece after i finish it i feel so calm and relaxed its a wonderful piece of music

[@virginielafrench3921]

Yes but soooo hard to sing ! How many years does it usually take to be able to master it ? ( if ever we do )

[@mariaashot5648]

Thank you for providing the Score, and also for the exquisite orchestral restraint and velvety sound!

[@Kairava]

Where's my life's fresh air and water? .....Oh there he is!

[@virginielafrench3921]

Me neither ! Philippe Jaroussky, the best medicine . Go away Xanax ,Doliprane ,Deroxate

[@natassamakri5869]

Divine...

[@vaniabarros952]

Amoooooooo essa voz!

[@omegaeloy]

Amazing.

[@mirthacastillo4332]

Bellísima interpretación Voz galardón y magistrales músicos ! .. se puede imaginar a Pórpora componiéndola .

[@renatapassoni1379]

Torino Barocca. 23 gennaio 2022 . Questa stupenda voce su note di elevatissima purezza infonde serenità alla mia mente. Uno dei grandi capolavori regalatici da chi ci ha preceduti. 🌹🎼🌹

[@ACHNATONADRIAN]

PORPORA:ALTO GIOVE - E FANTASTIC.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! + JAROUSSKY E FANTASTIC - BRAVISSIMO.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@SaBiNuKi]

Pure Heaven

[@vk2nf]

heard Jaroussky sing this live with Dyer and the Brandenburg Orchestra last night in Sydney - it was one of those moments of absolute perfection in music performance that leaves you awestruck

[@MariadeBsAs]

Beautiful!! Philippe is superb!!

[@FelixJacominoEdTech]

One of the most BRILLIANT KZbin postings EVER!!! Thank you civileso!! Sei un Bravo!!!

[@abarakus1]

La voz de phillipe es adictiva

[@rivagesyrtes]

This is, I think, the best performance of Jaroussky's Alto Giove. He was close Giove!

[@jazreyes8617]

Magica opera Alto Júpiter te lleva a otro mundo 😍

[@oberega]

Thank you *kowtow*. Thank you for this score (it's very interesting for me to read this text) and for this audio. Every time I listen this aria I smile through my tears. This music, this voice are imbue with such sadness and tenderness, sun and rain, grief and happiness....... It is amazing.... Thanks Philippe. Thanks civileso

[@jumadj76]

Superlativo Jaroussky

[@civileso]

As I mentioned in the video description, it is a live performance, an encore from a recital in Australia (see description for more details). It was recorded from a radio broadcast and never officially released in any of his albums or DVDs.

[@georgefirk5531]

I have just said to myself...This is incredible.

[@lamsauping]

love it

[@servoporamor1]

This aria was coposed for the Male soprano castrato Farinelli!

[@lthousekeeper]

It is incredibly beautiful! Made me cry! Many memories for me. Thank you so much!

[@gregoryludkovsky5185]

just gorgeous !!!so beautiful and sensitive . thnx 4 posting

[@angelcabezas883]

" La música es una revelación más excelsa que la sabiduría" . Beethoven.

[@relationship24]

How amazing!!..

[@fernandsanchis9881]

Comment peut-il se trouver des personnes pour cliquer sur "je n'aime pas ce contenu"? Qu'on m'explique! Si l'on n'aime pas la musique classique, ou la musique vocale, on n'écoute pas Jaroussky chantant Porpora! On va sur les vidéos de rock, ou de jazz, ou de rap! Dans le cas contraire, on ne peut qu'aimer, et admirer, et remercier pour cette magnifique prestation!

[@jimbart76]

Stunning.

[@riittasalonen8941]

Marvellous !

[@amadeusforever1]

D'habitude, je n'aime pas sa voix , ni ses interprétations, mais là, je suis bouleversé. L'orchestre est sublime , et P.J est tout en retenue, intériorité, profondeur, et simplicité...une merveilleuse ligne de chant... Quel régal !❤❤❤❤❤

[@ac8907]

Je crois qu'il a une des voix d'homme les plus hautes......

[@herveduval777]

Exactement l'inverse ....J'écouterais P J pendant de heures , mais pas ici . Même si il reste au dessus de la mélée . Ecoutez Simone Kermes qui est sublime dans ce rôle .

[@amadeusforever1]

@@herveduval777 totalement d'accord.... Simone Kermes est dans le sublime, c'est absolument magnifique !!!!

[@oberega]

Undoubtedly! :)

[@eliezerabello]

Obrigado Sr. Jaroussky! Muito lindo, espero que minha versão seja ao menos a metade em qualidade.

[@SocrateAdmirer]

Ci sono mesiche chi andono direttamente al cielo senza toccare terra.

[@Zantorc]

Thanks for posting serval different versions of this, I found the comparison quite interesting. I think I like this one the best, but they all have their good points.

[@sergiofabian65]

Exquisito

[@pir0ka]

Hermoso

[@nicolasantoro4049]

❤

[@delauge]

very right!

[@ac8907]

It would be interesting to have also the text and his traduction. I think this king of piece is more compréhensive When we know the text. Thanks

[@seankirkham3488]

this aria was written by the singing teacher of Farinelli one of the most celebrated castrate of all time and sung by him, so saying this is a woman's song is just stupid because it was written for a man

[@alaneggleston8680]

We might consider if the song was written for a female "character" onstage. Females were not allowed onstage much, so it could have been for a female character. I don't know the background of the opera, or the aria, so I could be mistaken.

[@zentinela1716]

@jommelli You can find it at Farinelli's soundtrack disc

[@doddsalfa]

Jaroussky and Scholl are the best.D.Daniels sounds sometimes like an old lady:)

[@civileso]

@OperaCurtainCalls Yes, I had seen that video. It was posted some time after my comment. I even remember searching a lot on YT to find a version by anyone... but could only find that amateur video. Then, like two weeks later, I saw Hallenberg's version recommended to me on my homepage. As you can see, I said "so far", not forever in my comment. Unlike Erikk91 here, I am not against anyone singing this, male or female. Heck, even I sing it. So why not PhJ or Hallenberg?

[@cuicuimusic]

yeah, jaroussky is a countertenor with a soprano like quality to his sound. for instance he has quite a solid low range (not afraid of low Bs in falsetto) and rarely goes into head voice unlike very mezzo like countertenors like cencic. but he also doesn't go higher than a high A, and rarely over a high G which differentiate him from a sopranist. sorry if i'm rambling :)

[@NewTrinityBaroque]

Porpora's "Alto Giove" is one of the most beautiful opera arias ever written! Here is also a recording from our performance with Predrag Djoković: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g5WZZZukbJ6cja8 we hope you will like it!

[@olialto7]

What's the difference between what Jaroussky's singing in (falsetto presumably?) and head voice in your opinion? I'm an alto (countertenor) and I've never found myself able to sing in more than one 'voice' in that range!

[@cuicuimusic]

what i mean by head voice is the emission you would use to make the notes you are doing now as a countertenor, if you were a tenor. in otherwords, for a tenor , a high G to C would be the top of his range while for you as a coutertenor it would be your middle range. your low C would be the medium range of a tenor. that would be your speaking voice, so to speak.

[@GerardRatigan]

@Erikk91 As for me, I don't want to read such stupid comments any more ! This aria is supposed to be sung by Polifemo, who was not a woman, and composed by Porpora for a male singer.

[@olialto7]

It's surprising what a wrong impression you can get from recordings then. I would have thought that Scholl had a pretty strong, resonant voice.

[@joelfernandozunigafigueroa3400]

Creo que QUEEN se habrá inspirado al principio ,en algunos acordes,no les parece?,,,bien por este JAROUSSKY a igual que MERCURY ..Es una opinión muy personal.

[@olialto7]

Oh, I see now, by head voice you mean (what I would call) light or blended chest voice. Incidentally, I'm a tenorish countertenor, so like most gentle lyrical tenors (and unlike Jaroussky and Cencic) don't spend too much time in the heights! The tenor high C is a comparatively 'high' note for me.

[@olialto7]

Well, no, I don't think I'd expect that from any countertenor really... Although having said that I've heard the British countertenor Nicholas Clapton in a recital and rehearsing in his room (from across a courtyard!) and he has a very powerful voice. I suppose it's not much of an issue for me, because I'm not a huge opera lover.

[@civileso]

@Erikk91 Who are "we" Erik? As for me and many who watched this and other versions of this aria (which, by the way, was written for a man) don't feel the necessity to exclude male singers or make it mandatory to listen to it from a female singer. Not to mention that I never heard it (so far) sung by a woman singer, barring the only female version on YT, chopped off by a so-called soprano (schmoprano).

[@Nikita1031]

@zentinela1716 While that track is on the disc, I don't believe Jaroussky is the performer.

[@olialto7]

Yes, Daniels' is a wonderful voice, although I often have issues with the way he uses it, certain off-putting mannerisms that he is, and ways of distorting vowels at the top and bottom of his range. I think you're wrong to suggest that Daniels can achieve greater depths of expression than other singers just because his voice has a richer colour and he uses it more dramatically, though. I think that Alfred Deller, for example, was highly expressive, using only the simplest means.

[@torbjornstalberg9147]

Alfred Deller´s Italian pronunciation was not something to boast about either. However, following the Italian phonetic PJ makes diction errors yes, but if you listen with the heart and not just for technicalities these minor slips are insignificant. Mannerisms are based personal taste and choices. If one analyses the solfeggi Porpora wrote for his students to improve their technique, style and abilities were all personalised. There are treatises from that time but I do not remember if there are any from the Neapolitan School. Difficult to say exactly how it sounded they improvised at the time in Naples as we have no surviving recordings. he he However, there are some arias remaining written for Farinelli with the variations written into the score e.g. by Farinelli´s brother Carlo. They can be found in Franz Haböck´s book Die Kastraten und ihre Gesangskunst. But, again, these were written for Farinelli and for his abilities.

[@Petya119]

In Hungary: Hülye -e vagy . fültelen.

[@joelfernandozunigafigueroa3400]

El joven dimash..no podrá cantar jamas como JAROUSSKY y tampoco como el mas grande del siglo XX..MERCURY., es mi opinion.

[@inchesa1]

@inchesa1 cow get in your farm

[@killerbunny123123]

thats really impressive....what an artist....too bad he has no trills at all :(

[@doddsalfa]

Arno Raunig is far from being better than Jaroussky!Very far:)Jaroussky and Scholl are probable the best counter tenors in the world.

[@lucianoc.6956]

Bruttissimo timbro, voce aspra, nel panorama dei controtenori di oggi non regge il confront:, vedi un Cencic, un Fagioli un Mineccia un Tim Mead o altri che hanno un timbro molto più pastoso e bello. Quella di Jaroussky è proprio una brutta voce di controtenore.

[@MujerGorgonita]

love it