I love Mozart’s music in general but, most of all, I love
his operas: the works from his teenage years, which offer many
enjoyable moments, and especially the masterpieces that he created
later: the operas composed to Da Ponte’s librettos. Therefore,
I tend to jump at the opportunity of reviewing any new recordings
of Mozart’s arias, particularly by voices that I have never
heard before. This was the main reason why I really wanted to
review Michael Maniaci’s CD but not the only one! After
having read a considerable amount of very different and often
contradictory comments regarding his voice, I felt curious and
wanted to form my own judgements.
Maniaci is a talented young man but he faces a double challenge:
he will have to beat not only other male and female singers of
the same repertoire but also the prejudice, which some people
will feel even before listening to him; simply because he is a
male soprano. The words “male” and “soprano”
do not usually go together and mutually exclude each other. If
one is a soprano then one must be a woman and if a man sings with
a distinctively feminine voice then is because he is singing
falsetto
and therefore he is not a soprano but a counter-tenor. Mozart
and generally all 18
th century composers wrote for
male sopranos, the celebrated
castrati who were at the
peak of their fame during this period but, as we all know, were
submitted to an operation to castrate them before puberty. Therefore,
these boys did not develop into manhood as any other males would.
Naturally this is not Maniaci’s case. He states that his
voice did not change during puberty like the rest of his body
and that doctors found that his larynx and vocal chords had not
lengthened or thickened in the normal way. Whatever the reason,
he does possess a rather unusual voice.
I have read countless articles and reviews about Maniaci’s
voice, arguing whether it is really natural or not and, if so,
why did he turn out a soprano instead of a tenor or any other
common male voice. I think that too much emphasis has been put
on why his voice is the way it is rather than his singing. So,
I decided not to go into it for two reasons: I have no medical
knowledge or background and I don’t think it matters. Michael
Maniaci can definitely sing and he can sing rather well. The arias
featured here are all pieces that Mozart composed for
castrati.
These are not only musically beautiful but also difficult to execute
convincingly. And
this Maniaci manages to do throughout
most of the disc.
The booklet notes state that “... Maniaci’s soprano
voice gives us the chance to hear something closer to the descriptions
of old [of the castrato voice]...”! It may well be true
but I suppose we will never know. The point is however that Maniaci
is an assured, accomplished singer; he possesses a solid
coloratura,
his transitions from
piano to
forte and back again
are seamless and his voice appears very comfortable in its highest
register. Personally though, I did not always find it beautiful.
Occasionally, he suffers from the same problem as countertenors
when they reach the upper register of their voices, which is the
fact that they lack power because the notes are purely head notes,
without chest resonance to sustain them. So, Maniaci’s top
notes sometimes sound forced, strident and slightly distorted,
which spoils the beauty of line that he undoubtedly possesses.
On the other hand, his middle range is considerably more attractive,
with a purer sound. In some of the pieces, he also demonstrates
other superb qualities: the recitatives are exquisitely and clearly
phrased; his
legato is excellent and he is dramatically
very expressive.
Maniaci’s voice suits the Mozart repertoire, which he chose
for this disc, as well as any other roles written for soprano
castratos, namely some of Handel’s, but it must be said
that he faces fierce competition from some great female sopranos
and mezzos, as well as from some countertenors. His delivery of
Deh per questo instante solo from “La Clemenza di
Tito”, for example, compares unfavourably with that of Cecilia
Bartoli, in her Decca recording of Mozart arias from 1991. Another
piece where Maniaci’s performance again loses to a female
voice is in the beautiful aria
Il tenero momento from “Lucio
Silla”, which I compared with that of Kristina Hammarström
in Adam Fisher’s full recording of the opera for the Dacapo
label in 2001-02. Both women sing effortless in the upper register,
with a beautifully clear, ringing tone, simultaneously moving
and harmonious while I found that Maniaci sometimes lacked these
qualities. On occasions, the sentiment and delicate phrasing,
which in my opinion are required in Mozart, were also missing
from his interpretations. I liked his rendition of
Il padre
adorato from “Idomeneo”; however, I must say that
I still prefer the version by Léopold Simoneau from 1951
when he sang and recorded the role live at Glyndebourne. I am
however rather partial to the tenor voice, especially one as clear
and beautiful as Simoneau’s. On stage, I think Maniaci may
have the upper hand over his female counterparts, meaning that
the roles were after all originally written for men; and women
are not always believable or convincing in male roles. Maniaci
is a good-looking young man; he sings with dramatic expression
and these are attributes that will play to his advantage; the
only thing I would say is that he needs to improve his diction,
which is not always clear; occasionally, making it impossible
to tell what language he is singing in.
Having said all that, I think this CD of Mozart arias is actually
an excellent effort by Maniaci, wonderfully accompanied by the
Boston Baroque, conducted by Martin Pearlman who also wrote the
very informative booklet notes. Pearlman is a distinguished conductor
but also a composer and an expert in early music. This expertise
comes through in the technically flawless performance of the orchestra,
playing on period instruments, which lends more authenticity to
the music and Maniaci’s performance.
In the end, whether one buys this recording of Michael Maniaci
or not will probably come down to personal taste or, in some cases,
how one views or feels about a male soprano. To my mind, prejudice
has no place in appreciating somebody’s artistry. Maniaci
is undoubtedly talented; there is a lot to be enjoyed in his singing,
and his interpretation of Mozart’s music shows great musicianship
and clear understanding of the composer’s scores. And although,
I prefer some of the arias in this disc performed by other singers,
I must say that I enjoyed the work as a whole. Maniaci is a pleasant
revelation: he is technically very strong, with an impressive
vocal range and it is refreshing to hear something different.
It is difficult to say if he will be able to make a big career,
bearing in mind the exceptional competition that he faces; however,
his belief in his own ability and the determination, which he
seems to possess, should eventually be rewarded and he may well
achieve great success.
Margarida Mota-Bull
Michael Maniaci (male soprano) 
