Песни кастратов

In Italy alone, about five thousand boys were castrated for the purpose of growing sweet-voiced singers. Opera career was a real chance for children from poor families to secure their future. The musicians looked for capable boys, persuading their parents to undergo an operation. In the Kingdom of Naples, all families with at least four sons were officially allowed to castrate one of them for the benefit of the church. So the castrato was established on the European scene. Evgeni Malikov rightfully bears the title of the most misanthropic of right-wing conservative critics. However, his book on director's opera, also called "director's opera", is full of true kindness and is intended for those who have never been able to read music. Here, such components of the performance as the director's concept and stage design are analyzed. The extreme dandyism of Malikov places opera in the camp of mass culture and gives it the first place in a series of spiritless entertainment. This does not prevent getting close to the director of the play - the creator ...