Radu Marian (; born 1977) is a Moldovan male soprano (

sopranist A sopranist (also known as male soprano) is a male singer who is able to sing in vocal tessitura of a soprano, usually through falsetto or head voice technique. This voice type is a specific kind of countertenor. In rare cases an adult man may b ...

). He possesses a pure

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

voice in the range of C4 to C6, and he is considered an important singer in

Baroque music Baroque music ( or ) refers to the period or dominant style of Classical music, Western classical music composed from about 1600 to 1750. The Baroque style followed the Renaissance music, Renaissance period, and was followed in turn by the Class ...

. His

repertoire Repertory or repertoire () is the list or set of works a person or company is accustomed to performing. Whether the English or French spelling is used has no bearing, but it was the French word, with an accent on the first e, , that first took ho ...

incorporates

cantatas A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The meaning ...

written for soprano by composers like

Händel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concerti. Born in Halle, Germany, Han ...

Bononcini Bononcini is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Antonio Maria Bononcini (1677–1726), Italian cellist and composer *Giovanni Bononcini Giovanni Bononcini (or Buononcini) (18 July 1670 – 9 July 1747) (sometimes cited also as G ...

Carissimi (Gian) Giacomo Carissimi (; baptized 18 April 160512 January 1674) was an Italian composer and music teacher. He is one of the most celebrated masters of the early Baroque or, more accurately, the Roman School of music. Carissimi established the ...

, and

Frescobaldi The Frescobaldi are a prominent Florentine noble family whose influence extends deeply into the political, economic, and social fabric of Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the ...

, and the repertoire of the old

castrati A castrato (Italian; : castrati) is a male singer who underwent castration before puberty in order to retain a singing human voice, voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto. The voice can also occur in one who, due to ...

. He has been called "the Baroque nightingale" by the Italian newspaper ''

Corriere della Sera (; ) is an Italian daily newspaper published in Milan with an average circulation of 246,278 copies in May 2023. First published on 5 March 1876, is one of Italy's oldest newspapers and is Italy's most read newspaper. Its masthead has remain ...

''. Marian is an "endocrinological castrato" or "natural castrato". A natural castrato is a male singer who never went through puberty and is able to keep his "unbroken" voice intact without castration.

Life and career

Marian was born in 1977, in what was then the

Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic The Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic or Moldavian SSR (, mo-Cyrl, Република Советикэ Сочиалистэ Молдовеняскэ), also known as the Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic, Moldovan SSR, Soviet Moldavia, Sovie ...

, to a family of artists. His talent was first recognized publicly in 1989, at the International Festival of Creation in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

, where he took the Laureate prize. In 1990, at the age of 13, he was awarded first prize at the Extraordinary Talents International Festival in

Chișinău Chișinău ( , , ; formerly known as Kishinev) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Moldova, largest city of Moldova. The city is Moldova's main industrial and commercial centre, and is located in the middle of the coun ...

. Afterwards, his concert career flourished, and he also continued his singing and piano studies in Moscow and in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

. He moved to Italy in 1999. In Rome, he studied with conductor and composer , with whom he has performed the unabridged operas of

Giacomo Carissimi (Gian) Giacomo Carissimi (; baptized 18 April 160512 January 1674) was an Italian composer and music teacher. He is one of the most celebrated masters of the early Baroque or, more accurately, the Roman School of music. Carissimi established the ...

across Europe. In 2000 he recorded his first album, ''Alia Vox''. Marian is a regular guest at some of the most prestigious European music festivals. He has performed at the

Festival dei Due Mondi The ''Festival dei Due Mondi'' (Festival of the Two Worlds) is an annual summer music and opera festival held each June to early July in Spoleto, Italy, since its founding by composer Gian Carlo Menotti in 1958. It features a vast array of conc ...

Spoleto Spoleto (, also , , ; ) is an ancient city in the Italian province of Perugia in east-central Umbria on a foothill of the Apennines. It is south of Trevi, north of Terni, southeast of Perugia; southeast of Florence; and north of Rome. H ...

, the

Avignon Festival The ''Festival d'Avignon'', or Avignon Festival (), is an annual arts festival held in the French city of Avignon every summer in July in the courtyard of the Palais des Papes as well as in other locations of the city. Founded in 1947 by Jean ...

, and the

Vilnius Festival Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

. He has also performed at the

Musikverein The ( or ; ), commonly shortened to , is a concert hall in Vienna, Austria, which is located in the Innere Stadt district. The building opened in 1870 and is the home of the Vienna Philharmonic orchestra. The acoustics of the building's 'Grea ...

and Konzerthaus in Vienna, the

Concertgebouw Concertgebouw may refer to one of the following concert halls: * Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, Netherlands * Concertgebouw, Bruges, Belgium * Concertgebouw de Vereeniging, Netherlands {{disambiguation Buildings and structures disambiguation pages ...

in Amsterdam, the Maestranz Theatre in

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

, the Oratorio del Gonfalone in Rome, the

Hermitage Theatre The Hermitage Theatre ( rus, Эрмитажный Театр, Èrmitážnyj Teátr, ɪrmʲɪˈtaʐnɨj tʲɪˈat(ə)r) in Saint Petersburg, Russia is one of five Hermitage Museum, Hermitage buildings lining the Palace Embankment of the Neva Ri ...

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

, and the Galina Vishnevskaya Theatre in Moscow. He has performed as a soloist with the Clemencic Consort since 2001. Contemporary composers who have dedicated works to him include Flavio Colusso,

Sergio Rendine Sergio Rendine (7 September 1954 – 21 April 2023) was an Italian composer of operas, ballets, symphonies, cantatas and chamber music. He worked as a lecturer at the Conservatorio Alfredo Casella, for the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, ...

, Carlo Crivelli, and

René Clemencic René Clemencic (27 February 1928 – 8 March 2022) was an Austrian composer, conductor, harpsichordist, clavichordist and recorder player. Biography Born in Vienna, Austria, Clemencic was educated at the Vienna University and studied further in ...

.OehmsClassics Musikproduktion
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References

External links

Official websiteRadu Marian, Handel "Lascia Ch'io Pianga"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marian, Radu Sopranists Operatic countertenors 1977 births Living people 20th-century Moldovan male singers 21st-century Moldovan male singers