Giovanni Carestini

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Giovanni Carestini (circa 1705 — circa 1759) was an Italian castrato opera singer.

Carestini had a two-octave mezzo-soprano range and was described by one contemporary as "tall, beautiful and majestic" (Riding 2006).

Rumors that Carestini rejected the score of Alcina led Georg Frideric Handel to respond, "You dog! You think you know better than I do what is best for you to sing? If you don't sing, I won't pay you."

Handel's opera Arianna in Creta was composed as a vehicle for Carestini to display his vocal talents. By this means Handel hoped to draw attention away from the star of his rivals at the Opera of the Nobility, the well-known soprano castrato Farinelli.

[edit] References and external links

• Riding, Alan (April 13, 2006). In Opera, a Different Kind of Less Is More: 'Handel and the Castrati'. New York Times
• Giovanni Carestini portrait via National Portrait Gallery