FrancoFagioli
Contact
For availability and general enquiries:
Fabiana Dalpiaz
Kate Robson
Representation
About Franco
Franco Fagioli is one of the leading virtuoso countertenors of our time. Renowned as much for his artistry as for the beauty of his voice, spanning three octaves, and masterful technique, he is the first countertenor to sign an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon. The singer’s relationship with the Yellow Label reflects his status as one of the brightest stars of Baroque and early 19th-century bel canto opera. His solo début recording for the company, Rossini, with Armonia Atenea and George Petrou, his album of Handel Arias with Il Pomo d’Oro and his album of spectacular virtuoso arias by Leonardo Vinci, also with Il Pomo d’Oro, have all won universal critical acclaim. In 2023 he made his Pentatone recording debut with Anime Immortali, together with the Kammerorchester Basel, exploring the music that Mozart composed for castratos.
Recent highlights on the stage have included Nerone in Agrippina and Idamante in Idomeneo for the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; The Hamburgische Bayerische Staatsopers, Munich; the title role in Rossini’s Sigismondo at the Teatr Słowackiego in Kraków; the title role in Cavalli’s Eliogabalo for the Opéra national de Paris and the Dutch National Opera; Arsace in Rossini’s Semiramide for the Opéra national de Lorraine; Andronico (Tamerlano) at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan; Ruggiero (Alcina) for the Hamburgische Staatsoper; the title role in Serse at the Staatstheater Karlsruhe; Adalgiso in Porpora’s Carlo Il Calvo at the Bayreuth Baroque Opera Festival; Piacere in Handel’s Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno for the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, the Opéra de Lille and the Theatre de Caen and the title role in Handel’s Giulio Cesare for the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires and the Opernhaus Zürich. Most recently he has performed Ruggiero (Alcina) in a new production at the Opéra de Lausanne.
He has also achieved distinction as a concert artist appearing at the Halle, Ludwigsburg, Innsbruck and Salzburg Festivals, collaborating regularly with such conductors as Rinaldo Alessandrini, Alan Curtis, Gabriel Garrido, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, René Jacobs, José Manuel Quintana, Marc Minkowski, Riccardo Muti and Christophe Rousset.
In the upcoming 2024/25 season, Franco will make his house debut at the Teatro di San Carlo with a recital of repertoire performed by the famed castrato Giambattista Velluti. Other season highlights include a tour alongside Capella Cracoviensis of Aureliano in Palmira, playing the role of Arsace. He will also appear as Acis in the Chateau de Versailles’ run of Polifemo, Farnace in Mitridate, re di Ponto at the Teatro Real Madrid, and Arsace in Rossini’s Semiramide at the Opéra de Rouen Haute-Normandie and the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées.
Representation
Season Highlights
Video
Franco Fagioli - 'O che bianco di gel'
Cavalli's Eliogabalo Credit: Dutch Nationale Opera & Ballet
PlayingFranco Fagioli - Handel: Ombra mai fu
Countertenor Franco Fagioli’s new album features his personal selection of twelve favorite arias from Handel’s rich and colorful operatic world, including excerpts from Serse, Rinaldo and Ariodante. The album was recorded with specialist period-instrument ensemble Il pomo d’oro. Listen to the key track “Ombra mai fu” (Serse) of Franco Fagioli’s new album “Handel Arias”, released on Deutsche Grammophon. Composer: George Frideric Handel (1685 – 1759) Repertoire: Handel Arias Artists: Franco Fagioli (Countertenor), Il Pomo d’Oro, Zefira Valova Place: Lonigo (Italy), Villa San Fermo, Sala Rossa Produced by: Jakob Händel Video Director: Igor Cortadellas (IGOR STUDIO) Video Production: IGOR STUDIO - www.igorstudio.com Franco Fagioli - Handel: Ombra mai fu Credit: Deutsche Grammophon
PlayingFranco Fagioli - Handel Arias (Trailer)
"Georg Friedrich Handel understood how to move souls through music", says Franco Fagioli. For his upcoming album, he chose arias he had a special connection with. "I tried to choose arias that speak to me. So I hope they also say something to you." Credit: Deutsche Grammophon
PlayingFranco Fagioli - Rossini (Trailer)
For his debut album on DG, Franco has recorded an all Rossini album. He has chosen so called "trouser roles" that approach the delightful confusion between voice and gender, particularly in Rossini’s rarely performed serious operas, with many male characters whose substantial roles were written for women and not for castrati. But the castrato voice fascinated Rossini, their "purity and wonderful flexibility; their profoundly penetrating accent". Credit: Deutsche Grammophon
PlayingFranco Fagioli - Scherza Infida (Ariodante)
Franco Fagioli countertenor "Scherza infida in grembo al drudo",Opera Ariodante aria Credit: Festival d'Ambronay
PlayingFranco Fagioli - Artaserse, 'Vo solcando un mar crud'
Franco Fagioli sings the modern revival of Vinci's Artaserse at Opéra national de Lorraine (2012) Credit: Opéra national de Lorraine
Playing
Selected Repertoire
Cavalli | Eliogabalo (title role) • Il Giasone (title role) |
---|---|
Glock | Ezio (title role) • Orfeo (title role) |
Handel | Agrippina (Nerone) • Ariodante (title role) • Giulio Cesare (title role) • Poro (title role) • Tamerlano (Andronico) • Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno (Piacere) • Riccardo Primo (title role) • Rinaldo (title role) • Rodelinda (Bertarido) • Serse (title role) |
Hasse | Siroe (Medarse) |
Humperdinck | Hänsel und Gretel (Hänsel) |
Monteverdi | Il ritorno di Ulisse in Patria (Telemaco) • L’Incoronazione di Poppea (Nerone) |
Mozart | La clemenza di Tito (Sesto) • La finta Giardiniera (Ramiro) • Le nozze di Figaro (Cherubino) • Lucio Silla (Cecilio) • Idomeneo (Idamante) • Mitridate (Farnace) |
Porpora | Carlo il Calvo Polifemo |
Rossini | Aureliano in Palmira (Arsace) • La Donna del lago (Malcolm) • Semiramide (Arsace) |
Vinci | Artaserse (Arbace) • Catone in Utica (Cesare) |
Zingarelli | Giulietta e Romeo (Romeo) |
News
Press
Carlo il Clavo (Porpora)
2021 Album ReviewJan 2023The star of the counter scene, Franco Fagioli, shines as Adalgiso with his dizzying technique, which carries even in the lower registers. Fagioli probably comes very close to the quality of the earlier castrati in his virtuoso embellishment of the musical text. His great arias and the expansive duet with Julia Lezhneva mark the absolute highlights of the recording.
- Peter Sommeregger, Klassik Begeistert
- 21 January 2023
At the end of Act 1, Adalgiso’s horrified accompagnato and flashy ‘Saggio nocchier che vede turbine in aria accolto’ typifies Franco Fagioli’s strongly aspirated and supercharged feistiness.
- David Vickers, Gramophone
- 31 January 2023