Sopranista!
Samuel Mariño / Photo: Diana Gomez Images
Extravagant and talented – soprano Samuel Mariño!
«If the cover image doesn't grab your attention – a smiling, slightly cautious artist on a fancy couch in a pompous white dress and high heels – the voice will,» wrote The Times last spring, about the male «soprano» Samuel Mariño.
At this concert, Sopranista! (which means male soprano), Samuel Mariño sings music released on his debut album on DECCA 2022. The repertoire is from a time when gender norms in opera were in many ways more nuanced and fluid. Here, Mariño performs arias written for the famous male «castrato» singers of the days of Mozart and Gluck, which have largely been sung by female voices in the centuries since castration was banned.
– Regardless of whether someone feels like a man, a woman, non-binary, I want people to make music. When I wear a dress and make-up on stage, I do it because I love fashion and it's «a statement». I get messages from trans people saying thank you so much for being on stage like this. This encourages me to continue making this art that I love so much, says Samuel Mariño.
Our own Opera Orchestra plays together with Mariño at this concert.