The Castrati: The Dark Secret Behind Opera’s Most Extraordinary Voices

For centuries, Europe’s most celebrated opera singers had voices that sounded almost supernatural — powerful, soaring, and unlike anything audiences had ever heard before.

They were known as the castrati.

From the sacred choirs of the Vatican to the grand opera houses of Europe, these singers became some of the biggest celebrities of the 17th and 18th centuries. Kings invited them to royal courts. Fans travelled across countries just to hear them perform. Some became astonishingly wealthy and famous.

But behind those extraordinary voices was a secret far darker than most audiences realised.

In this episode of The StickyBeak, Monika O’Hanlon explores the strange and unsettling history of the castrati — how the practice began in Renaissance Italy, why thousands of boys were drawn into the system, and how a handful rose to become global superstars like Farinelli.

You’ll also hear about the last surviving castrato, Alessandro Moreschi, whose early 1900s recordings remain the only surviving example of what these voices actually sounded like.

It’s a story about music, fame, ambition… and the uncomfortable lengths societies will sometimes go to in pursuit of beauty.

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