SUCCULENT CASTRATOS

Thank you for Martin Bernheimer’s fascinating “The Castrato Sound: Real and Imagined” (April 2).

Though the last castrato employed in the Catholic church left recordings dating from 1902-04, it is likely that an operatic castrato would have been significantly more flashy and dramatic. The last Italian operatic castrato died in 1861.

Dr. Charles Burney (the distinguished English historian who chronicled his musical travels throughout Europe in the 18th Century) likened the impact of the male voice in comparison with the castrato to the succulent distinction between ordinary granulated sugar and pineapple--a very exotic food indeed in the 18th Century.

“Farinelli”--overblown and mythically gigantic--is perhaps more of an opera than a film. Though hardly faultless, its makers have overcome immense technical and musical difficulties. Imagine even getting it greenlighted. Whether or not Farinelli’s voice is an accurate representation, the sheer musicality of IRCAM’s computer synthesis is extraordinary. This magnificent, thought-provoking film deserves to be seen.

JANE BROCKMAN

Santa Monica