"Portrait of a Castrato" appears to be meant for scholars and those persons seriously interested in the Baroque world of the castrati. (The two images of "The Musicians" on the dust jacket, i.e., two Italian castrati, one Spanish, and possibly Caravaggio's adaptation of his own features, are the most immediately accessible features of the book.)
Roger Freitas describes a world far more intricate and fascinating than the superficial idea of "human nightingales" often associated with the era, an idea somewhat more applicable to the golden age of Handel and Hasse, Farinelli and Caffarelli. This study, instead, offers far more of interest than biographical information about one person or the music for which he was known. Through the author's painstaking research and analysis, one develops a much clearer understanding of the cultural, sociological, political, and even sexual practices of the time. The author also views with a fresh eye the Baroque genre of cantate and motets, demonstrating the greater subtlety in their composition and the greater importance in the life of the aristocracy than previously understood. One concludes reading the work with a sense of having gained a much more realistic understanding of the era.
Readers and authors too often fall into the trap of viewing earlier eras and practices from their own, modern perspectives, thereby slanting the manner in which the information is presented. This author avoids such a trap and leaves the readers to form their own conclusions and comparisons. "Portrait of a Castrato" is not only an engaging story; it also is worth keeping as a reference.
