Open Features: Giovanni Velluti
Peter Wintersgill brings brief details of the life of Giovanni Vellutio, the last of the great castrato singers.
Born
28th. January 1781 in Corridonia, Italy.
Adult life
The last of the great castrato singers, he was unrivalled in Europe for most of his career. Among his favourite roles were Arsace in Rossini's Aureliano (1813) and Armando in Meyerbeer's Ii Crociato in Egitto (1824), both of which he created.
He died 22th January 1861 in Venice aged 80.
