Mozart’s passion for female voices is well-known, but it should not overshadow the fact that his first great virtuosic arias were composed for the castrati! During the European tour his father embarked upon with him, Mozart was called upon to compose his first operas for the Italian stages, where the castrati triumphed in the role of the Primo Uomo in opera seria. In Mitridate Re di Ponto, premiered in Milan in 1770 by the young composer at the age of fourteen, three of the performers were castrati! This was followed by Lucio Silla (Milan, 1772), La Finta Giardiniera (Munich, 1775), and even La Clemenza di Tito (Prague, 1791), composed alongside The Magic Flute. In these Italian opera seria works, Mozart clearly gave the leading roles to the stars of the stages for which he composed, or used their presence to spice up the compositions. It was the castrato Venanzio Rauzzini who created the splendid Exsultate Jubilate, to which he was dedicated, in Milan in 1773. The incredible Franco Fagioli dedicates his resplendent timbre to this repertoire, which brought Mozart his first great successes, and for which he composed the virtuoso arias of his maturity. The performance promises an abundance of vocal strength, heightened emotions, courage, and vocal masculinity!