+++
author = ["authors/jenna.md"]
date = "2015-06-07T17:09:00-04:00"
lastmod = "2015-06-07T17:21:00-04:00"
primary_image = "https://res.cloudinary.com/schmopera/image/upload/v1545409169/media/webhook-uploads/1433711388849/Castel_Fotor.jpg.jpg"
publishDate = "2015-06-07T17:15:00-04:00"
related_articles = ["articles/native-speakers-their-operatic-advantage.md"]
related_companies = ["scene/companies/the-metropolitan-opera.md"]
short_description = "On May 31st, the opera world lost comprimario tenor and linguistic authority, Nico Castel. I never personally had the chance to work with Castel, but I&#039;m among the many who thanked him every day for his *Complete Opera Libretti Translation Series*, the invaluable anthologies of opera libretti, translated and phoneticized."
slug = "nico-castels-dialectic-genius"
title = "Nico Castel&#039;s dialectic genius"

youtube_url ="https://youtu.be/FHhFhN0IXew?t=20"
+++

On May 31st, the opera world lost comprimario tenor and linguistic authority, [Nico Castel](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/04/arts/music/nico-castel-tenor-and-diction-coach-at-the-met-dies-at-83.html?_r=0). I never personally had the chance to work with Castel, but I'm among the many who thanked him every day for his *Complete Opera Libretti Translation Series*, the invaluable anthologies of opera libretti, translated and phoneticized.

We know him as a language perfectionist, but he never lacked a sense of humour. Here's a melding of the two, where Castel recites the Haushofmeister's monologue from Strauss' *Ariadne auf Naxos*, one of his signatures roles. All in German, he recites the monologue à-la-American, Puerto Rican, French, Russian, Japanese...absolutely worth a watch.
