Cecilia Bartoli
The Italian soprano or mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli (born 4 June 1966, Rome) is an opera singer and recitalist. She is best-known for her interpretation of the music of Mozart and Rossini, as well as for her performances of lesser-known Baroque and classical music. She is known for having the versatilty to play both soprano and mezzo roles, and is sometimes considered a soprano with a low tessitura.
Bartoli is considered a coloratura mezzo-soprano (Koloratur-Mezzosopran) with an unusual timbre. She is one of the most popular (and one of the top-selling) opera singers of recent years.[1] Bartoli is much liked by the concert-going public for her lively, vivacious onstage persona, while her lyric voice and investigations of other Baroque-era music have given her considerable recognition even among the non-opera-going public.
Bartoli's parents were both professional singers and gave her her first music lessons. Her first public performance was at age nine as a shepherd boy in Tosca. Bartoli later studied, appropriately enough, at the Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia in Rome.
In contrast to most opera singers, Bartoli came to prominence in her early twenties, unusual in a profession where vocal maturity is typically not achieved until the thirties. In 1985, at age 19, Bartoli appeared in a talent show on Italian television; the conductor Riccardo Muti saw her performance and invited her to audition at La Scala. Several years later, Herbert von Karajan invited her to sing at the Salzburg Easter Festival, and so she worked with von Karajan on Bach's Mass in B Minor. At this time, she also came to Daniel Barenboim's attention when he saw her performing on a French television tribute to Maria Callas. Working with the conductors Daniel Barenboim and Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Bartoli focused on Mozart roles, and from then on her career developed internationally.
In 1996, she made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera as Despina in Così fan tutte and returned the following year to sing the title role of La Cenerentola. On this occasion, there was much speculation that she had been secretly miked to boost her volume (as the Met is one of the largest opera houses in the world), but such rumours were steadfastly denied by the Met management. As a result of her acclaimed performance, the role of Angelina has become somewhat associated with her name.
Bartoli has developed repertoire suited to her voice. In addition to Mozart and Rossini, she has been turning her attention to baroque and early classical era music of such composers as Gluck, Vivaldi, Haydn and Salieri. In early 2005, she sang Cleopatra in Handel's Giulio Cesare, a role written for a soprano, but which is in mezzo range. As her voice has matured it has gained fullness and "largeness" it was earlier criticized for lacking. She is generally considered one of the best mezzo-sopranos currently practicing.
In addition, she was honored with a medal from the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
In 2007/08 Cecilia Bartoli devotes her time to the early 19th century - the era of Italian Romanticism and Belcanto - and especially the legendary singer Maria Malibran whose 200th birthday will be celebrated in 2008. The album 'Maria' was released in September 2007 and was number one in the Classical Billboard Charts in the U.S as well as achieving Gold status in Belguim and the Netherlands.
Discography
All Cecilia Bartoli albums are recorded through Decca & Philips Classics.
Opera
- Handel: Rinaldo (2000)
- Mozart: Mitridate (1999)
- Rossini: Il Turco in Italia (1998)
- Haydn: Orfeo ed Euridice (1997)
- Mozart: La Clemenza di Tito (1995)
- Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro (1994)
- Puccini: Manon Lescaut (1993)
- Rossini: La Cenerentola (1993)
- Rossini: Il Barbiere di Siviglia (1989)
Recitals with Orchestra
- Maria (A Tribute to Maria Malibran) (2007)
- Opera Proibita (2005)
- The Salieri Album (2003)
- Gluck Italian Arias (2001)
- Cecilia and Bryn (1999)
- The Vivaldi Album (1999)
- Mozart Portraits (1994)
- Rossini Heroines (1992)
- Mozart Arias (1991)
- Rossini Recital (1990)
- Rossini Arias (1989)
Recitals With Piano
- Live in Italy (1998)
- An Italian Songbook (1997)
- Chant D'Amour (1996)
- Italian Songs (1993)
- Arie Antiche (1992)
Sacred
- Pergolesi: Stabat Mater, Salve Regina
- Scarlatti: Salve Regina
- Mozart: Requiem (1992)
Cantatas
- Rossini Cantatas Volume 2
Collections
- The Art of Cecilia Bartoli (2002)
- A Portrait (1995)
References
See also
Sposa son disprezzata, an aria from Antonio Vivaldi's opera Bajazet featured in her album If You Love Me (Se tu m'ami).