Serafini al nostro canto, cantata for 3 voices & instruments: All'arme ś accessi guerrieri
Il giardino di rose: La SS Vergine del Rosario, oratorio for soloists & orchestra: Mentre io godo in dolce oblio
Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno, oratorio, HWV 46a: Un pensiero nemico di pace
Il Trionfo della Innocenza, oratorio: Vanne pentita a piangere
La castità al cimento, oratorio (Il Trionfo della Castità): Sparga il senso lascivo veleno
Il Sedecia, re di Gerusalemme, oratorio for soloists, chorus, instruments & continuo: Caldo sangue
Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno, oratorio, HWV 46a: Come nembo che fugge col vento
Il giardino di rose: La SS Vergine del Rosario, oratorio for soloists & orchestra: Ecco negl'orti tuoi... Che dolce simpatia
San Filippo Neri, oratorio for soloists, trumpet, strings, lute & continuo: Qui resta... L'alta Roma
Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno, oratorio, HWV 46a: Lascia la spina, cogli la rosa
Il Sedecia, re di Gerusalemme, oratorio for soloists, chorus, instruments & continuo: Ahi! aual cordoglio... Doppio affetto
Oratorio per Santa Francesca Romana: Ś piangete pupille dolente
Il Martirio di Santa Caterina, oratorio: Ahi quanto cieca... Come foco alla sua sfera
La Resurrezione, oratorio, HWV 47: Disserratevi, o porte d'Averno
La Resurrezione, oratorio, HWV 47: Notte funesta... Ferma l'ali
Limited Australian pressing. An extraordinary album of dramatic arias written in Rome at a time when opera performance was forbidden by the Church, and female singers were forbidden from singing in public. Decca. 2005.
Limited Australian pressing. An extraordinary album of dramatic arias written in Rome at a time when opera performance was forbidden by the Church, and female singers were forbidden from singing in public. Decca. 2005.
CD Reviews
Brava Diva!
Erin Matthiessen | Portland, OR USA | 10/07/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is singing of astonishing technical fluency and emotional power. I was not surprised by the ease and punch of her runs, trills, ornamentation; that is how Bartoli first impressed us. But in this recital, it is the power of her intense fragility, to borrow from e.e.cummings, that most moves me. The interpretation of "Lascia la spina" is breathtaking and heartbreaking. Like the fabulous Jo Stafford, she uses her amazing breath control as a means of emotional communication.
Through her last few CDs - the Vivaldi album, the Gluck project and now this current CD - Bartoli has emerged as a mature, full-bodied, full-on interpretive artist. There is no one on the current scene to match her for virtuosity, fearless risktaking, or emotional profundity."
Brilliance of Technique Matched by Scholarly Achievement
Grady Harp | Los Angeles, CA United States | 09/14/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Cecilia Bartoli continues to grow as an artist and as an intelligent contributor to the realm of musically important yet neglected works. The concept of this recital - exhuming works once censored by the Church as inappropriate - include works by Handel, Scarlatti, and Caldara, some of which have made their way onto the concert stage, and some that have fallen into the cracks of the plethora of music from this period.
Bartoli is here supported by the fine conducting of Marc Minkowski and Les Musiciens du Louvre. The songs range from the florid bravura of Scarlatti's 'Serafini al nostro canto' to the simplicity and restraint of Caldara's 'Aria di Santa Eugenia. Vanne pentita a piangere'. It is of interest to know that these arias were for the most part written for castrati rather than for the female voice and Bartoli seems to appreciate that fact in her manner of performance.
This is not only an album of gorgeous singing, it is also an important recording of premieres of works that, were it not for Bartoli's insatiable curiosity and intelligence, would probably never have been available for our enjoyment. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, September 05
"
La Dolce Cecilia
Valerie | 11/20/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This album is the most original and exciting classical CD release of the year! I love what Cecilia has done with this undiscovered music, she has more energy and brilliance than all other opera stars combined. I am actually glad she has stopped doing all this "regular" opera material, I don't need to hear any more Rossini and Mozart. Actually, by the end of 2006 which is Mozart anniversary year, we will all be really sick of Mozart... Based on this Opera Proibita album, I would like to hear ten more hours of early Handel and Caldara.
I wish other artists would leave standard repertoire behind and started singing this great music. Of course, not many people can actually sing these pieces, written for the great castrati, and Cecilia is one of the very few who can sing them with such bravura. The fast, acrobatic arias are dazzling and the slow arias are so beautiful. Vanne Pentita A Piangere is a real gem, and if it wasn't for Cecilia we would never hear it! This aria also displays her messa di voce, and ravishing pianissimo, they are to die for. Castrati were not famous for their upper range, and not required to have high notes as we know them today but I like the way Cecilia spices up these arias with few stratospheric high notes,they are totally brillianr and would make many sopranos green with envy, but she uses them with great taste.
I think the cover of this album is very witty, a tribute to that famous scene in Fellini's film classic. Indeed, in each aria Cecilia gives a us a little encapsulated movie scene. She is so good at making the text come alive, using many colors of her voice to highlight the effect. Her diction is perfect, but in case your Italian is little rusty, all the texts and translations are included. When you read them, you will understand how much feeling Cecilia puts into these mini dramas. Just listen to the way she sings this one word, "Moro, moro..." in Caldo Sangue.
There will always be detractors who will talk nonsense about her "deficient" technique, I understand they are jealous of Cecilia's talent, the little people. For the rest of us, there's always the joy of hearing Cecilia tear into "All'arme Si Accesi Guerrieri", she is at war with bland, insipid music! Thank God we have our Cecilia to remind us that music can be exciting and exhilarating. I love all these stories how people who only listen to rock music heard Cecilia on the radio and went to buy this CD. You should buy ten copies of it and give them to your relatives, I don't think they will hear any yelps in her fioritura, I know many of my friends will be getting this album from Santa this year. Mille Grazie to Cecilia for bringing us this great music!"
Santa Cecilia, ora pro nobis
Akimon Azuki | 11/21/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Santa Cecilia is the patron saint of music, and Cecilia Bartoli is on her way to become the patron saint of forgotten Baroque music. I tried to be impartial about this album, as there were few vocal Cecialinisms on display that rubbed me the wrong way, but the religious zeal displayed by cara Cecila in preaching the Apocryphal Gospel of the Holy Baroque is just too much to handel.
Who else on the current vocal scene, male or female, has the technique to sing Farinelli's Son Qual Nave in concert, and then face the challenge of other extreme arias written for the castrato superstars in the days when opera was so hot, it was banned by the Pope, and composers turned to opera's younger cousin, the oratorio?
Cecilia also chooses to eschew the balmy evenings in Rome, sitting under canopy and sipping wine, and instead she's spending time in dark and possibly very musty libraries, rummaging through manuscripts. Caldara and other obscurities- can't she just go over to some music store and pick up a copy of "Handel's Pleasing and Pretty Arias for Everybody"?
Yes, there are mannerisms and crazy technique, and when all this is coupled with Cecilia's hyperkinetic energy, the result is often an aural equivalent of mad, cackling hen coming at you at 200 mph. Having just seen her live, I also have a hard time listening to Che dolce simpatia without seeing Cecilia bouncing up and down, like some pastoral bird that had little too much honey. Ciofi or Genaux could do these arias, possibly with a lot more polish and subtlety. But then it's Cecilia that makes it all is so damn exciting.
Minkovsky and his period-instrument Louvre orchestra are providing admirable backdrop, and I loved the cascading waves of their sound in Un Pensiero Nemico Di Pace and Sparga Il Senso Lascivo Veleno, plus spectacular trumpet playing, but this is really one woman show, and in showstoppers like All'arme si accesi guerrieri or Sparga il senso, Cecilia is on fire.
And then there are these gentle breezes arias, and one of them, No 2, Mentre io godo, is among the most beautiful pieces of music I have heard this year. The famously recycled Lascia la spina and everybody's favourite Vanne Pentita are also perfect. Cecilia means what she sings, and her attention to text is a notch above many of her contemporaries; only madrigal singers usually get so engaged with the words, but in the HIP circles, and especially at these breakneck Baroque speeds, not many singers can hold the fort. Certainly she can ham it up in her interpretations, but on this album it works, especially in slow, plaintive arias, and her ornamentations are a little crazy but very exciting.
Even if you still have doubts about some of Cecilia's vocal and stylistic choices, this album is too good to pass, and for anyone even vaguely interested in exquisite performance of unusual Baroque repertoire, this is a great splash, La Dolce Vita style, in the fountain of Santa Cecilia."
Bartoli wins back my heart
Silicon Valley classical lover | Los Altos, CA | 10/07/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I purchased this CD in anticipation of Bartoli's October performance at Zellerbach Hall (Berkeley). Both live and on disc, Bartoli has reached a level of vocal agility, clarity, and emotional understanding unmatched in classical music today. Now, before thinking this is just another review by a gushing fan, note that I have NOT historically been a Bartoli fan. This was the result of being exposed to her CDs way back in the early 90s, when she was still in her mid 20s and yet to develop a command of voice and style that she has today. At the time, I found her voice to be too mechanical, slightly shrill, and unmatched for the vocal range of the arias that she attempted. Unfortunately, this caused me to not follow for career for much of a decade. I instead held Renee Fleming in the highest esteem as the epitome of fine singing of the present day. Thus, Bartoli's Vivaldi, Gluck, and Salieri recordings were not heard by me.
A few months ago, I noticed that Bartoli was to give an "Opera Proibita" recital with Zurich Orchestra La Scintilla at Berkeley. I decided on a whim to fight for tickets (and quite a battle it was, considering the performance sold out in a matter of hours) since "for whatever reason" Bartoli was a hot ticket item. In preparation for thsi performance, I decided to familiarize myself with the style of music and singing that I would hear.
I purchased this CD, and was immediately floored by the juxtaposition of vocal pyrotechnics with soft lyrical phrasing that seems to float to the heavens. Bartoli's coloratura runs, which before seemed "hammering," have matured into a buoyant and completely effortless technique, without sacrificing any agility of pitch. Bartoli's ability in this regard is otherworldly. My favorites on this disc to listen to are "Lascia la spina" and "Un pensiero nemico di pace," because I'm a softie for the slow lyrical songs that most truly reflect Bartoli's "voice of 1000 colors." "Ecco negl'orti tuoi...Che dolce simpatica" is a cute and fun song.
For those of you who think I shun her more dynamic pieces, I've come to appreciate them just as much after attending the Zellerbach performance, in which Bartoli sang about 90% of the songs on this disc. Seeing her live...the way she connects to the orchestra and the audience...draws them in, wins them over, and makes a crowd of 2000 adults a consortium of raving screaming maniacal fanatics for her voice underscores the power of persuasion embodied in her singing and personality. This woman has a lung capacity that is beyond human! Audience members literally started laughing as she tackled particularly long coloratura runs...she kept going and going and going...without having to take a single breath. You'll hear these same songs on this CD, and I recommend you try to imagine her singing these in person to truly grasp the full effect of their brillance. By the way, she also sang "Lascia la spina," and I was nearly in tears. In all my years of attending musical performances, that's the first time something like that has ever happened. Says something about a voice that can reduce a grown man to a puddle of emotions.
So yeah, I'm sold on Bartoli. I'm now going to backtrack and explore the decade that I missed. For those of you considering this album, please...do NOT miss out on the phenomenon of Bartoli, better than ever."
Track Listings (15) - Disc #1