Cecilia Bartoli
(; born June 4, 1966 in Rome) is an Italian mezzo-soprano 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 versatility to play both soprano and mezzo roles, and is sometimes considered a soprano with a low tessitura. Bartoli's coloratura skill has earned her the title the Queen of Agility
.
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CECILIA BARTOLI TICKETS
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Biography
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 on-stage 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, Silvana Bazzoni and Pietro Angelo Bartoli, were both professional singers and gave her her first music lessons. Her first public performance was at age eight as the shepherd boy in
Tosca
.
[1] Bartoli later studied at the
Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia in Rome.
[3]
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. She made her professional opera début in 1987 at the
Arena di Verona. The following year she undertook the role of Rosina in
Rossini's
The Barber of Seville
at the
Oper der Stadt Köln, the
Schwetzingen Festival and the
Zürich Opera earning rave reviews.
She was soon invited by
Herbert von Karajan to sing at the
Salzburg Festival, and 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, such as Zerlina in
Don Giovanni
and Dorabella in
Così fan tutte
, and from then on her career has developed internationally.
In 1990 she made her début at the
Opéra Bastille as Cherubino in
Mozart's
Le nozze di Figaro
and her debut at the
Hamburg State Opera as Idamantes in Mozart's
Idomeneo
. This was followed by her
La Scala début as Isolier in
Le comte Ory
in 1991, a performance which solidified her reputation as one of the world's leading Rossini singers.
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.
In 2000 she triumphed in another Mozart soprano role, Donna Elvira in
Don Giovanni
, at the
Deutsche Oper Berlin. In 2001 she made a long-awaited
Covent Garden début, taking the roles of Euridice and the Genio in the London stage première of
Haydn's
L'anima del filosofo
.
In addition to Mozart and Rossini, Bartoli has spent much of her time performing and recording 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-soprano range. As her voice has matured it has gained the fullness and "largeness" it was earlier criticized for lacking. She is generally considered one of the best mezzo-sopranos of the present day.
She was honored as a Chevalier of the
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1995.
In 2007/08 Bartoli devoted her time to studying and recording the early 19th century repertoire - the era of Italian Romanticism and Belcanto - and especially the legendary singer
Maria Malibran, the 200th anniversary of whose birth was celebrated in March 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 Belgium and the Netherlands. In May 2008, Bartoli played the title role written for Malibran in a revival of
Fromental Halévy's 1828 opera
Clari
at the
Zurich Opera.
[4]
She often cooperates with
Ensemble Il Giardino Armonico. In 2010 Bartoli will receive the
Léonie Sonning Music Prize.
Discography
Opera
- Bellini: La Sonnambula
(2008)
- Mozart: Don Giovanni
(2001)
- Handel: Rinaldo
(2000)
- Mozart: Mitridate
(1999)
- Haydn:Armida
- Halevy:Clari
- 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)
- Mozart: Lucio Silla
(1991)
- Rossini: Il Barbiere di Siviglia
(1989)
- Rossini:La Scala di seta
(1988)
Recitals with orchestra
- Sacrificium
(Arias written for Castrati) (2009) soon to be released
- 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 Arias
(1989)
Recitals with piano
- Live in Italy
(1998)
- An Italian Songbook
(1997)
- Chant D'Amour
(1996)
- Italian Songs
(1993)
- Arie Antiche
(1992)
- If You Love Me –– “Se tu m’ami”: Eighteenth-century Italian Songs
(1992)
- Rossini Recital
(1990)
Sacred
- Pergolesi: Stabat Mater, Salve Regina
(2000)
- Scarlatti: Salve Regina
- Stephanie
(1993)
- Mozart: Requiem
(1992)
Cantatas
- Rossini Cantatas Volume 2
Collections
- The Art of Cecilia Bartoli
(2002)
- A Portrait
(1995)
References
- Wroe, ''The Guardian''
- Wroe, ''The Guardian''
- Blyth, ''Grove Music Online''
- Zurich Opera and Cecilia Bartoli revive Halévy's opera 'Clari'