Cecilia Bartoli is quite young for a star of this rank. On June 4, 1966, she was born in Rome in a family of musicians. Her father is a tenor, gave up his solo career and worked for many years in the choir of the Roman Opera, forced to support his family. The singer was also her mother, Silvana Bazzoni, who performed under her maiden name. She became her daughter’s first and only teacher and her vocal “coach”. Bartoli has natural artistry amazing energy of influence on listeners. The concert took place in 1992 in London under the name A “Portrait”.
A world-class mezzo-soprano or contralto can be counted on the fingers. Having defined herself as a mezzo-soprano and focusing on the Baroque, Mozart, and Rossini repertoire, Cecilia has created a comfortable and magnificent niche for herself, which is very difficult to attack. She is always very attentive to what she performs and does it with maximum efficiency. This makes her stand out favorably against the background of many modern singers, perhaps having voices no less beautiful but stronger than Bartoli’s but unable to conquer the peaks of expressiveness.
Today it is not easy to imagine that the composers of the XVII-XVIII centuries counted on the distant future of their works: they quickly composed them performed them to give immediate pleasure to listeners. But baroque emotionality is modern, as one can easily see when coming to the coloratura mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli concert. Cecilia loves the Italian baroque music operas of the young Mozart. There are also many works by famous composers at this concert. For example, “In uomini”, “In soldati, Deh”, “Per questo istante”, “Voic che sapete”. Such vocal and stage transformations within a single work are unique for the world of opera art. In addition to Mozart’s works, Rossini’s work is present at the concert.
The opera singer begins her concert with a piece by Pergolesi about love. The second composition is a tragic composition by Vivaldi, which tells about the torments of the play’s main character. One of Rossini’s masterpieces, performed by Bartoli – “La regata veneziana “, consists of three songs, before, during, and after the regatta, on behalf of the girl Anzoletto, watching the competitions in which her beloved Momolo participates. Not many composers throughout their lives enjoyed such worldwide fame as Rossini. The great German poet Heine called him “The sun of Italy”. The famous French writer Stendhal wrote that “Rossini’s fame is limited only by the limits of civilization.” Another Rossini masterpiece performed by an opera singer is “Canzonetta spagnola”. She easily copes with the most difficult passages, and the more virtuosic the party, the more gambling her game is. Cecilia Bartoli has a phenomenal technique: to ensure this, it is enough to listen to an aria from Vivaldi’s opera “Griselda” recorded during the singer’s concert at the Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza.
Bartoli performs on a small stage in front of a full audience. There are large compositions with flowers on the stage that complement the singer’s outfit. She is wearing a long brown silk dress that does not distract the audience’s attention and does not overshadow the beauty of Cicilia. The scene is in calm, muted colors; the atmosphere is favorable and sets up pleasant emotions. This concert fully reveals the voice and personality of the singer and will not leave anyone indifferent. “The Portrait ” is an amazing opportunity to enjoy the famous works performed by the famous Italian singer.
Reference
Cecilia Bartoli, A Portrait. Full concert. [Video]. YouTube. Web.