Cecilia Bartoli

Cecilia Bartoli (born 4 June 1966, 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".

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. [ [http://www.guardian.co.uk/saturday_review/story/0,,568734,00.html Nicholas Wroe, "Classic case of success". "The Guardian", 13 October 2001.] ] 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 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. She made her professional opera début in 1987 at the Arena di Verona in 1987. 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'nima del filosofo".

Bartoli has developed a repertoire suited to her voice. In addition to Mozart and Rossini, she has turned 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-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.

In addition, she has been honored with a medal from the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

In 2007/08 Cecilia Bartoli has devoted her time to 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.

Discography

Opera

*Mozart: Don Giovanni (2001)
*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)
*Mozart: Lucio Silla (1991)
*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 Arias (1989)

Recitals with piano

*Live in Italy (1998)
*An Italian Songbook (1997)
*Chant D'Amour (1996)
*Italian Songs (1993)
*Arie Antiche (1992)
*Rossini Recital (1990)

acred

*Pergolesi: Stabat Mater, Salve Regina
*Scarlatti: Salve Regina
*Mozart: Requiem (1992)
*Stephanie(1993)

Cantatas

*Rossini Cantatas Volume 2

Collections

*The Art of Cecilia Bartoli (2002)
*A Portrait (1995)

References

External links

* [http://www.deccaclassics.com/artists/bartoli/ Short biography at DeccaClassics.com]
* [http://www.ceciliabartolionline.com/ Official website]
* [http://www.decca.com Bartoli's Record Label]