Bartoli is considered a coloratura mezzo-soprano with an unusual timbre. She is one of the most popular (and one of the top-selling) opera singers of recent years. Bartoli is much liked by the concert-going public for her lively, vivacious on-stage persona, while her lyric voice and investigations of Baroque music have given her considerable recognition even among the non-opera-going public.
Early career:
Cecilia 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. Bartoli later studied 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. The following year she undertook the role of Rosina in Rossini's The Barber of Seville at the Cologne Opera, the Schwetzingen Festival and the Zurich 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.
Broad success:
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 Royal Opera House début, taking the roles of Euridice and the Genio in the London stage première of Haydn's L'anima del filosofo.
Work in Baroque music:
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 often performs with the baroque Ensemble Il Giardino Armonico.
Work in bel canto:
In 2007/08 Bartoli devoted her time to studying and recording the early 19th century repertoire – the era of Italian Romanticism and bel canto – 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. In June 2010 she sang the title role of Bellini's Norma for the first time with conductor Thomas Hengelbrock in a concert in the Konzerthaus Dortmund. In March 2011, Bartoli toured five Australian cities with two programs, drawn from Sacrificium and Maria.
Awards and position today:
Generally considered one of the best mezzo-sopranos of the present day, Cecilia Bartoli was honored as a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1995 and received the Léonie Sonning Music Prize in 2010. She becomes artistic director of the Salzburg Whitsun Festival, succeeding Riccardo Muti, in 2012. Cecilia Bartoli is married to the Swiss bass-baritone Oliver Widmer. In 2011, she won the Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Performance for Sacrificium.
Discography - Opera:
Rossini:La Scala di seta (1988)
Rossini: Il Barbiere di Siviglia (1989)
Mozart: Lucio Silla (1991)
Rossini: La Cenerentola (1993)
Puccini: Manon Lescaut (1993)
Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro (1994)
Mozart: La Clemenza di Tito (1995)
Haydn: Orfeo ed Euridice (1997)
Rossini: Il Turco in Italia (1998)
Mozart: Mitridate (1999)
Haydn:Armida (2000)
Handel: Rinaldo (2000)
Mozart: Don Giovanni (2001)
Bellini: La Sonnambula (2008)
Halevy:Clari (2008)
Recitals with orchestra:
Rossini Arias (1989)
Mozart Arias (1991)
Rossini Heroines (1992)
Mozart Portraits (1994)
The Vivaldi Album (1999)
Cecilia and Bryn (1999)
Gluck Italian Arias (2001)
The Salieri Album (2003)
Opera Proibita (2005)
Maria (A Tribute to Maria Malibran) (2007)
Sacrificium (Arias written for Castrati) (2009)
Recitals with piano:
Rossini Recital (1990)
If You Love Me – "Se tu m'ami": Eighteenth-century Italian Songs (1992)
Arie Antiche (1992)
Italian Songs (1993)
Chant D'Amour (1996)
An Italian Songbook (1997)
Live in Italy (1998)
Sacred:
Mozart: Requiem (1992)
Scarlatti: Salve Regina
Pergolesi: Stabat Mater, Salve Regina (2000)
Cantatas:
Rossini Cantatas Volume 2
Collections:
Cecilia Bartoli Rossini Heroines (1992)
A Portrait (1995)
The Art of Cecilia Bartoli (2002)
Sospiri (2010)
Casta Diva
Cecilia Bartoli Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Queste sacre antiche piante,
Tempra tu de' cori ardenti,
Tempra ancora lo zelo audace.
Spargi in terra quella pace
Che regnar tu fai nel ciel.
Al noi volgi il bel sembiante,
Fine al rito. E il sacro bosco
Sia disgombro dai profani.
Quando il nume irato e fosco
Chiegga il sangue dei romani,
Dal druidico delubro
La mia voce tuonerà.
Tuoni; e un sol del popolo empio
Non isfugga al giusto scempio;
E primier da noi percosso
Il proconsole cadrà.
Sì, cadrà... punirlo io posso.
(Ma punirlo il cor non sa.)
(Ah! bello a me ritorna
Del fido amor primiero,
E contro il mondo intiero
Difesa a te sarò.
Ah! bello a me ritorna
Del raggio tuo sereno
E vita nel tuo seno
E patria e cielo avrò.)
Sei lento, sì, sei lento,
O giorno di vendetta,
Ma irato il dio t'affretta
Che il Tebro condannò!
(Grazie a Cristiana per questo testo)
The song Casta Diva, sung by Cecilia Bartoli, is an aria from the opera Norma by Vincenzo Bellini. The lyrics, in Italian, speak of the goddess of the moon, Casta Diva, who the singer calls upon to temper the fiery and audacious hearts of the people and to bring peace to the earth. The singer pleads with Casta Diva to show her beautiful face without any clouds or veils. The song then shifts to a more dramatic tone, speaking of a sacrificial ritual and the need to keep the holy groves free of the profane. The singer declares that if the Roman consul demands the blood of the Romans, her voice will thunder from the druidic temple and the people will be punished for their wrongdoings. The singer finds strength in the memory of her first love and vows to defend her love against the whole world. The song ends with an impatient plea for the god of vengeance to hurry up and fulfill his duty.
Line by Line Meaning
Casta diva, che inargenti
Pure goddess, who silvers
Queste sacre antiche piante,
These sacred ancient plants,
Tempra tu de' cori ardenti,
Temper the ardor of hearts,
Tempra ancora lo zelo audace.
Temper the daring zeal.
Spargi in terra quella pace
Spread on earth that peace
Che regnar tu fai nel ciel.
That you make reign in heaven.
Al noi volgi il bel sembiante,
To us turn your beautiful face,
Senza nube e senza vel!
Without cloud or veil!
Fine al rito. E il sacro bosco
End the rite. And the sacred forest
Sia disgombro dai profani.
Be unloaded from the profane.
Quando il nume irato e fosco
When the angry and dark deity
Chiegga il sangue dei romani,
Asks for Roman blood,
Dal druidico delubro
From the druidic shrine
La mia voce tuonerà.
My voice will thunder.
Tuoni; e un sol del popolo empio
Thunder; and not one of the impious people
Non isfugga al giusto scempio;
Escapes the just punishment;
E primier da noi percosso
And first struck by us,
Il proconsole cadrà.
The proconsul will fall.
Sì, cadrà... punirlo io posso.
Yes, he will fall... I can punish him.
(Ma punirlo il cor non sa.)
(But the heart doesn't know how to punish him.)
(Ah! bello a me ritorna
(Ah! Beautiful to me return
Del fido amor primiero,
The faithful first love,
E contro il mondo intiero
And against the whole world
Difesa a te sarò.
I'll defend you.
Ah! bello a me ritorna
Ah! Beautiful to me return
Del raggio tuo sereno
Of your serene ray
E vita nel tuo seno
And life in your bosom
E patria e cielo avrò.)
And I'll have homeland and heaven.)
Sei lento, sì, sei lento,
You're slow, yes, you're slow,
O giorno di vendetta,
Oh day of vengeance,
Ma irato il dio t'affretta
But the angry god hurries you
Che il Tebro condannò!
Who condemned the Tiber!
Contributed by Taylor B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
екатерина орешина
Какое чудесное исполнение!какой подвижный голос,прекрасное владение мелизмами И самое главное-певица не просто поет,живет в музыке,в роли.Браво!
Michael Lehmann
Прослушала Casta Diva в исполнении 5 самых великих певиц... Каждая - великолепна и уникальна по своему...
Но только голос Сесилии Бартоле заставил меня ловить и лелеять каждый легчайший звук, только её исполнение я слушала от начала и до конца снова и снова и не могла ни разу прервать на середине, и плакала от счастья и нежности...
Ilya Muromec
@Максим Юрьев конечно не умеет. Это Максим Юрьев вместо нее поет на записи.
Максим Юрьев
@о т По-моему Ч.Б. просто не умеет петь.
Олег Воронцов
@bodiloto Они поют разную музыку... То что поёт Бартоли, Калас не споёт так... Норму не поют маленькие голоса🤷♂️
Galina Sharshakova
Да !Чечилия погружается и живёт Там...Невероятно!!!! Ещё Джессика Норман..... Их можно слушать бесконечно! Проживают каждый раз и я проживаю с ними и улетаю... и выправляется душа и мозг.
Любава Яра
@Оксана Мызникова Звоночек.
МАРАТ МАДВАРОВ
ВЕЛИКАЯ МУЗЫКА....БОГОМ ВЛОЖЕННАЯ В ГОЛОВУ И ДУШУ КОМПОЗИТОРУ
Зоя Гольдштаб
Волшебная бессмертная музыка! Потрясающая Певица!!!!
User User
Слушала в исполнении многих певиц, но голоса и исполнения краше Суми и Бартоли, по-моему, нет. Любуюсь каждим звуком! "Спасибо" до слез искреннее и сердечное!!! Истинно великая певица!