Arie antiche - Se tu m'ami (piano recital 1992)
Cecilia Bartoli, mezzo soprano
Gyorgy Fischer, piano
01 Già il sole dal Gange
02 Son tutta duolo
03 Se Florindo è fedele
04 O cessate di piagarmi
05 Spesso vibra per suo gioco
06 Caro mio ben
07 Pur dicesti, o bocca bella
08 Intorno all'idol mio
09 Nel cor più non mi sento
10 Il mio ben quando verrà
11 O leggiadri occhi belli
12 Il mio bel foco... Quella fiamma che m'accende
13 Selve amiche, ombrose piante
14 Sebben, crudele
15 Tu ch'hai le penne, amore
16 Se tu m'ami (attrib. Pergolesi)
17 Chi vuol la zingarella
18 Amarilli, mia bella
19 Delizie contente, che l'alma beate
20 Sposa son disprezzata
21 Vittoria, mio core!
*****
This is in my opinion the best of all her recordings, up to and including Sacrificium (Maria comes close, but not quite). It displays all of Bartoli's measurable advantages: a reflective quality of timbre able to summon pathos and unquestioned depths (much like Fleming at her best) which by a turn of a phrase becomes so joyous you couldn't help smiling, a very easy coloratura, immense breath support, and (admittedly an unfair advantage) a complete mastery of the Italian idiom. A must-have for all singing majors, I have especially embedded the lyrics to the songs in each file so that you can follow along as you listen on your iPod (it works on Windows Media Player also). Favourite tracks: Se tu m'ami is a gem; Spesso vibro will set your ears vibrating; Amarilli will break your heart and then piece it together again with mezzo-cream glue; Sposa son disprezzata is a masterclass in breath control and legato singing.
One quip: One wonders why Bartoli hasn't released any more of this type of recording i.e. piano recitals, in which her small voice and breathy inflections (which had been increasing over the years) would at least be less intrusive and taken as attempts to foster intimacy (only two other recordings come to mind, the live recital with Thibaudet and the delightful La danza with Maestro Levine). Perhaps because of limited literature? (She never seems to sing anything other than Italian, Latin sacred music, some French and English eg Semele, and let's face it: 60% of art songs are in German. Maybe she can sing Tosti or the Neapolitan canzone, they're really huge with audiences. A wet dream of mine: Bartoli singing Respighi's Il tramonto.) It really is a pity because her powers of interpretation are basically limitless: I couldn't hear any other Sposa son disprezzata other than her version in my head.
Cecilia Bartoli, mezzo soprano
Gyorgy Fischer, piano
01 Già il sole dal Gange
02 Son tutta duolo
03 Se Florindo è fedele
04 O cessate di piagarmi
05 Spesso vibra per suo gioco
06 Caro mio ben
07 Pur dicesti, o bocca bella
08 Intorno all'idol mio
09 Nel cor più non mi sento
10 Il mio ben quando verrà
11 O leggiadri occhi belli
12 Il mio bel foco... Quella fiamma che m'accende
13 Selve amiche, ombrose piante
14 Sebben, crudele
15 Tu ch'hai le penne, amore
16 Se tu m'ami (attrib. Pergolesi)
17 Chi vuol la zingarella
18 Amarilli, mia bella
19 Delizie contente, che l'alma beate
20 Sposa son disprezzata
21 Vittoria, mio core!
*****
This is in my opinion the best of all her recordings, up to and including Sacrificium (Maria comes close, but not quite). It displays all of Bartoli's measurable advantages: a reflective quality of timbre able to summon pathos and unquestioned depths (much like Fleming at her best) which by a turn of a phrase becomes so joyous you couldn't help smiling, a very easy coloratura, immense breath support, and (admittedly an unfair advantage) a complete mastery of the Italian idiom. A must-have for all singing majors, I have especially embedded the lyrics to the songs in each file so that you can follow along as you listen on your iPod (it works on Windows Media Player also). Favourite tracks: Se tu m'ami is a gem; Spesso vibro will set your ears vibrating; Amarilli will break your heart and then piece it together again with mezzo-cream glue; Sposa son disprezzata is a masterclass in breath control and legato singing.
One quip: One wonders why Bartoli hasn't released any more of this type of recording i.e. piano recitals, in which her small voice and breathy inflections (which had been increasing over the years) would at least be less intrusive and taken as attempts to foster intimacy (only two other recordings come to mind, the live recital with Thibaudet and the delightful La danza with Maestro Levine). Perhaps because of limited literature? (She never seems to sing anything other than Italian, Latin sacred music, some French and English eg Semele, and let's face it: 60% of art songs are in German. Maybe she can sing Tosti or the Neapolitan canzone, they're really huge with audiences. A wet dream of mine: Bartoli singing Respighi's Il tramonto.) It really is a pity because her powers of interpretation are basically limitless: I couldn't hear any other Sposa son disprezzata other than her version in my head.
