Cecilia Bartoli

Cecilia Bartoli

CECILIA BARTOLI GOES FOR BAROQUE

The Mezzo-Soprano Tells Us There's More to Vivaldi Than 'The Four Seasons'
Just over a decade into her career, Cecilia Bartoli is already the most revered singer of her generation. She has a peerless catalogue of Decca albums and an ever-expanding musical horizon. Commonly dubbed the "anti-diva" for her sunny disposition and generous musicianship, the mezzo-soprano has encountered her share of brickbats of late, whether from Machiavellian opera producers or bel canto hardcases. Yet Bartoli continues to disarm: She slipped on the ice and broke her ankle in Zurich last year during rehearsals for "Don Giovanni," but rather than cancel, she underwent surgery and ten days later was onstage singing Donna Elvira -- on crutches and to tremendous acclaim.

Bartoli is unusually self-possessed and wary of routine. Her new Vivaldi Album features the ace early-music ensemble Il Giardino Armonico and shows the singer's yen for the Baroque repertory in a program devoted to the Venetian master's rarely heard opera arias. The instrumentalists' sinewy, sensitive sound and Bartoli's ever-expressive singing make a potent pairing. A highlight is the plaintive, pleading aria "Dite, oimé" from "La Fida Ninfa," sung with only Luca Pianca's quiet lute accompaniment. Amber-toned and lightly adorned, Bartoli's voice truly is something to die for.

Bradley Bambarger found Bartoli at home in Rome between European concert dates. Open and enthusiastic as always, the mezzo-soprano shows that she is conscious of Latin music of a more recent vintage. Asked if her fame causes her difficulties in her hometown, she says, "Oh, no. I go about like anyone else. Now if Ricky Martin came here, he might have a problem." Does she like Mr. Martin? "Oh, he is beautiful -- maybe too beautiful to be true." And musically? Does she care for his "La Vida Loca"? "No, no," says the former flamenco dancer. "It's not 'Loca' enough for me."

barnesandnoble.com: The Vivaldi Album is a project dear to your heart. How was it to rediscover all this rarely heard music?

Cecilia Bartoli: It was a wonderful experience, so exciting. We researched the music in the National Library in Turin, since most of it was never published. We don't even know which operas some of the arias were originally intended for, since they just appear in anthologies. And it was a great challenge working with this old music, even reading it was difficult. Il Giardino Armonico and their flutist and conductor Giovanni Antonini -- we worked very hard to try to capture all the right atmosphere for each aria. There are so many different colors in Vivaldi's music.

bn.com: Although Vivaldi is almost strictly known today for his instrumental music, it seems to me that you can hear his sense of vocal drama in his concertos.

CB: Vivaldi is always a vocal composer, always a dramatic composer. And along with being a world-famous violinist, he was most known in his time as an opera entrepreneur. It is a shame that we don't know his stage works; really, those who love Handel's operas should love Vivaldi's as well. But I think Vivaldi is special in this music because he is so human, that is what impresses me. And although the opera texts are sometimes criticized, many are very beautiful, especially the ones by Metastasio -- they are poetry.

bn.com: What are a couple of your favorite arias on the album?

CB: "Di due rai languir costante" is one; it's from an unknown opera. It's a lyric aria, with the voice in conversation with two recorders; it expresses the fact that love is a pleasure but a torment as well. Another of my favorites is "Zeffiretti che sussurate," a very beautiful piece. It features two violins representing nature; one is the river and one is the wind, and I am asking them to deliver a message to my beloved. And there are echo effects with an offstage voice -- me on the record -- where the last word in the line is echoed to emphasize the word 'love.'

bn.com: I think I heard two of the arias quote material from "The Four Seasons."

CB: Yes, "Dell'aura al sussurrar" uses the theme from "Spring" -- I think that for Vivaldi this theme was spring. And "Gelido in ogni vena" opens with some music reminiscent of "Winter"; it is a very dramatic aria, very tragic, like a song of death.

bn.com: II Giardino Armonico are certainly no strangers to the sound world of The Four Seasons. Their recording is one of the most visceral and fresh I've ever heard. It makes you hear the whole piece anew.

CB: It's true. II Giardino Armonico play Vivaldi, you can hear their hearts beating. And working with them wasn't like the usual division of here's the soloist and then there are the players and the conductor. We were a real team. We're coming to America in January to play the Vivaldi together, and I'm looking forward to it very much.

bn.com: This summer, you sang Haydn with Nikolaus Harnoncourt at the famous Proms concerts in London and with Simon Rattle in Salzburg. And along with the Vivaldi, you have a European tour and recording sessions for Handel's "Rinaldo" next month with Christopher Hogwood. You seem to be going back as you go forward.

CB: Well, I will continue to sing Rossini, and I hope to sing Mozart all of my life -- it is a privilege. And Spanish repertoire is a possibility for the future, with some De Falla. But the music of the Baroque is what I feel closest to now, that's true. Early on in one's career, you have to accept certain projects that are suggested to you, but at this point, I am able to explore new areas that I feel strongly about. As always, there are ups and downs in life, but right now, I am singing the music that speaks to me and working with musicians and producers that I love. I couldn't ask for much more.