Viva Vivaldi! Arias & Concertos / Cecilia Bartoli · Il Giardino Armonico

Rating:
Summary: Extraordinary Performance
Review: Cecilia Bartoli has given the universe one of the most spectacular performances of the century and we are indeed fortunate to have a recording of it to enjoy time and time again. She is in top vocal form and her artistry and dramatic powers shine with every note. Every mood is expertly communicated, even if more strongly than sometimes expected...
Vivaldi' Gelido in ogni vena from his opera Farnace will simply leave you breathless............. and most probably in tears.

Rating:
Summary: Extraordinary Performance
Review: Cecilia Bartoli has given the universe one of the most spectacular performances of the century and we are indeed fortunate to have a recording of it to enjoy time and time again. She is in top vocal form and her artistry and dramatic powers shine with every note. Every mood is expertly communicated, even if more strongly than sometimes expected...
Vivaldi' Gelido in ogni vena from his opera Farnace will simply leave you breathless............. and most probably in tears.

Rating:
Summary: Glorious Vivaldi!
Review: Cecilia Bartoli, What can I say about her? She is a powerful blend of furor, of tenderness, of magnificent voice. And the Giardino ensemble, wonderful, pure italian flavor.
The surround sound is very nice, both the Dolby 5.1 and the DTS 5.1. My score: a 10. And for the spanish speaking people; the DVD comes with sp subtitles.
If you like woman voice, if you like opera, if you like lute and flautino concertos, in a word, if you like music and Vivaldi, then this DVD is a must, you have to get it!

Rating:
Summary: Art of the highest calibre!
Review: I have never been a lover of the music of Vivaldi (anyway not the pieces that have been beaten into a pulp by every pseudo-classical radio station around the globe). My eyes, and ears, have been opened by this amazing recital. Many music lovers are extremely critical of Cecilia Bartoli. Her mannerisms, technique, breathing etc are targets for many vitriolic tongues these days. What rubbish! Everyone does not like sterile academic performances. I think this lady, as well as every member of the orchestra in this recording, is absolutely brilliant. They make every note live! I don't think that I will in my lifetime ever hear a voice like this, interpreting music like this again! These artists make Vivaldi live again. Truly - Viva Vivaldi and Bravo Cecilia and Il Giardino Armonico. Do yourself a favour and get your hands on this DVD.

Rating:
Summary: Bartoli does Paris
Review: Let me start off by saying that I enjoyed this DVD for what it is, and not for what it could have been.

Bartoli sings with a technique that few singers have or can hope to have. My only real complaints are that she over-emphasises the words so much that it starts to have no effect: surely too much spice jades the palette just as much as too little? Also, she moves so much that she has to breathe in the middle of colaratura passages - the whole point of these passages is that they are supposed to show off the breath control and accomplished techniques of their singers. I find her to be most offensive in the Anch'il mar where her many physical movements and grimaces actually start to interfere with her technique and the music. As the mighty Wagnerian soprano, Jane Eaglen, says of how to perform Wagner: If you sing the notes as written, you cannot help making beautiful music. I wish that Bartoli could have brought that to her performance of Vivaldi. Two concerti (one for recorder and one for lute) are included on this DVD, and the orchestra does it complete justice. I love the conductor's interpretation of the music and each member of Il Giardino is a virtuoso. Aside from a few intonation problems this is a first rate performance, which I doubt anyone will be able to surpass. If you love Baroque music, or Bartoli or even the orchestra, who has quite a growing reputation of their own, please buy it. I would have given this performance 5 stars were it not for Bartoli's mannerisms.

Rating:
Summary: Yes, One of the Best Bel Canto
Review: The orchestra itself is dynamic and so quite dramatic so that it's not quite the same thing as his Concerti or his Four Seasons. As to the part the lute played, there doesn't seem to be anything particularly intriguing: some may find the accordions more amusing, and still more may find the period oboe (which was engaged in some sort of a duet with Bartoli) more impressing. But of course, at the end of the day that is very much a matter of taste.

However, if you are interested in bel canto, or if you find Joan Sutherland and Kathleen Battle enchanting, or you would like to hear Vivaldi's operatic arias, you probably also will be interested in this DVD. Put it simply, to some audience every note here is a joy, and there are quite a number of passages that few singers nowadays could do that well.



Rating:
Summary: Super!
Review: This concert is amazing, those vivaldi's vocal pieces have never been performed on the stage like this. Bartoli is too good to comment, undoubtedly the best messo-soprano. The sound of this DVD is superb, with the digital surrounding sound, you can feel the audience applauding everywhere. By the way, the orchestra did an incredibly good job, the dynamic range, the collaboration with each other, etc. all is perfect, just as hot as the vocal performance. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Cecilia at her very best
Review: Watching this DVD was a truly wonderful experience, a real feast both for the eyes and ears. The concert which was recorded in a very elegant hall in Paris last September was filled to overflowing with a very enthusiastic and appreciative audience. The generous program consisted of 14 selections, all by Vivaldi, - 12 arias and 2 concertos - and it lasted just over 100 minutes. I suspect that many of the arias sung will be new to most viewers. In fact, most of the music is relatively unknown and had to be specially transcribed for the occasion from Vivaldi's original manuscripts. And what glorious and all encompasssing music it is. The tone of the arias cover the entire range of human emotions - from happiness and joy, to reflection, to terror and absolute grief and despair. They are sung in Cecilia's truly inimitable style. Of course, the closeups afforded by the DVD far surpass the pleasures of only listening to similar material on CDs. Cecilia sings with such conviction and obvious sincerity and pleasure that it is practically impossible not to get carried away with the music. The accompanying ensemble -Il Giardino Armonico - play with their usual conviction. The enjoyment of the program is enhanced as always by the exemplary video direction of Brian Large and the beautifully recorded sound -- the closeups of Cecilia are truly engrossing. Technically the DVD is among the best that Arthaus Musik has released to date. The picture is reasonably sharp throughout (unlike some of the company's earlier releases) and the colours very pleasing to the eye. This is one of the first recital DVDs from Arthaus to feature a DTS soundtrack, as well as PCM and 5.1 dolby digital(DD). As one might expect, the DTS sound is definitely superior to the 5.1 DD, and even the excellent PCM audio. The picture format is 16x9 and the subtitles which are large and clearly legible are available in five languages including English. A multilingual information booklet about the music and artists is included. I am sure that this is one purchase which will remain a favourite of mine for a long time.