After a couple of years of not hearing La Bartoli live, I was a little apprehensive before her concert at the Lucerne Culture and Congress Centre, KKL, after having read Rupert Christiansen’s Telegraph review of her concert with Rolando Villazón last December describing her voice as ‘worn and threadbare’, having followed her calendar with its many performances of Norma, and … [Read more...] about Cecilia Bartoli – the enchantress casts her spell at the Lucerne Festival
Baroque
Il trionfo del tempo e del disinganno at La Scala… what a disillusion
Il trionfo del tempo e del disinganno (The Triumph of Time and Disillusionment) is an oratorio by Handel which the Opernhaus in Zurich decided to stage as an opera in 2003, when La Scala’s CEO Alexander Pereira, was head of the company. He decided to bring Jürgen Flimm’s production to Milan as part of a sort of Pereira Festival which will see several of Pereira’s ‘greatest … [Read more...] about Il trionfo del tempo e del disinganno at La Scala… what a disillusion
Coin du Roi’s Serse is musically on the right track
In a climate of crises and cuts, how glorious that a Baroque formation has been created in Italy. Coin du Roi opened their first season, which consists of three titles, with Handel’s Serse in Milan. The work was last seen in the city in 1962 with a young cast consisting of Mirella Freni, Fiorenza Cossotto, Luigi Alva and Rolando Panerai. It was staged at the now inexistent … [Read more...] about Coin du Roi’s Serse is musically on the right track
Cecilia Bartoli to head Monte-Carlo Opera’s new baroque ensemble
Les Musiciens du Prince is a new baroque group under the umbrella organisation of the Opéra de Monte-Carlo which will have Cecilia Bartoli as its artistic director. She has signed a six-year contract with the opera company lasting until 2021. Les Musiciens du Prince should give its first concert in a year's time. It is assumed that Bartoli will perform with the group, rather … [Read more...] about Cecilia Bartoli to head Monte-Carlo Opera’s new baroque ensemble
Cecilia Bartoli: “Contemporary composers can’t write for opera singers like me”
I've been following this project for eight years and I've been to St Petersburg many times in train or by ship, because I don't like flying; one of the most beautiful trips was on the icebreaker from Lübeck in Germany. I put on gloves and rummaged through the archives of the Mariinsky Theatre, through documents that are centuries old, and finally I found the scores of the … [Read more...] about Cecilia Bartoli: “Contemporary composers can’t write for opera singers like me”
Cecilia Bartoli on discovering a new composer, vocal styles, and bella Italia
Cecilia Bartoli's new album will be on the shelves in a couple of weeks' time. If Mission is successful it should put early Baroque composer Agostino Steffani (1655-1728) back on the musical map. He largely fell off it because his 'day job' as a diplomat and priest made it necessary for him to write many of his works in secret or under another name. The Repubblica's Giuseppe … [Read more...] about Cecilia Bartoli on discovering a new composer, vocal styles, and bella Italia
The Bartoli investigation continues with a crime writer and a priest who wrote operas in secret…
Decca continues its cat and mouse game, urging Cecilia Bartoli fans to 'investigate' her latest project, Mission. The new YouTube video with the second 'clue' takes us inside Radio Svizzera Italiana's major recording studio, Auditorio Massimo. We see conductor Diego Fasolis and his players, Bartoli's dressing room, and a map of Turkey... The titles of the music scores are … [Read more...] about The Bartoli investigation continues with a crime writer and a priest who wrote operas in secret…
Acclaimed baroque orchestra La Petite Bande will fold after spending cuts
From January 2013 La Petite Bande will cease to have state funding. The Netherlands' baroque orchestra was formed in 1972 by Sigiswald Kuijken, but they say that the elimination of subsidy will mark the end of the orchestra. Until this year annual funding has been €575,000. It will now be €0. Kuijken was astonished by the decision to turn down their … [Read more...] about Acclaimed baroque orchestra La Petite Bande will fold after spending cuts
Vivica Genaux: a bit like dancing on pointe: bizarre and unnatural, but compelling when done well
Coloratura singing, as a wise observer remarked, is a bit like dancing on pointe: bizarre and unnatural, but powerfully compelling when done well. Vivica Genaux does it very well indeed. The American mezzo-soprano made an all-too-rare return to the Bay Area on Friday night, appearing in Herbst Theatre with Nicholas McGegan and the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra with a … [Read more...] about Vivica Genaux: a bit like dancing on pointe: bizarre and unnatural, but compelling when done well
Anna Caterina Antonacci ‘simply stunning’ at the MITO Festival in Milan
It may be a cliché, but Anna Caterina Antonacci has, like a fine Italian wine, got better with time. Twenty years ago she was floundering with vocal problems, and it was probably this that gave her a nervy stage presence. She took time off, trained hard, and climbed her way back to the top. Her perfect technique lets her pass from Carmen to an intricate programme of Baroque … [Read more...] about Anna Caterina Antonacci ‘simply stunning’ at the MITO Festival in Milan