Cecilia Bartoli - Semele - No no, I'll take no less

[nzerfromlondon]

This is very impressive, but Rosemary Joshua does it so much better! She doesn't need to aspirate every note but still is laser accurate with just as much passion, a much more musical interpretation!!

[elcaos10]

But... Rosemery sings slow

[saxcoburg]

Incinerated after a night of passion: what an exit!

[CantoSemper49]

OMFGGGGGGGG HOLY JESUS THOSE RUNS!!!!

[HappyLuckyGlad]

I'm impressed by the actor.. I think I'd just look at Cecilia astonished with my mouth wide open :p

[Allanfearn]

No-one seems to remember Jennifer Vyvyan in the first LP set of Semele in this aria. It's a while since I heard it, but she wasn't far off this speed. And she was a shade more musical than this. Christie and the band seem to be enjoying themselves as much as Bartoli.

[Allanfearn]

No-one seems to remember Jennifer Vyvyan in the first LP set of Semele. It's a while since I heard it, but she wasn't far off this speed. And she was a shade more musical than this. Christie and the band seem to be enjoying themselves as much as Bartoli.

[xoxpenguinxox]

10 people have no taste or hearing.

[MotherWaggy]

This is the first time I have heard anything like this. This is amazing. Jaw dropping stuff. To be there live would just take my breath away.

[cantanteporsiempre]

wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo­ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

[oliviasmulyan]

ahh my cecilia being intense as usual. i love you cei cei!

[Thomas02ify]

Quel souffle !! C'est absolument incroyable !

[ADFONTES08]

BRAVO! :-)

[ceciliafan1]

great runs!

[ceciliafan1]

ok the second excess is hilarious! never heard her sing like that. cecilia you are awesome!

[FoggyRoad81]

This is about the best I've heard her, a lot fewer of her unlistenable "pops." Still done much better by Battle though.

[ankaviva]

How come that she as so much energy for singing and doing exercices at the same time???

:)

[norcalrobbie2]

Too fast? Nonsense. Semele is supposed to be pissed off! Rosemary Joshua is a great singer but her interpretation compared to Bartoli's is devoid of emotion. Thankfully Bartoli remembers that opera is also theater, and theater requires the ability to act.

[tomasitok2]

I used to love William Christie recordings, but this version of Semele dissapoints me too much. His choices of singers and of tempi. I have nothing against Bartoli, but I quite dislike when she messes with Handel, my favourite composer.

Hope she tries another repertoire in which she could excell. XIX century bel canto, being more precise... Ancient music with her voice is not very pleasant.

[romarius2005]

I agree.

[tristanchord85]

"messes with Handel"? Sure, just like Nilsson "messed" with Wagner or Callas "messed" with Norma.

[titomanlio75]

Bravo, Cecilia !!!!!!

[titomanlio75]

Bravo, Cecilia !!!!!!!!!!

[emma181084]

This is pretty impressive - but too fast! Amazing but still prefer Rosemary Joshua's version...

[wimniewenhuijs]

Brilliant singing and performing by Cecilia Bartoli!. I've the video-dvd in Blue-Ray! The music is in dolby-surround, exellent.

[littlechildren01]

No, no, I'll take no less,

Than all in full excess!

Your oath it may alarm you.

Yet haste and prepare,

For I'll know what you are,

With all your powers arm you.

No, no. . . da capo

[patrickhufschmid]

wow she is fantastic!

[Handelfreak]

Why does the conductor insist on taking it faster than she can sing it. He speeds it up at every instrumental interlude and then she slows it down whenever she has coloratura. Ridiculous!!!!  She sings it fast enough already.

[sour7lemon]

It actually sounds like she is pushing the tempo moreso than he is. I think she's more than capable of taking this at even a faster tempo, she doesn't seem the least bit tired or held down tempo-wise.

[la200o]

@Handelfreak I agree, much too fast. I prefer the wonderful Rosemary Joshua's version, not at all emotionless, as one commenter would have it.

[Houman22]

AMAZING!

[vincik80]

unica cantante barocca nel vero senso del termine: capace cioè di suscitare meraviglia, stupore e commozione quando l'ascolti! la sua voce è strumentale, elettrizzante nelle agilità, la musicista è impeccabile, ma al tempo stesso l'interprete è partecipe e comunicativa.... grande bartoli....

[Homoclassicus]

Brilliant! Her voice always sounds beautiful and controlled even with all the intricate coloratura. Her breath control and accuracy are jaw-dropping. And it's certainly much more difficult to join all those vocal qualities while being so expressive and engaged in the acting. This is one of her best recent performances!

[NatashaNabokov]

I love her voice, I just can't watch her act....oh well...

[jleeol]

Well at least she tries really hard.

[BWV1906]

bartoli is simply the best at this...so that she is sooooooo great that those nipping at her heels like rosemary and the bunch are absolutely wonderful.....these girls are all great and amazing but this is bartolis show!

[ceciliafan1]

yes it is!

[craigbarbour085]

WOW!

[shnimmuc]

Wonderful performance by Bartoli, but bad ornamentation over the top. Who ever wrote it does not know what they are doing. The conductor should not speed up between vocal entrances.

[eddi1178]

These are the roles for her, no that business about Malibran!!

[lchiner]

Sublime Cecilia

[Viahandel06]

I love her talent!!

Will this performance ever be on DVD?

I wanna know! XD

[moghedien13]

Cecilia is always wonderful but she truly does excel when things get extreme, like rage arias and very slow soft floating lento's. she should try Alcina I think she would be great at it.

[palcika1]

I had the luck of attending an all-Handel concert of hers, consisting of very fast and very slow arias. "Ah mio cor" was one of the best, besides "Se pieta" and what I liked best, "Scherza in mar". I thought too, that she should sing Alcina.

[andreasscholl]

Yes, and even more Handel soprano arias.

Her voice has lightend!

[elisavonderrecke]

What an absolutely marvellous talent! Nothing static, voice controlled, very vibrant, great acting. And pretty too. She just puts her complete being in her performance. !

[rockanne]

I love this! She is an excellent actress. BRAVA!

[newhotmailit]

L A M E R A V I G L I A ! ! !

[aurele65]

Cecilia nous montre encore qu'elle est une pro de la colorature et quel impact sur le plan dramatique! Elle en fait toutefois comme souvent un peu trop.

[IlCaroSassone]

Lord, I can't WAIT for this dvd to be released later this summer or fall! FANTASTIC!

[Donnaelvira1919]

What superb production! And Cecilia will do it again at the same place in February 2009! Can't wait!!!

[Donnaelvira1919]

What a superb production! And Cecilia wiil do it again at the same place in February 2009. Can't wait!!

[Aniretak205]

Ah, what soprano doesn't want to have a temper-tantrum like this? Go, Cecilia!

[ceciliafan1]

she has those in armantae facet et anguibus! another PERFECT example of this!

[AccidentalTouch]

I'd LOVE to have a pillow fight with her! =D

[Cristinavrr]

BUUUaaaaa!!

Es un mounstruoo!!

Genial, que coloratura.

Brava Cecilia!

[MrCallas]

OMG! I always wondered if she'd ever touch Semele. Awesome! Am I the only one that thinks maybe the orchestra's a little too fast though....listen to how they have to pull the tempo back at every coloratura passage! And if it's too fast for Cecilia's runs, then it's too FAST period! lol. Amazing performance though!!

[Graviak]

hrhr, this is a great!

to BLK: i really love her wild und surprising ornamentations. They sometimes give me a hearty laugh, because i never ever would have expected something like this. The da capo parts are the point in the aria, where the composer not only meets the singer, but they melt together. I think Handel would have liked what she is doing. ;)

[Serrart]

Beautiful and powerful performance, thanks a lot for the video!

[zafzafellu]

My Cecilia? Singing in English? In the middle of a bitch fight?? AMAZING! I just LOVE this!!!!!!!!!

[tjonesmusicman]

OMG she shinging in english!! I have never heard her sing in english before. she sounds superb!!!

[audoss]

jajaja viva bartoli, amazing performance, showing a great sense of humour, simply unique.

[operaman2000]

`If you can, listen to Sills live from Cleveland in the middle sixties.

[bill7671]

Wow!!!! This has the explosive impact of a 20 Mega ton atomic bomb, a superb performance from the equally stunning Cecilia, beautiful as always!!!!!!

[bill7671]

Wow!!! This has explosive impact of a 20 Mega ton atomic bomb, a superb performance from the equally stunning Cecilia, beautiful as always!!!

[LaBartoli]

WOW!!!!

I just thought to myself during all this aria that not long ago when someone interviewed her, she said she didn't sing yet in english. And now some months have passed, and we can tick a big big V near this mission in the list :) She's awsome, every opera singer's ambition...

[andreasscholl]

Ha ha, her English accent is so funny!!!!!

So leave it that way.

My God, the high notes....brava.

[lenochka222]

DIVA!

[tetasdevirgen]

Man oh man

So huge

[BWV1906]

omg! absolutely great as usual!!!!

[rakewell2]

i like the part where she starts kicking and throwing stuff. she is so damn cool! viva cecilia!

[operagirl81]

Wow she sang the crap out of that song. And I've never heard her sing in English before!!! Brava!!!!

[operagirl81]

Wow she sang the crap out of that song. And I have never heard her sing in English before! Brava!!!! That was awsome.

[lyrikbordo]

the better singer in the world !!!! VIVA SANCTA CECILIA !!!!!!!! BRAVA !

[Dortmunderstrasse]

She is immortal!!

[guiradobrasil]

Simply amazing, no matter what many people say about her, she's unique

[lyrikbordo]

BRAVA ! the best singer of the world! I love her voice, her colorature. she's wanderful in boroques arias! BRAVA CECILIA !!! SANTA CECILIA !

[TheAleph74]

Love her acting! Her coloratura is amazing, though I personally prefer non-separated notes (she puts a slight break between each note). Still, BRAVA!

[hallohooo]

amazing! out of this world!!

[zieckzack]

She's UNIQUE. The Chosen ONE! Viva Bartoli!

[altodivo]

Wow...you go girl!

[BlkMuscGent]

Her English is great! Her coloratura is accurate although I question some of her da capo ornamentation. I love Bartoli and think she does an excellent job with this aria. My one quibble? Her trills. I wish they were less "muscular."

[mizake74]

Pazzesca!!!

[smnole]

Difficult aria...but not difficult enought :)

Very...nice :)

[vitellia]

Oh my god, her English diction is so good as her coloratura. Now I can't think of anything that she can not sing to perfection! And she's so convincing as the spoiled bitch that Semele is. I hope this comes out on DVD!!! SOON!

[andreasscholl]

I like her accent....ha ha.

Like MY Italian aunt!

Brava.

[andreasscholl]

I adore her accent!!!!

She is great..wonderfull.

[Alrick54]

She's absolutly divine ... Incredible agilty, and what a great actress ! She's definitly the Queen of Baroque ...

[aurele65]

Elle déchire dans cet air! Le DVD sort en février chez DECCA.

[FidaNinfa]

it's great!!!

Semele:

No, no, I'll take no less,

Than all in full excess!

Your oath it may alarm you.

Yet haste and prepare,

For I'll know what you are,

With all your powers arm you.

[andreasscholl]

Verry spicy and much Bartoli!!!!

Ha ha!!!

[andreasscholl]

A verry spicy Handel aria!!!

Much spitting, and much Bartoli.

Nice...

[Alrick54]

She's absolutly divine ... Incredible agilty, and what a great actress ! She's definitly the Queen of Baroque ...

[Alrick54]

She's absolutly divine ... Incredible agilty, and what a great actress ! She's definitly the Queen of Baroque ...

[ariadneaufnaxos]

BRAVO!!

Could you please post her "The Morning Lark To Mine Accords His Note "? Please! Please! Please!

[isimice]

Wow - singing like that and smashing cushions in such an expressive and convincing way, this is cecilia! Thank you for the video!

[andreasscholl]

I love this!

Her Italian accent makes it spicy!!!!

Brava Bartoli.