Cecilia Bartoli 1994 -- From "La Sonnambula," Bellini

[MrBillymartines]

brava, Paizá !!!!!

[Poetapersempre]

ma come minchia canta? 

[Poetapersempre]

Non si può né guardare né sentire...

[SludgeMcPoople]

Brava Bartoli: She sings always with such amazing agility, grace always, "con mosso," richly emotive.

,

[olympicfreak678]

was this really the original version composed for Pasta? i know it's not supposed to be mezzo-y, but it is rather high, and the Ah non giunge was lowered back to the "original" when Bartoli sang it.

[Gerundinos]

@olympicfreak678 no, this is the version for Maria Malibran

[glpb24]

she is living every word , every note , she takes me anytime , amazing bartoli!

[magicmonkichi]

I love this. Her mom was in the audience if i remember right. I couldn't imagine having to sing like this, infront of so many people...including my mom lol Brava~!

[OLIVCHEN77]

But shes defenitely one of the best singers of the last 25 years!  And I like thois version more than her version on MARIA. In this she sings portamenti -which this music need - and so- after all- BRAVA SANTA CECILIA !(I hope both Comments will be published!)

[oliviasmulyan]

GOD HOW I LOVE YOU CECILIA! XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

[saratogapuntocom]

Bellisima! Espectacular!

[bodiloto]

che cosa devo apprezzare l'aria che esce dalla sua gola,o la sua voce che non si sente ?vocalmente livello secondo anno scuola media,e ancora...finalmente come funziona ? il pubblico vede Batrolli come gira i suoi occhi dal "piacere",la sua faccia...e chiaro che un pubblico senza preparazione si dice : Bartoli adora la sua voce,be allora che artista,con le faccie che fa dalla gioia,che piacere,brava !.........

[voncarmelo]

Non si può sentire, non si può guardare. Insomma uno schifo totale!!!

[killerbunny123123]

Well this woman is fantastic....she is so simple and comes from such a simple italian family...she is a diva but she is as modest as ur next door woman...and i seriously doubt if there are that many singers that are half as enthusiastic as she is when she sings. You can clearly see the joy in her eyes.

[Babs22h]

her expressions at 7:19-7:21 and her facially insanity from 8:37-8:43 are beyond farcical and hilarious they are simply genius! brava bartoli!

[Pathetikos]

I HATE her artificial sighs and sentimentalisations! She could do a more tasteful job with her technique.

[JSBach5000]

@Pathetikos -- dude, it isn't artificial.

[primohomme]

Great voice have options, it's not as simple as high/low or bright/dark. Cecilia has a high F in fact, but she also has a low E.

[manebu11]

A small voice or the big one ? Doesn`t seem like a small voice to me :-) However, I`m completely lack of any musical education...Hope that`s not the reason I like her voice so much?

[manebu11]

A small voice or the big one? Doesn`t sound like a small voice to me :-) However, I`m completely lack of any musical education...Hope that`s not the reason I like her voice so much?

[marlyharris]

I'm making amends for my former dislike of Bartoli. She's an incredible musician and a truly great singer. Her vocal category? Range does not determine whether one is mezzo or soprano. The color of her voice is amber and lush. Call her whatever you decide, This rendition is fabulous.

[porcamiseria629]

Actually, pouetpinpon, Bartoli is quite faithful to what Bellini actually wrote. The 2nd stanza of the cabaletta would have been ornamented in Bellini's time. Bartoli did tasteful and period appropriate ornamentation. No cadential high notes, and virtually note perfect rendition.

[pouetpouetpinpon]

too bad the playback netrebko's version isn't on YouTube anymore...

I saw Bartoli once on stage and I loved her. She is truly fantastic with her public. However, in this one, I don't like her overrated expressions and cadenze.

My humble low-musician opinion is that Vincenzo Bellini's music is well-enough written not to add those nauseating vocal stunts.

I must recognize that any singer (and Bartoli first) takes huuuge risks doing such vocal acrobatics.

And that I will never be able to do so.

[dolcesuegiu]

Questi ansimi sono un vero insulto all'elegia belliniana... Già è scarsa come baroccara della domenica....

[massi02]

mi spiace ma non è cantare Bellini con quelle frasi spezzate dal fiato corto e quel vibrato stretto!

[Dogaradodia]

Certified Intergalactic! Woohoo! Yehey! Hurray! The Bartoli Galaxy! (hands & feet clapping)

[Uruguruh]

She said herself she has a small voice with a great career...

And yes, she's a soprano allright; if you reach the high E brilliantly, you're not a mezzo.

[primohomme]

@Uruguruh

Great voices are not as simple as high or low or bright or dark...they have options. Yes, Cecilia has a high F in fact, but she also has a low E! more than 3 octaves.

[primohomme]

@Uruguruh

Great voices are not as simple as high or low or bright or dark...they have options. Yes, Cecilia has a high F in fact, but she also has a low E! more than 3 octaves.

[willthebest1]

This is so beautiful and a great Mezzo Soprano--please IGNORE the IGNORANT CRITICS

[willthebest1]

so beautiful

[willthebest1]

absolutely fabulous --BARTOLI

[camilla0690]

Actually I thnk she's a soprano not a real mezzo! She has the most beautyful coloratura and a tchnique almost perfect, but believe me she has a "small" voice. Perfect for recordings and for concert halls, not so stunning in opera houses, specially the big ones (were it doensn't cut through the orchestra). Infact she sung very rarely on stage whilst she has hundreds of recordings

[vocedipunta]

La Bartoli non è in grado di fare belcanto.

L'estensione, i filati non contano più?

Poi quelle faccette, sono tremende!!

[mjmacmtenor]

I remember this concert well (and have my own private off-the-air video). This was a PBS telecast - Live from Carnegie Hall series. She also sang the complete Mozart Exultate (with the famous Alleluia). Her tackling of Sonnambula was a real surprise (and a bit controversial) than as now.

[bealela]

absolutamente maravillosa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!­

[DjeddaPixie]

Bravissima, Cecilia!!! What an adrenaline!!!

[drbarbarabaker]

I can remember watching this when it was new. Gee, I still love it.

[Babs22h]

gotta love the wild banchee looks from 8:37-8:43

brava bartoli

classic bartoli..

[donalfonsotube]

povero bellini ......

[JuillHope17]

this perfectly in style, to stfu.

[Tyrfingr]

Blew my mind @ 9:00

[kolorbassz]

hm...very good

[reptilehuNTah]

amazing zone shes in

[Babs22h]

the flutist at 5:33 is very cute!

[Babs22h]

thank the opera powers that be that this one is back up i along with a few others were chanting (on utube page with thefinal aria from la cerentola) for this beautiful piece to come back yes!!!!!!!!!! lets celebrate!!!! brava Bartoli!

[lmspr]

Talk about singing your heart out! This is wonderful.

[primohomme]

Thank you for reposting!!! Absolutely gorgeous!!!!!!!!

[swiftsboy]

Oh dear,I am going to be a bad apple.

Cecilia bartoli is without doubt the greatest MEZZO SOPRANO in the world today.

She is not a Coloratura though.

Just who persuaded her that she could sing Amina?

She can't,is the short answer.

This is a role that (when sung in the proper keys) even Sutherland and Gruberova found taxing.Here it has been transposed down and loses a lot of it's beauty.

Yes,Bartoli may talk about Malibran etc but we don't know what SHE sounded like.

Very misjudged Cecilia

[primohomme]

It hasn't been transposed, it is being sung how it was originally WRITTEN! Bellini didn't write high Eb's in this role, he wrote the Db's in "Sovra il sen" though (which Cecilia sings).

[caspiman]

greatest MEZZO SOPRANO????

in the world?

today?

Oh, boy....

nice try with Amina, by the way. My expectations were low, and I was surprised.

Pity she did not try herself in Verdi's Ulrica... :-)

[primohomme]

Coloratua doesn't mean singing sovracuti, it means having agility in the voice...which she does. In the other hand sopranos with C above high C like Erna Sack and Mado Robin couldn't sing decent coloratura.

[checkerboardkid]

i'm so glad this performance was reposted...i've been begging for it's return...i agree, compared to recording which is good but very effected and ornamented, this recital display seems a lot more meater and passionate.....i absolutely love it....

[zacharybr]

I can't find a copy of her recent Sonnambula in the USA because it won't be released here until 2009. She sounds nice. Her like her funny expressions. She sings with every muscle in her face!

[Bambam78]

ABSOLUTE MIRACLE!!!!!!!!!!

[schambi333]

it's so wonderful

[altodivo]

Interesting how much richer the sound is here than on the recent recording, but how much more nuanced that recording is than this rendition...

[snaej2]

Absolutely WONDERFUL!!! Thank you so much for posting it. Is the DVD available commercially? Thank you, thank you.