Cecilia Bartoli - Assisa a pie d'un salice

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Gorgeous scene from Rossini's "Otelo", originally written for the great Isabella Colbran in the role of Desdemona, this role is very comfortable for mezzo soprano truly (not going any higher than high Bb and going down to low Ab, and staying mainly in middle tessitura, unlike other roles written for Colbran like "Armida" which very wild alternations of tessitura from high soprano to contralto).

From Cecilia's debut album.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• cecilia
• bartoli
• otello
• opera
• bel
• canto
• rossini
• mezzo
• soprano
• contralto
• diva
• beautiful
• isabella
• colbran

[helgeevju]

Everything here is beautiful, but I am concerned about what isn't here. I wonder why the significant episode between verse 3 and 4, with its ominous gust of wind (inspiring Verdi) was cut. It weakens the scene considerably to perform all 4 verses ensuite like here. I hope Bartoli recorded the scene without this cut later on.

[primohomme]

@helgeevju

The scene is too long, so perhaps for allowing more disc space (on CD) for more music, they had to make edits and cuts. Larmore's is complete at over 13 minutes, and DiDonato's is also complete (and perhaps too complete, with the long dragging recitative) overall robbing space for something else in her disc such as something from "Ermione" perhaps.

[sonqualnave]

Actually the role of Desdemona has high C's in one ensemble....

[primohomme]

@sonqualnave

Do you know if there are any high D's for Otello? I looked through the score rather quickly when I had the chance to look at it. It was an exact copy of the manuscript (laser scan) so it was difficult to read.

[DrLohengrin]

@primohomme Ds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How can you talk about music if you cannot even differentiate between a plural and a genitive?

[primohomme]

@DrLohengrin

How can you talk about music if you think Mariella Devia can sing? LOL

Go listen to your drag queens, bye bye

[helgeevju]

I do understand this, but leaving out the most dramatic moment in the scene, one that sheds a special light on the following "death" verse, is not an artistically valid option. If you listen to Lucia Valentini Terrani's impeccablly stylish version, it runs complete at 9.58, so some people (not Bartoli!) go for rather dragging tempi.

[norisv]

Thanks for sharing this with us! :)

[Gioachino82]

Great voice!

[sonqualnave]

Yes there is one high D written for both Otello and Rodrigo in the cadenza of their duet: Ah Vieni nel tuo sangue.... but as it is a cadenza some Otellos dont do it... the rodrigos kind of always do it cause they are naturally a lightest voice... in Lausanne John Osborne added 2 high D's more : on in his first aria and one in the final duet on his last word: infedel!