COMPOSERS: Various
LABELS: Decca
PERFORMER: Cecilia Bartoli (mezzo-soprano), Jean-Yves Thibaudet (piano)
CATALOGUE NO: 074 104-9
This eclectic selection includes some memorable performances, among them the two Cecilia Bartoli concerts. LIVE IN ITALY, from the visually and acoustically splendid Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, is a wonderful collection of arias spanning five centuries, and Bartoli is as much a joy to watch as to listen to.
The opening set of early songs is beautifully executed, with superbly rounded accompaniment from the Sonatori de la Gioiosa Marca, but it's a shame the surround-sound balance is so heavy at the back in these numbers. It's better in the rest of the programme, in which Bartoli's stunning vocal colour and expression are mirrored intuitively by Jean-Yves Thibaudet.