Cecilia Bartoli: Maria

Cecilia Bartoli; Orchestra La Scintilla; Adam Fischer; Maxim Vengerov (violin); Celso Albelo (tenor); Luca Pisaroni (bass-baritone)

Irene: Se un mio desir...Cedi al duol, Giovanni Pacini ; Irene: Ira del ciel, Giovanni Pacini; Ines de Castro: Cari giorni, Giuseppe Persiani; Infelice, Op. 94, Felix Mendelssohn; El poeta calculista: Yo que soy contrabandista, Manuel Garcia; La sonnambula: Ah, non credea mirarti, Vincenzo Bellini; Air à la tirolienne avec variations, Op. 118, Johann Nepomuk Hummel; La figlia dell'aria: E non lo vedo...Son regina; Manuel Garcia; La fille du régiment: Rataplan, Gaetano Donizetti; Tancredi: Di tanti palpiti, Gioachino Rossini; I puritani: Qui la voce sua soave, Vincenzo Bellini; Clari: Come dolce a me favelli, Jacques Halévy; Amelia, ovvero Otto anni di costanza: Scorrete, o lagrime; Lauro Rossi; L'Elisir d'Amore: Prendi, per me sei libero, Gaetano Donizetti; Norma: Casta diva; Vincenzo Bellini

GRAMOPHONE AWARD WINNER - RECITAL DISC OF 2008
Maria Malibran is a name well known to those who follow 19th century operatic music. She was the Callas of her day who, sadly, was robbed of a career when only 27 years old. Yet in her short life she was known the world over and became a legend. To have become widely known in Europe in a decade was remarkable for any singer. She impressed wherever she went, had an amazing range to her voice and socialised with the leading composers of her day. Rossini, Bellini and Balfe are perhaps the most noted for their association with her.
Where possible, Malibran variants of the arias are used and some of these cover the extraordinarily-wide Malibran register of nearly three octaves. Some of the Bellini pieces, are scenas that include additional singers and chorus; others carry virtuoso instrumental accompaniment. Consequently, there is a good diversity of choice here. Diva Bartoli is on brilliant form in this recording and Adam Fischer provides loving and sensitive handling of the orchestra, which plays superbly.

Price: $18.98