Track Listing

1. Irene (o L’assedio di Messina), opera: Se un mio desir... Cedi al duol
2. Irene (o L’assedio di Messina), opera: Ira del ciel
3. Ines de Castro, opera: Cari Giorni
4. Infelice, concert aria for soprano & orchestra, Op. 94
5. El poeta calculista, opera: Yo que soy contrabandista
6. La sonnambula, opera: Ah! Non credea mirarti
7. La sonnambula, opera: Ah! Non giunge
8. Air à la tirolienne avec variations, for voice & orchestra, Op. 118
9. La figlia dell'aria, opera: E non lo vedo... Son Regina
10. Rataplan
11. Tancredi, opera: Dopo tante e tante pene
12. I Puritani, opera: O Rendetemi la speme... Qui la voce
13. I Puritani, opera: Vien, diletto
14. L'éclair, opera: Come dolce a me favelli
15. Amelia (or Otto anni di costanza), opera: Scorrete, o lagrime
16. L'elisir d'amore, opera: Prendi, per me sei libero
17. Norma, opera: Casta diva

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16063 in Music
• Released on: 2006-10-10
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Limited Edition
• Dimensions: .51 pounds

Album Description
Cecilia Bartoli revisits the early Romantic era of Rossini, Bellini and their contemporaries and views the Bel canto glory days through the eyes of Maria Malibran: Romantic icon, Bel Canto muse, and the most extraordinary opera star of her time. Maria features 8 world premiere recordings including the prayer `Se il mio desir...Cedi al duol' from the long lost opera Irene by Pacini, and the aria `E non lo vedo...Son regina' by Maria's father, the famous Rossini tenor Manuel Garcia. Bartoli also presents the London version of Mendelssohn's `Infelice' for voice, violin solo and orchestra, where she duets with Maxim Vengerov. The album also includes popular favorites, such as Bellini's `Casta Diva' from Norma. Maria features an incredible variety of music. Mellifluous Bel canto delights are contrasted with regional flavors from around the world: from Spanish flamenco to Tyrolienne yodeling. The album exhibits Cecilia Bartoli singing in four languages: Italian, Spanish, French and English. She is joined by the period practice Orchestra La Scintilla, led by Hungarian conductor Adam Fischer.

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Customer Reviews

The soul of bel canto
Maria Malibran was the first true Diva of opera, not just of bel canto.
Her traumatic childhood, her flexible octave range, her incredible coloratura and her beauty made her a larger than life personality in the early 19th century.
Maria was a natural contralto, but thanks to the training she received by her iron fisted father (Rossini's favorite tenor, Manuel Garcia) she developed a vocal range of over 3 octaves (low D to D or E above high C) while keeping the dark timbre throught her range.
In this collection of arias we get a beautiful example of what this Diva was capable of, and of course many of these pieces are virtual unknowns that didn't survive in popularity during the verismo period but they are absolutely stunning.

This album could be described as a jewel box, each song is a precious stone. I believe this is Cecilia's most beautiful and elegant work to date, each song is a good example of bel canto.

Cecilia's 3+ range fits perfectly in this repetoire, and as always she did it all historically correct using La Malibran's ornamentation whenever possible.

The first 4 arias showcase what bel canto is all about, a pure attack of the pitch, smooth legatto and graceful coloratura, no forced high notes (even on the high C's) and no cackling on the coloratura.
"Yo soy el contrabandista" is an enjoyable example of the compositions by Manuel Garcia and also suits Cecilia's love for flamenco.
The scene from "La sonnambula" is absolutely beautiful and historically correct (since it was originally written for the mezzo voice).

In track 16 Cecilia shows us her low register (possibly the lowest I've heard her go, to low E) and in tracks 9 and 11 she showcases her upper register in solid high C's.

It must be mentioned this recording is tuned to A-432, the historical tuning of bel canto...and it truly pays off.

For any bel canto lover, opera lover or art lover this is a MUST!

A fascinating concept that is implemented well
The concept is intriguing: mezzo soprano Cecilia Bartoli takes a shot at the works associated with the great (if short-lived) opera singer Maria Malibran (1808-1836). Accompanying the CD is a DVD that provides context about the making of this CD and about the larger context. There is also a nice book that provides additional context (including information about Maria Malibran, pictures of Malibran artifacts, words to songs/arias, etc.).

In the end, though, it's the music. . . . An intriguing array of works. The composers whose work Malibran sang included her father, Manuel Garcia, lesser known composers such as Johann Hummel, Giuseppe Persiani, Malibran herself, Vincenzo Bellini, and so on. An intriguing set of works.

More interesting: from what I can tell, one of these, from Bellini's "I Puritani," uses Malibran's own version as the template.

Some examples. . . . She begins with "Si un mio desir" from Pacini's "Catania." Her low voice provides a rich tone to this piece. She also displays a pretty competent trill.

Bartoli's version of Malibran's father's work, "Yo que soy contrabandista," is intriguing. The guitar backing is pleasing. Bartoli's lustrous voice serves this work well. She shows a fair amount of vocal agility here.

Then, something most interesting. She takes on Bellini's "Ah! non credea mirarti" and the accompanying cabaletta "Ah! non giunge." Normally this is associated with the high flying coloratura sopranos. One expects a Sutherland or a Jo or a Sills to take this on. But, the book convincingly argues, this was the territory of mezzos in Bellini's time (Malibran, apparently, could sing the mezzo range). And the lower tone of Bartoli provides a refreshing approach. Her version of the cabaletta sure sounds afar from the sopranos, but she makes it work. She takes this at a brisk pace, not as heavily ornamented by the leading coloratura sopranos of recent decades. Nonetheless, it is an interesting version. The repeat is more florid, and her deeper voice adds a compelling touch, at least from my listening. She displays considerable agility here.

Then, there is Malibran's own "Rataplan" (composed in 1836, the year of her death at a young 28). This air begins with drums. This is a lively tune, and Bartoli handles the pace and effects composed by Malibran well.

What does one not think of when thinking of a mezzo? "Vien diletto" from Bellini's "I Puritani." Again, we think of Sutherland and other coloratura sopranos. Here, Bartoli sings Malibran's own version of this cabaletta. I'm not sure that I'm completely enchanted with Malibran's version (portrayed by Bartoli), but approaches have obviously changed over time. And this picture from the past is pretty satisfying. The pace is quite a bit slower than what most of us will be used to. But the sound of a rich mezzo taking this on is something that makes one think again about approaches to this piece.

And so on. . . . The CD closes with Bartoli's rendition of "Casta Diva" from Bellini's "Norma." Suffice it to say that this is another interesting rendition of a work that is not normally thought of as within the ambit of a mezzo soprano.

This is really an interesting CD (with accompanying book and DVD to make this a bargain, in my view). If you accept the underlying concept, I'm pretty sure that most listeners will find this a very special offering.

A Remarkable Re-Creation
Despite the hype that has accompanied the appearance of this album, there is enough beauty in it to break your heart. Cecilia Bartoli's voice has never been more utterly gorgeous than in these attempts to re-create the work of early nineteenth century diva Maria Malibran. Bartoli's range, control, and power are stunning - and need to be. Which is my favorite track? Probably the one to which I am listening! But there are certainly particular revelations. The album would be worthwhile if only for Mendelssohn's "Infelice." "It is unbelievable," says Bartoli, that this piece was not performed for a hundred and eighty years. Unbelievable, indeed! The piece is beautiful. Some tracks are fun, notably Malibran's own "Rataplan" - which does not alter the fact that it is also charming, and very difficult to sing well. Pacini's "Dopo tante e tante pene," composed for Rossini's "Tancredi," shows off Malibran's (and Bartoli's) wide vocal range. Manuel Garcia's popular "Yo que soy contrabandista" serves to remind us (and especially on the DVD) that Bartoli thought seriously about being a Flamenco dancer before she chose to be a singer. It seems clear that Malibran (and Giuditta Pasta) were mezzo-sopranos, in the light of which, Bartoli is willing to challenge the modern assumption that associates a number of Bellini's roles with sopranos. So the CD culminates in a rendering of Bellini's "Casta diva" that is a formidable and moving statement of Bartoli's assertion that many of the piece's difficulties can be more easily solved by a mezzo-soprano.