Live in Italy (1998)

Live-registratie van een recital, opgenomen in juni 1998 in het Teatro Olimpico te Vicenza. "The gleaming smile in the cover shot belongs to a young mezzo-soprano coasting at the top of her game, thrilled at the chance to show off in the 400-year-old Teatro Olimpico in Vicenze. This recording faithfully reflects the scrumptious range of both Bartoli's voice and emotional dynamics. Within the first three selections by Caccini, Bartoli displays crystal-clear diction, from a warm mezzo lower range all the way up to the gentle, airy tones at the top of her soprano. She unleashes a potent battery of coloratura techniques in the Vivaldi aria. The role of accompaniment passes from the lively Sonatori de la Gioiosa Marca to tasteful pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, as Bartoli proceeds to feature impressive, if unseen, characterizations: the folksiness of the Viardot, the low darkness of Rossini's Zelmira. A similar spirit pervades the encores as well. This is a bounty of Bartoli." (Allmusic)