Cecilia Bartoli

Advantages Susan Graham sings nearly everything
Disadvantages She doesn't live next door to me...

...'s and not as heavy as the likes of Marilyn Horne's or Teresa Berganza's). She has a luxuriously creamy middle register and can subtly shades her voice in different colors to great effects. Beautiful legato (connected lines of notes) singing with great pianissimo (very soft singing), but tends to get a bit edgy when singing mezzo forte and louder. Her lower register isn't as versatile as the rest of the voice. This singer is not known for vocal agility, though she isn't a draggy ocean liner either... She can cope fine in short and quick coloratura (florid singing of many notes in fast succession) runs, but she can't stay in Florid-ville like the true Rossini mezzo like Cecilia Bartoli or Vesselina Kasarova can. For a non-native speaker, her sung French is excellent (it helps that the voice is placed well forward). Her musicality is impeccable and she... Read review

Advantages Original instruments, classical greek myth
Disadvantages Serious and tragic

..., Austria on 31 March 1732 and died in Vienna on 31 May 1809. He composed 24 operas, of which Orpheus and Eurodice was the last, although never gained notarity for this genre. Haydn is probably better known for his introduction and development of the genre of string quartets. Conductor: Christopher Hogwood Christopher Hogwood founded the Academy of Ancient music in 1973 and conducts repertoire ranging from the baroque to contemporary. Performers: Cecilia Bartoli: Euridice & Genio Uwe Heilmann: Orfeo Ildebrando D’Arcangelo: Creonte Andrea Silvestrelli: Pluto Roberto Scaltriti: Corista I Jose Fardilha: Corista II Colin Campbell: Corista III James Oxley: Corista IV Angela Kazimierczuk: Baccante Orchestra: Academy of Ancient Music Label: L'Oiseau-Lyre Released: March 1, 1997 Price: Approximately £25.99 My... Read review

Advantages Virtuosic operatic vocalism, unusual repertoire, mad scenes...
Disadvantages Fleming's voice is maybe not best suited for this...

...well written article which would be of great interest to all keen opera fans wanting to learn more about this particular vocal genre. As is to be expected with Decca, there is a full English translation of all the Italian lyrics. Conclusion: I am giving this CD 3 stars probably rating it around 3.5 stars, because it is interesting repertoire not easily found anywhere else and many opera fans will want it for this reason alone. However, despite her amazing virtuosity, perfect intonation and wide emotional expression, Ms Fleming's voice is definitely not the ideal choice for such music, I'd be wanting to consider Cecilia Bartoli or others for a more authentic sound in this repertoire. There are times when Ms Fleming's little vocal idiosyncrasies start to get on my nerves and I wish I could follow her Italian without having to cling... Read review