Famed mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli recreates the 1828 triumph of the legendary Maria Malibran - original star and dedicatee of Halévy's "tragi-comedy", Clari - in this newly recorded DVD from Decca. Bartoli's fascination with Malibran is well documented, most dramatically with the mezzo's recording project, Maria, from 2007. This now forgotten opera received the star treatment from Bartoli and the Orchestra 'La Scintilla' of the Zurich Opera in this new production. The DVD is now available from Decca.
While Halévy is primarily remembered for his opera La Juive, Clari gives the audience a completely different view of the composer. Whereas La Juive is a work typical of the French Grand Opéra, Clari more closely resembles bel canto opera with sparkling and virtuosic arias and ensembles. In that tradition, Bartoli has taken the liberty to not only ornament some spectacular arias (which were written for Malibran) but to also insert Rossini's "Willow Song" from Otello and a previously unknown showpiece from Halévy's other Italian opera, The Tempest. Making personal additions to an opera was not an unusual practice in the 19th-century and Bartoli revives it here.
This new production, the first-ever modern production of Clari, proved to be an overwhelming success during the Zurich Opera season:
"We must bow down to la Ceci for locating this morsel ... it requires a mezzo of superhuman abilities and three good octaves ... Step forward
Cecilia Bartoli." (Intermezzo)
"...the theatrical effects ... benefited handsomely from Bartoli's characteristically furious intensity" (New York Times)
Cecilia Bartoli, a tireless champion of under-appreciated or obscure works, again gives the world a unique gift with this performance, the first staging since the opera was performed by Malibran in the 1820s. Before this production came together, Bartoli had already recorded an aria from Clari on her Maria album and the accompanying DVD of a concert performance. This intense study of Maria Malibran's life and art continues to reveal hidden gems of the opera repertoire.
Recently, Bartoli's Decca recording of arias written for castrati, Sacrificium, was nominated for two Grammys® including Classical Album of the Year. Like Maria and Clari, Sacrificium found Bartoli researching less well-known arias and bringing back to life the era of the castrato, which was both a very grand and very brutal time for opera in Italy.
For more than two decades,
Cecilia Bartoli has undeniably been one of the leading artists in the field of classical music. All over the world, her new operatic roles, her concert programs and recording projects - in exclusivity with Decca - are expected with great eagerness and curiosity. The exceptional amount of 8 million CDs sold, more than 100 weeks ranking in the international pop charts, numerous Golden Discs, four Grammys® (USA), nine Echos and a Bambi (Germany), two Classical Brit Awards (UK), the Victoire de la musique (France) and many other prestigious awards reflect the immense success of for example Opera proibita and her solo albums dedicated to Vivaldi, Gluck and Salieri and that she is firmly established as today's "best-selling classical artist".
