Decca
2003
Cecilia Bartoli - The Salieri Album
About This Album
The people of Legnago, Italy, must be jumping for joy. For years they have championed their maligned native son, composer Antonio Salieri, against obscurity and the fictional notion that he killed Mozart (thanks to Peter Shaffer's Amadeus). Now Cecilia Bartoli has released a tribute to Salieri's operatic music that she hopes will "accord him the status he deserves." There is unlikely to be a sea change in Salieri's reputation, but having a superstar of Bartoli's caliber weigh in on his music certainly gives him a shot in the arm. It's a gem of an album, as good or better than her similar projects devoted to Vivaldi and Gluck. Along with Adam Fischer and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Bartoli delivers a virtuosic set of performances, full of vibrancy and color, and always lovingly tailored to the dramatic and musical demands of the piece at hand. It is extremely entertaining, and the packaging is nothing short of deluxe. The music is a smorgasbord of stylistic elements. In a sense, this helps explain Salieri's "tough-sell" factor. In any one excerpt a listener may hear traces of everything from Mozart to Rameau -- even early Schubert. The variety can be overwhelming, and at times compromises the compositional integrity. But it also throws open the expressive doors, allowing for an unlimited palette of orchestral effects and vocal gestures. The opening "Son quell lacera tartana" is as furious as any bravura aria, with large vocal leaps, raucous horns, and turbulent string accompaniment. "Misera abbandonata," from Palmira, regina di Persia, is a lyrical masterpiece -- simple and pathetic. And lighter numbers, like "La Ra La" from La grotta di Trofonia, show that both Salieri and Bartoli know how to handle comedy with style. This is an album not to be missed. ~ Allen Schrott, All Music Guide
Track List

La Secchia Rapita, Opera
1.
La Scuola De' Gelosi, Opera
2.
La Fiera Di Venezia, Opera
3.
Palmira, Regina Di Persia, Opera
4.
La Cifra, Opera
5.
6.
Il Ricco D'un Giorno, Opera
7.
La Secchia Rapita, Opera
8.
Palmira, Regina Di Persia, Opera
9.
La Finta Scema, Opera
10.
Il Ricco D'un Giorno, Opera
11.
La Grotta Di Trofinio, Opera
12.
Armida, Opera
13.

 
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