Cecilia Bartoli in London last night was a sheer delight.
The sell-out Barbican show, part of a European tour to promote her new album, Sacrificium, focussed on an obscure collection of Baroque pieces by unknown composers written for castrati.
So Bartoli’s set list was recherché, to say the least. And, let’s face it, some of the music was mediocre, forgettable.
Even so, the performances all evening were magical, demonstrating to the max the great Roman mezzo’s mellow tone, enviable range and peerless control. And her remarkable bond with a smitten audience.
Like all the best shape-shifting musicians, from Bob Dylan to Miles Davis, Bartoli bravely follows her muse, regardless. Her new collection unearths hitherto invisible musicians, just as she has championed unknowns like Salieri and Malibran in recent years.
Like Dylan, she chooses not to tour the world churning out crowd-pleasing hits shows. And her core fanbase thanks her for that – and for consistently challenging, extending them.
The band – the Milanese chamber orchestra Il Giardino Armonico - were spectacularly good foils: I’d be very happy to see them without a singer to support.
A perfect 10, then?
Not quite. Someone needs to have a quiet word about the diva’s cross-dressing. The concept might be appropriate for the role in hand, but the kit itself did the singer few favours.
And the Barbican management surrounded the players on stage with about 80 paying guests.
Mistake: they were a distraction. If the venue should ever repeat the error, it should at least vet the incumbents to ensure we’re forced to gaze only at hand-picked, stylish citizens.
Regular visitors to Music for Grown-Ups might remember reading similar glowing reviews here of other Bartoli London gigs over the years: Cecilia is a firm favourite of this website.
And last night confirmed what we already knew - Ms Bartoli is probably the leading singer on the world stage.
Brava Bartoli!
Gerry Smith
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