Cecilia Bartoli

Cecilia Bartoli: The Salieri Album

by C. Michael Bailey
December 2, 2003

Firstly, The Salieri Album is the finest recording of any music to come my way in 2003. That this it is not jazz is immaterial. Prima mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli began a recording crusade spotlighting lesser known opera vocal compositions, beginning with Antonio Vivaldi, passing through Christoph W. Gluck, before arriving at the toast of Vienna, Antonio Salieri (1750—1825). Her dedication to this less frequently heard repertoire has produced several fine recorded recitals.

Briefly, a history of Bartoli’s muse—best ...