Gala evening at the Ponchielli theatre in Cremona for the closing concert of the Monteverdi Festival entrusted to Cecilia Bartoli e The Prince’s Musicians: evening program some arias from operas by Vivaldi and Handel alternated with instrumental pieces, to which is added a short medley of Monteverdi music followed by “Sì dolce è ‘l tormento”.
Room packed with an audience eager to witness the performance of what can be considered the most famous baroque repertoire performer of our times.
The star of the evening doesn’t keep us waiting long; after the performance of a Big concert by Corelli, here she enters the scene with an aria from Rinaldo by Handel “Augelletti che cantate” accompanied by the chirping flute of Jean-Marc Goujonwhich is immediately followed the aria “Leave the thorn, pluck the rose” from The triumph of time and disillusionmentthe latter performed with a clever emphasis on that touch of sweet pathos that permeates it and with a reprise performed almost on the lip.
The personality and undeniable magnetism of Cecilia Bartoli immediately conquer the audience in the hall, certainly the voice is not immense or particularly rich in harmonics, but the care of the phrasing is astonishing, the agility is displayed with masterly elegance and precision, the legato immediately appears extraordinarily natural. It is precisely here that the artist’s secret lies, in the great sense of musicality, in the impeccable technique and in his great communicative ability and intelligence that passes a lot, but not only, through the accentuated facial expressions, the use of which transmits emotions and sensations to those who watch.
After the interlude of a Big concert by Handel, we move on to the aforementioned medley of Monteverdi instrumental music, at the end of which the protagonist performs with her usual precision an absolutely linear and heartbreaking “Sì dolce è l’tormento”.
At this point the evening heats up and the moment in which the Roman mezzo-soprano really manages to enchant is Ruggiero’s famous aria fromOrlando Furious by Vivaldi “Sol da te, mio dolce amore” in which every word becomes a pure expression of that pathos of affection so dear to Baroque art.
The audience is now very enthusiastic and, after a good Suite of dances from Ariodante by Handel, becomes further inflamed with the performance of “Destrò dell’empia Dite” from Amadigi in Gaulin which the protagonist, who has always been famous for her “airs of fury”, unleashes all her temperament in an interpretation in which expressiveness plays a perhaps even more important role than vocal data.
It is the moment of the encore when the evening becomes light and becomes an opportunity for laughter for those present in the room; after “I will cry my lot” from Julius Caesar Handel’s performance of Steffani’s “A facile vittoria” soon turns into an opportunity for virtuosic dialogue with the trumpet of Thibaud Robinneuntil it flows into the melody of Gershwin’s “Summertime”.
The formation contributed significantly to the success of the evening The Prince’s Musiciansdirected by Gianluca Capuano, which has truly proven to be one of the best ensembles in the performance of baroque music, always able to expertly underline the pathetic passages as well as the heroic ones through careful expressive research.
The review refers to the concert on June 25, 2024.
Simone Manfredini
