Vivaldi: Orlando finto pazzo

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Orlando Feigns Madness (as the title translates) was Vivaldi's second opera (that we know of) and was composed the same year as his magnificent group of 12 violin concerti called La Stravaganza. This is important to note because not only does Orlando finto pazzo contain literally dozens of fine showpieces for a variety of voices--soprano, a pair of mezzos, a contralto, a countertenor, and a bass--it also exhibits some of Vivaldi's finest string writing. Argillano's first aria, sung with amazing speed and subtlety by mezzo Manuela Custer, ends with a one-minute-and-20-second violin cadenza--or fantasia--which is so remarkable in and of itself that the audience at the time must have been left, as we are, breathless. The next aria, for Grifone (countertenor Martin Oro), is accompanied only by mellow pizzicato strings which seem almost like subconscious movements as the singer quickly and deftly describes a bee flitting from flower to flower, making honey. And throughout the opera we find exciting, innovative string accompaniment to ever more and more elaborate arias. The opera's plot is a confusing affair--the annotators have seen fit to include a diagram explaining it in the booklet--but it contains some thrilling Vivaldian arias, invariably gloriously sung. And with the extra bonus of grand virtuoso string playing, this should please devotees of the composer's violin music as well. --Robert Levine

Vivaldi Edition: Orlando finto pazzo, Music, Sonia Prina, Antonio Abete, Antonio Vivaldi, Alessandro de Marchi, Martin Oro, Manuela Custer, Marianna Pizzolato, Marina Comparato, Academia Montis Regalis, Gemma Bertagnolli, Classical, Italian Baroque Opera, Opera, Opera / Operetta / Oratorio, Opera/Operetta

Cecilia Bartoli - The Vivaldi Album / Il Giardino Armonico
Average customer rating:

Cecilia Bartoli brings Baroque music to life

A Revelation

The best work of Cecilia Bartoli

The art of singing, still with us

Great music, but disappointment

Cecilia Bartoli - The Vivaldi Album / Il Giardino Armonico
Antonio Vivaldi , Giovanni Antonini , Cecilia Bartoli , and Il Giardino Armonico
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00002CF52
Release Date: 1999-10-26

Tracks:

Dell'aura al sussurrar
Dopo un'orrida procella
Di due rai languire costante
L'Orlando finto pazzo: Qual favellar? ... Andero, volero, gridero
Zeffiretti, che sussurrate
La fida ninfa: Alma oppressa
La fida ninfa: Dite, oime
Giustino: Sventurata navicella
Giustino: Sorte, che m'invitasti ... Ho nel petto un cor si forte
L'Olimpiade: Tra le follie ... Siam navi all'onde algenti
Farnace: Gelido in ogni vena
Anch'il mar par che sommerga
Teuzzone: Di trombe guerriere

Amazon.com

Mezzo Cecilia Bartoli could easily rest on her laurels as one of today's most charismatic, characterful singers for her lively portrayals of Mozart and Rossini heroines. But it's been particularly exciting to observe her growth as an artist in exploring the exuberant world of baroque opera, with its range of pyrotechnic demands--both vocal and emotional. Bartoli's show-stopping virtuosity in a Vivaldi aria from her Live in Italy recital gave a tantalizing sample of her finesse in that style. For The Vivaldi Album, Bartoli conducted extensive research into the composer's manuscripts, (a documentary tracing her quest is planned for subsequent international screening). Although he's best known for his concertos--in typically baroque fashion, two of the arias in fact recycle material from The Four Seasons--Vivaldi was a ferociously prolific composer of operas for the cutting-edge theaters of his time, and the arias gathered here demonstrate the word-painting magic of his music, from the sylvan setting of dueting flageolets in "Di due rai languire costante" to the storm-tossed passions of "Anch'il mar par che sommerga," where Bartoli spins out ripples of rapid-fire coloratura with a gravity-defying accuracy that will leave your head spinning. In addition to many such examples of vocal acrobatics, Bartoli brings exquisite nuance and limpid tone to the delicate echo effects of "Zeffiretti, che sussurrate," and there's no better test for the remarkable flexibility of her range--full and dusky at the bottom and thrilling at the top--than the huge intervallic leaps of "Dopo un'orrida procella." With her naturally large voice, Bartoli can at times tend to histrionic excess (in the recitative to the short aria from "L'Orlando finto pazzo"), but the expressive color of her phrasing is wonderfully matched throughout by the Giardino Armonico's lively panache. All power to Bartoli in her goal of reviving this neglected aspect of Vivaldi's output. --Thomas May

Customer Reviews:

Cecilia Bartoli brings Baroque music to life.......2005-08-24

This album is so good that it has converted me to liking Vivaldi! I'm a fan of other Baroque composers such as Bach, Telemann, Couperin and Handel but had never really appreciated Vivaldi until I heard this album. Cecilia's technical experise and her intense interpretation makes this album a delight to listen to. She brings Vivaldi's arias to life as I've heard no other performer manage to do so. A brilliant album that I listen to again and again.

A Revelation.......2003-11-05

I was amazed with this album of super fine music. I had known all my life that Vivaldi wrote tons of operas, but finding them, or the scores of them, was nearly impossible. In time I found a few, and was I ever amazed and disappointed. The published scores that were available were what was common practice of that time: there were the vocal lines and a figured bass and nothing more. There were no indications of orchestration. Even with that little bit, I was shocked with the intensity and complexity of this vocal writing. This man knew how to write for the voice. Until singers are willing to research his works, we, the public, will know him for a very orchestra suites and nothing more. The result will be a very stilted view of what the man had to offer.

Now getting to the performance by Bartoli. She really loves this music, as you can tell. Yes, she is mannered in some of the things she does, but that is her way of seeing the music. Her technical skills are amazing, and her interpretations (the "drama" behind the music) is just as intense. Some think Bartoli has a strong voice. Actually, her voice is very small, if you have heard her in performance (they weren't even sure she would be heard when she sang at the Met), and it has a very delicate quality, even when being "brash." Recordings give you the impression she has a much larger sound than she does, but that is because small voices record truer and better than large ones (the industry still can't capture large voices at all). However, even with a small voice, in performance she is breathtaking. She makes the music live. She has weird mannerisms one sees that to American trained singers are completely unacceptable (weird facial expressions, strange things done with he mouth and teeth, head bobbing, etc), but that has never distracted from her overall intensity. Yes, she is intense. You are literally taken away with her interpretation, and her skills. Interestingly, she is more famous in music circles for her cancelations (she cancels more performances in a year than she actually sings). I love this recording, not only because of the music, but because I have seen her sing some of this music live. She really LIVES what she sings, and that comes across in this recording.

A special note: in the little booklet that comes with the recording, Bartoli herself writes her impressions of this music. It is extremely insightful. Whether you like her or not, you have to admire the work she has done to make this music live and be as authentic in interpretation as she can. It is her love of this music that has caused her to record this album. I am thankful she did, for now, I can take those old scores I have and get a better understanding of what the composer was doing. Would that more singers would explore new/old works, and I think it would be far more interesting to have them write their impressions of the music they are singing than the standard academic essays we must read. Reading about how she came to this music, in her own words, gave a different dimension to listening. Now I was listening to see if she was successful in communicating what she felt this music had to offer. SHE WAS.

The best work of Cecilia Bartoli.......2003-08-15

This is simply the best work of Cecilia Bartoli. Her voice is a delicatessen and Il Giardino Armonico sounds very very well. I think that I don't need to say anymore. Simply: BUY IT!!

The art of singing, still with us.......2003-02-09

Even if you disdain Vivaldi in the Stravinsky way, do yourself
a favor, and get this record. Music hidden in some obscure
library for centuries, brought to pulsating life by a minor
voice, here used with passion and artistry reminding one of
vocal artists of the past. An enriching experience for anyone
enjoying the art of singing.

Great music, but disappointment.......2002-10-01

I thoroughly enjoy classical music but found this cd to be a disappointment by a heavy vocal performance. It was shocking to hear the heaviness and darkness in Cecilia's voice, whom I had remembered to be lighter and more playful. My only good thought about this cd is "At least it was a gift" because if I had actually purchased it I would be thoroughly disgusted.

Average customer rating:

Magnificent
Stunning Whitman's Sampler of Vivaldi Vocal Magic
A Treasure Trove of Vivaldi Opera Arias and Ensembles

Vivaldi Edition: Operas

Manufacturer: Opus 111
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Vivaldi Edition: Arie d'Opera
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ASIN: B00022LDI4
Release Date: 2004-08-17

Customer Reviews:

Magnificent.......2006-09-09

This audio CD is the perfect vehicle to drive anyone crazy about Vivaldi operas. All arias seemed to have been carefully selected across many opera albums from Naive's Vivaldi Edition to entice the listener to hear those works. Magdalena Kozena astounds brilliantly with two arias from Juditha Triumphans "Veni, me sequere fidu" and "Agitata infido flatu". In "Agitata" Kozena perfects two long legatos and tops them with a climatic trill. In "Veni", she hypnotizes with a cadenza evocative of a dove's sinusoidal singing. The Naive label should do well in producing another similar CD now that it has recorded additional Vivaldi Operas to draw from.

Stunning Whitman's Sampler of Vivaldi Vocal Magic.......2005-04-06

This is as strong a sampler of Vivaldi's operas as one can get without purchasing entire opera recordings. Highlights from four have been selected here, each recorded in complete form on the Naïve label. They are "Orlando finto pazzo", "La verità in cimento", "Juditha triumphans" and "L'Olimpiade". What the producers have chosen here is the true cream of the crop, a roster of superb, top-of-the-class performances from nearly a dozen world-class singers.

Rising countertenor Philippe Jaroussky starts the program off with an almost religious-sounding lament as Zelim from "La verità in cimento", which he sings in a strikingly ethereal manner. But the women rule the roost in this recording. Mezzo-soprano Magdalena KoÂžena makes clear why she is moving quickly to the major leagues by singing two magnificent arias from "Juditha triumphans", "Veni, veni, me sequere fida", caressed by a clarinet-like instrument called a chalumeau, and "Agitata infio flatu", where she captures the sweeping fury of her character with stunning flourish. Contralto Sara Mingardo is another stand-out with her double-dip, full-throated voice dodging the aggressive strings on Licida's aria from "L'Olimpiade", "Gemo in un punto e fremo," and expertly riding the dramatic playing of Ensemble Matheus on Melindo's aria from "La verità in cimento", "Mivui trader, lo so". If not quite in the league of KoÂžena and Mingardo, soprano Roberta Invernizzi and contralto Sonia Prina acquit themselves admirably with an aria each and especially when they perform the striking duetto of Megacle and Aristea from "L'Olimpiade", "Ne'giorni tuoi felici". There is also an impressive quintetto from "La verità in cimento", "Anima mia, mio ben", which for maximum dramatic impact emphasizes the disparate voices of Jaroussky, Mingardo, tenor Anthony Rolfe Johnson, mezzo-soprano Guillemette Laurens and contralto Nathalie Stutzmann. The disc ends appropriately with a beautiful choral piece, "O quam vaga, venusta, o quam decora" from "Juditha triumphans" with the Coro Giovanile dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, led by soprano Marina Comparato.

Rarely has a compilation disc sounded so seamless and without the additional burden of carrying different story contexts. Aurally it sounds like one consolidated piece, and credit needs to go to music directors Alessandro De Marchi, Rinaldo Alessandrini and Jean-Christophe Spinosi, who conducted the originally presented operas. Strongly recommended especially for neophytes to Vivaldi's operas like myself.

A Treasure Trove of Vivaldi Opera Arias and Ensembles.......2004-10-02

The National Bibliotheque in Turin, Italy is the repository for uncounted manuscripts by Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) and includes more than twenty opera scores, many of which have not seen productions since the 18th century. The Opus 111 record label is industriously releasing performances, about one a season, of these gems and their intention is to record all these scores, plus many arias and ensembles that have become separated from their complete works. This CD is a compilation of music from four of those works - 'La verità in cimento,' 'Juditha triumphans,' 'L'Olimpiade,' and 'Orlando finto pazzo,' all of which have already been recorded as complete operatic performances. The producers of this set have selected some of the choicest morsels for those music-lovers who would not otherwise obtain all four complete sets. The musicians involved - a different group for each opera - are among the most honored among singers and instrumentalists currently performing baroque works. The instrumental groups include the Academia Montis Regalis conducted by Alessandro de Marchi, Concerto Italiano conducted by Rinaldo Alessandrini, and Ensemble Matheus conducted by Jean-Christophe Spinosi. Singers include such standouts as sopranos Marina Comparato, Gemma Bertagnoli, and Roberta Invernizzi, mezzos Magdalena Kozena and Guillemette Laurens, contraltos Sara Mingardo, Nathalie Stutzmann and Sonia Prini, countertenor Philippe Jaroussky, tenor Anthony Rolfe Johnson, and basso Sergio Foresti--an outstanding collection of talented performers.

It would be impossible to comment about all sixteen selections here, but I would want to single out Magdalena Kozena's delectable performance of 'Veni, me sequere fida' from 'Juditha triumphans,' with the luscious solo contribution of an unnamed player of the chalumeau (an ancestor of the modern clarinet). [By the way, 'Juditha triumphans' is actually a dramatic oratorio, but it has sometimes been staged as an opera.] Also outstanding is the dramatic 'Gemo in un punto e fremo' from 'L'Olimpiade,' sung by one of today's stellar contraltos, Sara Mingardo.

Finally, I could not end this note without commenting on the fabulous quintet from 'La verità in cimento' entitled 'Anima mia, mio ben.' There is no question that Vivaldi must have been working with both musically and dramatically superb singers for whom he wrote this. This performance, featuring Rolfe Johnson, Laurens, Stutzmann, Jaroussky and Mingardo, is moving. And it is followed by a simply stunning performance, by Sara Mingardo, of Melindo's aria, 'Mi vuoi tradir, lo so' from the same opera. Mingardo's coloratura is absolutely spot on. (Think of Marilyn Horne and you'll have an idea of what this young Italian contralto sounds like.)

I strongly suspect this release will have value for those who want to dip their toes into the Vivaldian operatic waters. Every single selection is well-done, and it certainly gives an idea of Vivaldi's theatrical output, something that we've tended to neglect in favor of his sacred and instrumental music up to now.

Strongly recommended.

TT=63:20

Scott Morrison

Average customer rating:

The seccos, the pianissimos, and the great Vivaldi mood arias
Vivaldi Opera: A Rare Jewel
intoxicating music

Vivaldi Edition: Orlando finto pazzo

Manufacturer: Opus 111
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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Release Date: 2004-08-17

Amazon.com

Orlando Feigns Madness (as the title translates) was Vivaldi's second opera (that we know of) and was composed the same year as his magnificent group of 12 violin concerti called La Stravaganza. This is important to note because not only does Orlando finto pazzo contain literally dozens of fine showpieces for a variety of voices--soprano, a pair of mezzos, a contralto, a countertenor, and a bass--it also exhibits some of Vivaldi's finest string writing. Argillano's first aria, sung with amazing speed and subtlety by mezzo Manuela Custer, ends with a one-minute-and-20-second violin cadenza--or fantasia--which is so remarkable in and of itself that the audience at the time must have been left, as we are, breathless. The next aria, for Grifone (countertenor Martin Oro), is accompanied only by mellow pizzicato strings which seem almost like subconscious movements as the singer quickly and deftly describes a bee flitting from flower to flower, making honey. And throughout the opera we find exciting, innovative string accompaniment to ever more and more elaborate arias. The opera's plot is a confusing affair--the annotators have seen fit to include a diagram explaining it in the booklet--but it contains some thrilling Vivaldian arias, invariably gloriously sung. And with the extra bonus of grand virtuoso string playing, this should please devotees of the composer's violin music as well. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

The seccos, the pianissimos, and the great Vivaldi mood arias.......2007-07-10

Not being the opera buff to appreciate recitativo secco, which abounds here, put me at a disadvantage to enjoy Orlando Finto Pazzo. Mining Vivaldi Operas for the really furious arias also left me almost empty handed. Consequently I found myself hitting the skip button on my blaupunkt through plenty of mellow passages.

Unlike the other Vivaldi Operas, this one is mostly low key. With the exception of the sinfonias, and a few arias, the music sounds much tamed and unlike what I would expect of Vivaldi.

I must say that Sonia Prina is an amazing vocal gazelle when it comes to "Andero, volero, gridero". This aria is a notch above presto, and challenging for any singer who has to musicalize the aria, and sprint on long libretto lines during short, fast, abrupt orchestrations. On my best effort, I can't even read aloud as fast as she sings.

Marianna Pizzolato sings "Scenderei per far paghi" which, lyrics aside, is the twin aria of "Gelosia" from Ottone in Villa. Interesting to me was to hear this aria without much coloratura in the melismas, and still find it quite likeable. She lifts the note in mid air, suspends it in a circling pattern, and spirals it down into anxiety. There is nothing so creative as Vivaldi's mood arias!

Vivaldi Opera: A Rare Jewel.......2005-10-18

I listened to parts of this recording and was stunned. The variety of showpieces for counter-tenor (or castrati in Vivaldi's time) soprano, alto and mezzo soprano are exquisite and sensational, truly virtuosic pieces only a special few can master. This is something perhaps not even Cecilia Bartoli can take on. Vivaldi's opera music is fiendishly difficult. The music ranges from stormy, jumping coloratura fireworks to achingly slow long arias sung in pianissimi. The music is wonderful and at this time Vivaldi was composing his superb La Stravanza. This was one of his most productive times in his career. However, this is his second opera which means it's considerably better than his first. The singers are masterful, the cover art could be on Vogue magazine (all the Vivaldi opera and vocal pieces on these record labels look that way, containing women who look like super models). This is a must have for fans of Vivaldi and rare Baroque opera. Handel's operas are far more recognized than Vivaldi's but it is an opera like Orlando Finto Pazza (Orlando Feigns Madness) that make Vivaldi easily a tough rival to Handel. The plot is nothing to get thrilled about. Like the title says the title character must feign madness in the style of Hamlet in order to achieve his goals. It is very Shakespearean. Treat yourself to this beautiful jewel and get this recording and other Vivaldi operas to add to your collection.

intoxicating music.......2005-08-04

Vivaldi's operas have been a revelation to me, not for their dramatic content if any but due to the wonderfully inventive music. I started with Andromeda Liberata which I heard on internet radio, a mysterious apparent pastiche with at least one aria from Vivaldi, full of very exciting and beautiful music. Orlando Finto Pazzo is also excellent, disk 1 is so good I haven't gotten beyond disk 2 yet. Even without any discernible meaningful drama (I start to doze reading the plot), Vivaldi's music is superb and I'm looking forward to any new releases.

Cecilia Bartoli - The Vivaldi Album / Il Giardino Armonico

Average customer rating:

Cecilia Bartoli brings Baroque music to life
A Revelation
The best work of Cecilia Bartoli
The art of singing, still with us
Great music, but disappointment

Cecilia Bartoli - The Vivaldi Album / Il Giardino Armonico
Antonio Vivaldi , Cecilia Bartoli , and Il Giardino Armonico
Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Cecilia Bartoli ~ Opera Proibita (Handel · Scarlatti · Caldara) / Les Musiciens du Louvre · Minkowski
Cecilia Bartoli - If You Love Me (Se tu m'ami ), 18th-Century Italian Songs
Cecilia Bartoli - Mozart Arias
Cecilia Bartoli - An Italian Songbook (Bellini, Donizetti, Rossini)
Cecilia Bartoli - The Salieri Album

ASIN: B000058TAM
Release Date: 2001-02-13

Tracks:

Dorilla in Tempe: Dell'aura sussurrar
Griselda: Dopo un'orrida procella
Foa 28: Di due rai languir costante
L'Orlando finto pazzo: Qual favellar? - Andero volero gridero
Foa 28: Zeffiretti che sussurrate
La fida ninfa: Alma oppressa
La fida ninfa: Dite oime
Giustino: Sventurata navicella
Giustino: Sorte che m'invitasti - Ho nel petto un cor si forte
L'Olimpiade: Tra le follie - Siam navi all'onde algenti
Farnace: Gelido in ogni sommerga
Bajazet: Anch'il mar par che sommerga
Teuzzone: Di trombe guerriere

Amazon.com

Mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli could easily rest on her laurels as one of today's most charismatic, characterful singers for her lively portrayals of Mozart and Rossini heroines. But it's been particularly exciting to observe her growth as an artist in exploring the exuberant world of Baroque opera, with its range of pyrotechnic demands--both vocal and emotional. Bartoli's show-stopping virtuosity in a Vivaldi aria from her Live in Italy recital gave a tantalizing sample of her finesse in that style. For The Vivaldi Album (originally released in 1999), Bartoli conducted extensive research into the composer's manuscripts (a documentary tracing her quest has been made).

Although he's best known for his concertos--in typically Baroque fashion, two of the arias here, in fact, recycle material from The Four Seasons--Antonio Vivaldi was a ferociously prolific composer of operas for the cutting-edge theaters of his time, and the arias gathered here demonstrate the word-painting magic of his music, from the sylvan setting of dueting flageolets in "Di due rai languire costante" to the storm-tossed passions of "Anch'il mar par che sommerga," where Bartoli spins out ripples of rapid-fire coloratura with a gravity-defying accuracy that will leave your head spinning. In addition to many such examples of vocal acrobatics, Bartoli brings exquisite nuance and limpid tone to the delicate echo effects of "Zeffiretti, che sussurrate," and there's no better test for the remarkable flexibility of her range--full and dusky at the bottom and thrilling at the top--than the huge intervallic leaps of "Dopo un'orrida procella." With her naturally large voice, Bartoli can at times tend to histrionic excess (in the recitative to the short aria from "L'Orlando finto pazzo," for example), but the expressive color of her phrasing is wonderfully matched throughout by the Giardino Armonico's lively panache. All power to Bartoli in her goal of reviving this neglected aspect of Vivaldi's output. The reissue includes additional photos and text, packaged together as a visually enticing booklet to accompany this splendid CD. --Thomas May

Customer Reviews:

Cecilia Bartoli brings Baroque music to life.......2005-08-24

A Revelation.......2003-11-05

The best work of Cecilia Bartoli.......2003-08-15

This is simply the best work of Cecilia Bartoli. Her voice is a delicatessen and Il Giardino Armonico sounds very very well. I think that I don't need to say anymore. Simply: BUY IT!!

The art of singing, still with us.......2003-02-09

Great music, but disappointment.......2002-10-01

Music Review: