Cecilia BartoliDVD5 - NTSC - 16:9 - All Regions - PCM, DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital Stereo (Bonus) - 60min. & 22min.
Subtitles: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish
DECCA 2010
Cecilia Bartoli
Il Giardino Armonico & Giovanni Antonini
Predominantly active in the mid-late 16th Century, and regarded as members of the Neapolitan school of voice, the castrati were young men either castrated during their prepubescent years, or born hermaphroditic. Regardless of the origin of their unusual physiologies, the absence of male anatomy enabled them to sing at remarkably high ranges, with tremendous lung capacity, and a whole set of arias were composed exclusively for them, tailored to their unique vocal abilities. The classical concert release Cecilia Bartoli: Sacrificium - The Music of the Castrati finds mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli interpreting a series of castrato arias... The composers on display include Nicola Porpora (Come nave in mezzo all'onde), Geminiano Giacomelli (Sposa, non mi conosci), { $Francesco Araia Cadrò} (Ma qual si mira), Riccardo Broschi (Son qual nave) and Georg Friedrich Handel (Ombra mai fu). Agostino Cavalca designed the costumes.
A beautiful scenic film by Olivier Simonnet. Filmed in high-definition widescreen. Cecilia Bartoli sings virtuoso arias from her Sacrificium album, on location in and around the spectacular baroque palace of Caserta in Southern Italy, just outside of Naples. This unique film shows Cecilia Bartoli in full costume singing a selection of showpiece arias written for the castrato stars of the Neapolitan school. Ravishing locations including the Court Theatre, the stunning Vestibule and the Palace Gardens. Arias include Handel's "Ombra mai fu" and Broschi's "Son qual nave"--previously only available in the deluxe version of the album. The film also showcases the leading Italian period ensemble Il Giardino Armonico under their director Giovanni Antonini. Special bonus features include an illustrated interview in which Cecilia Bartoli talks about the Sacrificium project, and a visual guide to the Palace, town and region of Caserta.
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