Cecilia Bartoli
The postwar revival of interest in early opera and the bel canto tradition created, across the latter decades of the twentieth century, a renewed appetite for voices capable of navigating both its technical demands and its expressive range. Cecilia Bartoli, born in Rome on June 4, 1966, emerged from that climate as an opera singer whose work in the classical and operatic repertoire drew sustained international attention.
Bartoli received her training at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, an institution with deep roots in Italian musical life. Her career has centered on opera and classical music, performed and recorded in Italian, French, and English. Where many singers of her generation concentrated their energies within a narrower band of the repertoire, Bartoli's range across languages and styles placed her at a particular intersection of Italian vocal tradition and broader European classical practice.
The honors she has received span several countries and cultural institutions, reflecting the reach of her work. In Italy, she holds the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic as well as the earlier grade of Knight of the same order, and she has been recognized with the Gold Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts. France awarded her the Knight of the Legion of Honour, the Officer of the National Order of Merit, the Officer of Arts and Letters, and the Medal of the City of Paris. Austria conferred the title of Österreichischer Kammersänger upon her, a distinction reserved for singers of considerable standing. She has also received the Order of Cultural Merit and the Classic Brit Awards.
Among the prizes she has been awarded, several carry particular weight in the world of classical music. The Polar Music Prize, the Léonie Sonning Music Prize, the Herbert von Karajan Music Prize, and the Handel Prize each represent recognition from different corners of the European musical establishment, while the Echo Klassik Female Singer of the Year award reflected critical and industry acknowledgment within the German-speaking market. It is this accumulation of honors across national boundaries — from Scandinavia to Austria to France to her native Italy — that most concretely marks the scale of Bartoli's reception as an opera singer.
Quotes by Cecilia Bartoli
The restaurants close here in Salzburg. They don’t really have a nightlife in the winter time.
The goal is always to make a nice tableau painting with the voice. The more color I can find, the more shadow I can find – the goal is always to make more nuance and colors.
You must feel what you’re singing, not just have a good presentation of the language.
When you are accompanied by the instrument – on an instrument like the lute-the lute and voice – you have this sound, and you feel how the music can be so touching and yet so simple.
It’s not difficult to sing in German; it’s difficult to feel in German. This takes time. It’s a culture.
I would still love to do more Handel. I think Handel was a fantastic composer. I did lots of Vivaldi, but it’s also important to do the music of Handel, one of the greatest composers of the 18th century.
I think, first of all, you need to love what you’re doing, and then this helps in the comedian for its part in everything-but the moment you enjoy what you’re doing, you try to express yourself, to find your way, and every time is different, of course.
I still love to walk in the mountains or be on the sea. I like to be in nature. Sometimes I bicycle. It’s important to feel good with your body. The body is extremely important. If you feel good, you have more energy in your singing.
Actually, I feel music becoming more and more important. It’s a big source of inspiration. With what’s going on in the world, we feel almost desperate. Music also brings you peace.
The voice is an instrument that you really must take time to develop. It’s like a good red wine Give it time.