Product Details

• Actors: Cecilia Bartoli, Giovanni Antonini, Enrico Onofri, Mario Bianchi, Luca Pianca
• Directors: Brian Large
• Producers: Colin Wilson, Jane Seymour, Yves Rolland
• Format: Classical, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: Italian (Dolby Digital 5.0), Italian (DTS 5.1), Italian (PCM Stereo)
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Arthaus Musik
• DVD Release Date: August 21, 2001
• Run Time: 106 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005NNSY
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #166,813 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Viva Vivaldi! Arias & Concertos / Cecilia Bartoli · Il Giardino Armonico" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Viva Vivaldi! is a concert by Italian mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli interspersing arias from the 20 surviving operas of Vivaldi with two concertos. It is given with the early music ensemble Il Giardino Armonico before a very appreciative audience in the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. (There is very little overlap between her studio-recorded Vivaldi Album and this 105-minute concert.) Anyone thinking of Vivaldi's vocal music in the context of his uplifting scared works may get a shock, for Bartoli performs as if her life depended upon it, attacking pieces such as "Armatae Face et Anguibus" from Juditha Triumphans with vengeful gusto. Bartoli's natural Italian and the live atmosphere of Maria Grazia d'Alessio's oboe gives her interpretation of the quietly haunting and melodically rich "Non ti Lusinghi la Crudeltade" from Tito Manlio a particular piquancy. The Flautino Concerto is a most attractive interlude, while the more famous Lute/Violin Concerto beguiles with its exquisite lyricism. --Gary S. Dalkin, Amazon.co.uk

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cecilia at her very best, August 1, 2001

By 

Brian Wrangham (Ottawa, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Viva Vivaldi! Arias & Concertos / Cecilia Bartoli · Il Giardino Armonico (DVD)

Watching this DVD was a truly wonderful experience, a real feast both for the eyes and ears. The concert which was recorded in a very elegant hall in Paris last September was filled to overflowing with a very enthusiastic and appreciative audience. The generous program consisted of 14 selections, all by Vivaldi, - 12 arias and 2 concertos - and it lasted just over 100 minutes. I suspect that many of the arias sung will be new to most viewers. In fact, most of the music is relatively unknown and had to be specially transcribed for the occasion from Vivaldi's original manuscripts. And what glorious and all encompasssing music it is. The tone of the arias cover the entire range of human emotions - from happiness and joy, to reflection, to terror and absolute grief and despair. They are sung in Cecilia's truly inimitable style. Of course, the closeups afforded by the DVD far surpass the pleasures of only listening to similar material on CDs. Cecilia sings with such conviction and obvious sincerity and pleasure that it is practically impossible not to get carried away with the music. The accompanying ensemble -Il Giardino Armonico - play with their usual conviction. The enjoyment of the program is enhanced as always by the exemplary video direction of Brian Large and the beautifully recorded sound -- the closeups of Cecilia are truly engrossing. Technically the DVD is among the best that Arthaus Musik has released to date. The picture is reasonably sharp throughout (unlike some of the company's earlier releases) and the colours very pleasing to the eye. This is one of the first recital DVDs from Arthaus to feature a DTS soundtrack, as well as PCM and 5.1 dolby digital(DD). As one might expect, the DTS sound is definitely superior to the 5.1 DD, and even the excellent PCM audio. The picture format is 16x9 and the subtitles which are large and clearly legible are available in five languages including English. A multilingual information booklet about the music and artists is included. I am sure that this is one purchase which will remain a favourite of mine for a long time.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Art of the highest calibre!, August 28, 2001

By 

"duisterdoos" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Viva Vivaldi! Arias & Concertos / Cecilia Bartoli · Il Giardino Armonico (DVD)

I have never been a lover of the music of Vivaldi (anyway not the pieces that have been beaten into a pulp by every pseudo-classical radio station around the globe). My eyes, and ears, have been opened by this amazing recital. Many music lovers are extremely critical of Cecilia Bartoli. Her mannerisms, technique, breathing etc are targets for many vitriolic tongues these days. What rubbish! Everyone does not like sterile academic performances. I think this lady, as well as every member of the orchestra in this recording, is absolutely brilliant. They make every note live! I don't think that I will in my lifetime ever hear a voice like this, interpreting music like this again! These artists make Vivaldi live again. Truly - Viva Vivaldi and Bravo Cecilia and Il Giardino Armonico. Do yourself a favour and get your hands on this DVD.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Super!, November 24, 2004

By 

Zhiyi Wang (Beijing, CHINA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Viva Vivaldi! Arias & Concertos / Cecilia Bartoli · Il Giardino Armonico (DVD)

This concert is amazing, those vivaldi's vocal pieces have never been performed on the stage like this. Bartoli is too good to comment, undoubtedly the best messo-soprano. The sound of this DVD is superb, with the digital surrounding sound, you can feel the audience applauding everywhere. By the way, the orchestra did an incredibly good job, the dynamic range, the collaboration with each other, etc. all is perfect, just as hot as the vocal performance. Highly recommended.