Title: Resplendent
Review: Musically, `Sacrificium' presents the kind of technical virtuosity and communicative power one has come to expect from Cecilia Bartoli--and she delivers magnificently. Visually, it shows that one reason why Bartoli consistently dazzles is that she collaborates with other top-notch artists. This recital is so attractive in no small part thanks to Olivier Simonnet's direction, which is excellent in all arias but one. The camera angles, the lighting, the details, the editing--all show a nuanced understanding of the music and the whole Baroque aesthetic. They create an atmosphere of exuberant vitality and the most exquisite melancholy. It is the latter in particular that Bartoli conveys devastatingly well--I wish they had included more of the silky, haunting arias of sadness. Yes, Bartoli shines in the bravura parts, but it is in spinning those fragile notes of abject longing in which she is peerless. For the splendour and the intimacy of the Baroque, this is a performance to treasure.
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