Cecilia Bartoli Il Giardino Armonico Viva Vivaldi Théatre des Champs Elysées, Paris, 2000

Certainly more than just the composer of the Four Seasons, we all know that Antonio Vivaldi (1678 1743) also wrote hundreds of largely famous and wonderful instrumental works, and his glorious church music is well known. But it wasn t until recent decades that his wonderful operas of which he is said to have written more than fifty were resurrected. In this now famous concert held at the Théâtre des ChampsElysées in Paris in 2000 (here in its fulllength), the talented and worldrenowned italian mezzosoprano Cecilia Bartoli together with Italian period music ensemble Il Giardino Armonico just presents beautiful and rare or lesser known arias from Vivaldi s operas. Ably backed by instrumentalists including violinist Marco Bianchi, lutist Luca Pianca, oboe player Maria Grazia d Alessio, and flautino (recorder) soloist Giovanni Antonini who also acts as the conductor the gorgeous mezzosoprano with her spectacular vocal pyrotechnics gives a voice to a great c