11 August 2009 "Maria" Reaches Gold Status in France The CD dedicated to Maria Malibran, MARIA, has reached gold status in France. After the Netherlands and Belgium this is the third country where Cecilia's last solo album has reached a major landmark in record sales.
14 May 2009 Cecilia Receives Eminent Léonie Sonning Prize 2010 Cecilia Bartoli has been awarded one of the most prestigious music awards, Denmark's Léonie Sonning Music Prize for 2010. The award committee says her ''sound is unique, her technique has not been surpassed and her radiation on stage is like (opera legend Maria) Callas''. The Léonie Sonning Music Foundation says she is ''our days' great diva.'' Cecilia will receive the award during a concert in Copenhagen on June 16, 2010. The prize is named after Leonie Sonning and has been awarded annually since 1959 to an internationally renowned composer, musician, conductor or singer. Previous winners include Igor Strawinsky, Brigit Nilsson, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Janet Baker, Leonard Bernstein, Mstislav Rostropovich, Anne-Sophie Mutter and Daniel Barenboim.
14 April 2009 Handel House Halle Honours Cecilia Bartoli On 14 April 2009 - precisely Handel's 250th death day - Cecilia was elected Honorary Member of the Advisory Board of the Handel House Halle Foundation. With this, the board honours Cecilia as one of today's most important performers of Handel and also for her vivid interest in lesser known music from the Baroque period. The celebrations in the German town of Halle, where Handel was born in 1685, will culminate in Cecilia's first concert there on 22 October. The patrons of this year's Handel Festival in Halle are Queen Elizabeth II and the President of Germany, Horst Köhler.
12 February 2009 2nd Toronto Concert Due to Great Demand Due to the great demand for concert tickets in Toronto, Cecilia and La Scintilla have agreed at short notice to repeat the Malibran-concert in the evening of 1 March! The 2 Toronto concerts and the one at Carnegie Hall are the only North American celebrations of the first American Oper Star Maria Malibran.
05 January 2009 Semele DVD Release Cecilia Bartoli's first operatic Decca DVD release for over 10 years sees her triumphing in the title role of Handel's late drama, 'Semele'. The DVD is released 2nd February. Click below to view a clip of the DVD.
09 December 2008 Cecilia on ARTE TV The joint French and German TV channel ARTE will show the documentary "Malibran rediscovered - the Romantic Revolution" on 22 December at 22.50h, the Barcelona Concert on 25 December at 19h and Halévy's opera "Clari" on 5 January at 22.50h.
04 December 2008 First Appearances in Budapest announced In late April/early May 2009, Cecilia will sing in the Hungarian music capital Budapest for the first time. There will be a gala concert conducted by Adam Fischer at the Hungarian State Opera as well as a baroque and a belcanto concert at the Palace of Arts.(details see \"concerts\")
28 October 2008 La sonnambula Website Visit the La sonnambula web feature HERE to listen to exclusive excerpts and find out more information about the release.
21 August 2008 La sonnambula - NEW CD Cecilia's latest new release is a brand new studio recording and the most complete and authentic recording of La sonnambula ever. This recording features the two leading bel canto super stars of today, Cecilia Bartoli and Juan Diego Flórez, joining forces for the first time. It is the first ever recording with a mezzo-soprano in the lead role, and the first ever recording with a period instrument orchestra. Many of the cadenzas sung by Cecilia Bartoli are those used by the great 19th Century interpreter of the role, Maria Malibran; this release concludes Cecilia's celebration of the bicentenary year of Maria Malibran (1808 - 1836). The album is released on October 17th and will be accompanied by a continued global tour covering Europe, Japan and America.
04 July 2008 Clari Revival at Zurich Opera "Clari", the opera written by Jacques Halévy for Maria Malibran and successfully produced last May for the first time since the 1820ies will be revived for only two performances in Zurich on 31 August and 5 September - with Cecilia in the title role of course.
19 June 2008 CECILIA WINS INTERNATIONAL AWARDS It has been announced that Cecilia Bartoli is to be bestowed with three major international awards. In the Netherlands, Cecilia's album MARIA was awarded the Edison 2008 prize (category: Vocal solo). The Edison Award is the most important prize of the Dutch music industry for albums of outstanding quality. The oldest music prize in the Netherlands, the Edison awards were founded in 1960 and the Edison Classical Music Awards are granted by an independent jury consisting of prominent experts in the field of classical music. The award was presented to her after Cecilia's concert at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam on 12 June. In Spain, at the suggestion of the Ministry of Culture and with the approbation of the Spanish government the King of Spain will bestow the "Medalla de oro al merito en las bellas artes" for the year 2007 on Cecilia. This medal is the highest acknowledgement in the cultural sphere of Spain, given to individuals and institutions who have contributed substantially to the promotion and development of art. And in Italy, Cecilia will be awarded the Bellini d'Oro ? a prestigious prize given by the Società Catanese Amici della Musica to great singers and conductors for important achievements in connection with the works of Vincenzo Bellini. Cecilia was chosen this year for her work on Bellini and Malibran. Earlier this year in Belgium, Cecilia was also awarded the "Prix Caecilia" from the Union de la Presse Musicale Belge.
29 May 2008 Malibran Concerts in Italy The Malibran Concert Tour continues: In June it will first reach Cardiff (Cecilia's first-ever appearance in the British homeland of fine singing), followed by Birmingham and Dublin as well as Amsterdam and Germany and culminating at the Vienna Musikverein. In September, the Malibran Program will be performed for the first time in Italy: at the Festival Settembre Musica in Torino and as part of the Belcanto Festival at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome.
27 March 2008 Malibran Birthday Event Cecilia Bartoli\'s grand celebration of Maria Malibran was an amazing success, delighting critics and the public alike. The full-day event took place in Paris on Monday 24th March - 200 years to the day since Maria Malibran\'s birth. Cecilia gave three concerts at the Salle Pleyel on the one day, starting with a chamber music recital with Lang Lang (piano) and Vadim Repin (violin). In the early afternoon Cecilia sang in a concert performance of La Cenerentola with The Zurich Opera House Orchestra and Choir, conducted by Adam Fischer, and the day was completed with a gala performance with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France conducted by Myung-Whun Chung. Crowds gathered outside the Hotel de Ville where a big screen showed a film of Cecilia performing live in Barcelona (from the Maria DVD) and 1500 people visited the MuseoMobile. Photos: SUPERVISION France
20 March 2008 Maria Certified Gold in Belgium! Cecilia's latest album 'Maria' has been certified Gold in Belgium. Many congratulations Cecilia!
14 March 2008 Barcelona concert on the big screen in Paris! - 24th March Cecilia\'s homage to Maria Malibran, filmed live in concert at Barcelona, is being screened to the public on a special open-air cinema at the Hôtel de Ville in Paris on 24th March, Why not take this opportunity to visit the Malibran Museo Mobile which will also be at the event? The Barcelona Concert film is being shown at 2pm, 4pm and 6pm and is also available on DVD shortly.
25 February 2008 New Cecilia Bartoli DVD - Maria New Cecilia Bartoli DVD - Maria The Barcelona Concert and Malibran rediscovered Cecilia Bartoli celebrates the 200th birthday of Maria Malibran with her personal tribute to female superstar Maria Malibran - a double DVD to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of a Romantic icon. DVD 1 features the Barcelona concert from the ongoing Maria album tour La Rivoluzione Romantica. The 80 minute programmed performed in the stunning Palau de la Musica Catalana features highlights from the Maria album, and includes Rossini's Willow Song as a DVD exclusive. DVD 2 features a fascinating 70 minute film Malibran Rediscovered - The Romantic Revolution, following Cecilia Bartoli as she researches the life of Maria Malibran and records the album. 'This new recital is a brilliant summation of her art and the special contribution it makes' Gramophone, Editor's Choice Tracklisting 1.García La figlia dell'aria 'E non lo vedo... Son regina' 2. Persiani Ines de Castro 'Cari giorni' 3. Mendelssohn Infelice 4. Rossini La Cenerentola 'Naqui all'affanno' 5. Rossini Otello 'Assisa al piè d'un salice ... Deh, calma' (Willow Song and Prayer) 6. Balfe The Maid of Artois 'Yon moon o'er the mountains' 7. Hummel Air à la tirolienne avec variations 8. Bellini La sonnambula 'Ah! non credea mirarti ... Ah! non giunge' 9. Maria Malibran (for Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore) 'Oh dolce incanto' 10. Maria Malibran Rataplan 11. Manuel García El poeta calculista 'Yo que soy contrabandista'
14 February 2008 Museo Mobile Tour Continues In March, the elegant black truck 'Museo Mobile Maria Malibran'continues its 20,000 km long European tour towards Paris where it will be part of the bicentenary celebrations of Maria's birth. Find out more about this exciting project at www.mariamalibran.net
07 January 2008 New York Times Article Cecilia was featured in the New York Times on the 6th January. Here is an excerpt from the article and to read the full version click HERE 'CECILIA BARTOLI just may have found the role of a lifetime: the diva Maria Malibran, who was born in 1808 and died in 1836. 'Malibran was the Madonna of her age,' Ms. Bartoli said recently from Paris, a stop on her grand European tour of dozens of concerts showcasing the music and personality of this short-lived star. Part of the caravan is a rolling museum (or truck) filled with Malibran memorabilia 'letters, posters, stage jewelry, pictures, collectibles' that Ms. Bartoli, 41, has been amassing since the start of her career. Her new CD, 'Maria,' issued by Decca in October in both a limited edition and an 'oversize deluxe hardcover,' paints a vivid portrait in song, photos and hundreds of pages of text in three languages. When supplies run out, the music will be released in simpler, more conventional packaging. That could be soon. A law unto herself, Ms. Bartoli has created best sellers with CDs devoted to unlikely fare like Vivaldi, Gluck, Salieri and what she has called 'Forbidden Opera,' the repertory of highly dramatic sacred oratorios written in Rome from 1703 to 1710, when opera as such (secular, frivolous) was banned by the pope. 'Maria' has started stronger than any of those. Universal Classics, Decca's parent company, reports that the album racked up the strongest first-week sales of any Bartoli album since 'Mozart Portraits' in 1994 and shot straight to the No. 1 spot on Billboard's classical chart. This showing is especially remarkable because Ms. Bartoli has no American dates on her calendar this season. The celebrations continue. On March 24 she is to give an elaborate 200th birthday party for Malibran at the Salle Pleyel in Paris: a recital with the violinist Maxim Vengerov and the pianist Lang Lang in the late morning, a concert performance of Rossini's 'Cenerentola' in the afternoon and a gala concert in the evening. The seeds for this Malibran campaign were planted by Christopher Raeburn, the Decca producer who put Ms. Bartoli on the map when she was barely 20. Her first Rosina, in Rossini's 'Barbiere di Siviglia,' had been a triumph. As it happened, Decca needed a Rosina for a new recording. Mr. Raeburn gave Ms. Bartoli the job and a portrait of Malibran.' By MATTHEW GUREWITSCH Published: January 6, 2008
06 December 2007 Some press reviews of 'Maria' Here is just a selection of the fantastic reviews 'Maria' has recieved! "The ever-enterprising Bartoli is on top form in this collection of Malibran's repertoire" The Observer 11 Nov 2007 "The star, of course, is Bartoli. Recorded at 40, her beauty of voice and depth of artistry remain unique among mezzos. If anything, Bartoli's agile coloratura technique, which varies between softly graced notes and machine gun-like articulation, as well as her eye-opening trill, amazing facility with fioritura, and depth of emotional commitment have never been more impressive. The album's three bel canto standards showcase Bartoli's treasure-trove of nuance, shading, articulation, precise note values, authentic Malibranian ornamentation, and surprisingly solid low notes. Her "Qui la voce" is exquisite. I remain puzzled by the way she ends her cabaletta-shorn "Casta Diva" by dropping downwards. Is this how Malibran ended the aria?" Bay Area Reporter "Listeners will find Bartoli's Casta Diva of great interest - while the opening is perhaps perversely breathy, the mezzo's shaping of the second verse is sovereign, her touching nobility equal to the greatest Normas." Opera News Nov 2007
03 December 2007 US News - Cecilia on NPR today Cecilia Bartoli will be featured on a segment on Monday afternoon, December 3rd on National Public Radio?s All Things Considered. This feature will air on public radio stations nationwide. You will be able to listen to the segment, view a slideshow of artifacts, listen to samples from and buy the CD by visiting http://www.npr.org/music/ on Monday afternoon.
27 November 2007 Many new concert dates added to Maria Malibran tour Due to exceptional demand, a series of new dates have been added to Cecilia's phenomenally successful Maria Malibran concert tour, including her first ever appearance in Wales! 2008-03-18 Bruxelles, Palais des Beaux-Arts 2008-06-03 Cardiff, St David's Hall 2008-06-05 Birmingham, Symphony Hall 2008-06-07 Dublin, National Concert Hall 2008-06-10 Concertgebouw, Amsterdam 2008-06-12 Bad Kissingen, Regentenbau 2008-06-14 Dortmund, Konzerthaus 2008-06-16 Ludwigsburg, Forum
26 November 2007 Maria goes Gold in The Netherlands Cecilia's latest album 'Maria' has been certified Gold in The Netherlands. Congratulations Cecilia!
24 October 2007 Billboard chart #1 "Maria" is now the #1 Classical album on the Billboard chart in the USA. Congratulations Cecilia !
26 September 2007  Maria chart success! Cecilia's latest album, "Maria" has proved an instant hit with music lovers and is riding high in the pop charts across Europe! Portugal No. 12, Germany No. 15, France No. 17, Belgium No. 12, Sweden No. 17, Switzerland No. 27, Holland No. 28, Spain No. 30, Denmark No. 36, Italy No. 48, Austria No. 57 All we can say is many, many congratulations Cecilia!
17 September 2007  Album news Cecilia's new album "Maria" is now available!
10 September 2007 Maria Album Launch On a beautiful evening on 10th September, the launch of Cecilia Bartoli's new album "Maria" and her project devoted to ´ the 200th birthday of Maria Malibran took place. A short private concert at the Teatro del Giglio in the Tuscan town of Lucca, where Maria Malibran had sung with immense success on the very same day in 1834, was followed by a grand dinner. On the piazza in front of the Teatro del Giglio, the Cecilia Bartoli Music Foundation officially presented the Museo Mobile 'Maria Malibran' to the public for the first time.
06 September 2007 Maria Malibran Museo Mobile website launches The Cecilia Bartoli Music Foundation has today launched the website dedicated to the "Mueso Mobile" - the mobile Maria Malibran museum. The mobile museum will accompany Cecilia on her forthcoming concert tour and contains many of Cecilia's personal Maria Malibran artefacts. Go to www.mariamalibran.net to read about this exciting venture and the see the wealth of information in the gallery.
04 September 2007 Album news Cecilia Bartoli's latest album is scheduled for a worldwide release on 17th September. All the news about the album and the concept can be found on Cecilia's newly-launched official website www.ceciliabartolionline.com. The album is available in two formats, a CD book product (4759077 4) and a lavish super-deluxe product (4759082 8 ) featuring an exclusive DVD documentary and 200 page book with many photos of Maria Malibran artefacts from Cecilia's personal collection. This is a strictlly limited edition, so order your copy now!