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CECILIA BARTOLI: OPERA PROIBITA Les Musiciens du Louvre; Conductor: Marc Minkowski Decca 475 6924 *****

Another tour de force for Cecilia Bartoli. This time she's gone to her native Rome in the early 18th century and has sought out lesser known arias by Scarlatti, Caldara and Handel, each of whom were active in Rome at that time. Of these three composers Caldara is the least known, yet Bartoli has unearthed music by him that is quite exquisite, in every way as significant as the contributions from his more famous contemporaries. As for Bartoli herself, her fabulous technique and vocal splendour make every track on this disc a joy to hear. This period was the heyday of the castrato and the technical demands of some of these arias are immense. Bartoli, combining beautifully with Marc Mink- owski's exuberant orchestra, glides though them with ease. A wonderful, joyous disc.

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Colman Morrissey