Viva Vivaldi!

The Red Priest celebrates his birthday today.  One of the most popular composers of all time and with more and more of his music being discovered as the years grow by his popularity grows and grows.  Of course we all know the Four Seasons but to me his operatic works are even more compelling.

One of the modern vocal champions of his work is undoubtedly Cecilia Bartoli and justifiably so.  Her Vivaldi recording with Giovanni Antonini & Il Giardino Armonico remains a benchmark of Baroque brilliance, both in the terrifying tessitura of the heroic moments and the legato of the tragic arias.  

Here she is in the former, one of the more brilliant arias that in my opinion he composed.  No one quite does it like Cecilia, I've seen her live and trust me, it doesn't get much better than this.  Happy birthday Maestro Vivaldi!