Cecilia Bartoli & Sol Gabetta
Barbican, 1st December
What’s better than one soloist at the peak of her musical powers? Try two. Italy’s reigning mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli is joined by star Argentinian cellist and friend Sol Gabetta. Together they will stage a “dolce duello”—a sweet duel of musicianship with each urging the other on to greater feats of virtuosity. No one puts on a classical show like Bartoli, and this performance—part-concert, part-friendly competition—promises plenty of spectacle. It’s also a brilliantly crafted project inspired by famous musical duels of history, and one that pairs well-known showpiece arias by Handel and works by Gluck and Boccherini with little-known baroque pieces by Raupach, Caldara and Pollarolo.