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Review highlights: “It was since 1986, when he was a student of Maria Caltabiano Maffei, the daughter of the composer, that Bartoli was on the search for a dramatic soprano to revive these magnificent songs. Effectively, these compositions deserve to be brought back to public attention; they are among the very few efforts by Italian musicians to approach the structure of German lieder, insofar as they are based on verses by illustrious poets. In the selection offered to us, we read the signatures of such luminaries as ada Negri and Giovanni Pascoli, as well as a collection of five lyrics by anonymous Greek poets […]. The form of Paola Romanò is enviable at the least. She surpassed with ease the numerous obstacles of the songs, singing with great emotion and technical mastery throughout the concert. […]. The pianist Sandro Ivo Bartoli left a wonderful impression, both as an accompanist and in the extremely difficult solo piano interludes, dedicated to Respighi, Malipiero and Casella. He should also be applauded for having brought back these obscure works by Sebastiano Caltabiano. The concert, held in the charming Teatro Garibaldi, was greeted with much enthusiasm and loud calls for encores by the public.”
Danilo Boaretto.