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Precious is a new-style weepie but one that is much more bracing than depressing
Precious
Theatre
Ian McKellen is captivating throughout. He delights in the play’s gallows humour, yet is also maudlin and poignant
Waiting for Godot
Theatre
Slight quibbles notwithstanding, this will set the West End’s stock riding high
Enron
Utterly, utterly brilliant. You really are in for a treat
Though 'Trilogy' has won rave reviews, I personally found myself exasperated after about an hour
We went on a quiet sunday evening and the food was excellent, but the experience let down by the service and ambiance
London,
Nick Kimberley's rating
Reader rating
Description: The ensemble and mezzo-soprano perform works by Porpora, Caldara, Giacomelli, R Broschi, Leo, Araia and Graun.
Phone: 0845120 7500
Website: www.barbican.org.uk
Email: info@barbican.org.uk
Trains: Tube: Barbican/Moorgate 
, Tube / Bus: 8, 11, 23, 26, 35, 42, 43, 47, 48, 55, 56, 76,78, 100 
Opening hours: Mon-Sun 9am-8pm
Extra info: Telephones, Parking, Air Conditioning, Food, Party Hire, Pub
Outstanding: Cecilia Bartoli gave it her all
Nicolò Porpora, Leonardo Leo, Carl Heinrich Graun, Leonardo Vinci (not that one): these are not composers who usually pack the Barbican to the rafters. Cecilia Bartoli’s numberless fans, however, would pay to hear her sing the shipping forecast. These days she takes an almost academic approach to assembling her programmes; this one, called Sacrificium, paid tribute to 18th-century Italian opera’s unbridled passion for castratos.
A little snip administered before puberty, followed by rigorous training, allowed them to tackle fabulously ornate music, and Bartoli is one of the few modern singers who can match their technique. As ever, it was possible to complain about certain details: a little coarsening at the bottom of the chest register, some pinching at the top, consonants sacrificed for the sake of vocal beauty, lack of variety in the repertoire.
All of that said, we are still left face to face with Bartoli’s exuberant talent, sweeping (almost) all criticism aside. Her machine-gun coloratura remains stupefying, her wondrous breath-control still spins out a phrase to unfeasible length, the pianissimos defy belief. It was (almost) enough to convince us that this was great music.
She was ably supported by Il Giardino Armonico, its soft-grained strings, fruity horns and plucky lute a gorgeous cushion on which her voice could luxuriate. Bartoli sang for over two hours and, in music that makes such exorbitant demands, that alone deserved a standing ovation.
Revelling in some camp costume-changes, she gave her all; more, perhaps, than the music deserved, but it was magnificent.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
