Cecilia Bartoli and Friends

In 2016, the legendary Cecilia Bartoli celebrates three decades of a dazzling and unique career. To pay tribute to the Roman diva, friends of the mezzo-soprano—and fellow musicians of the highest calibre— offer a fascinating glimpse at their relationship with her: to Martha Argerich, she is “like a twin”; to Daniel Barenboim, an extraordinary person [who] “brings together so much. She has it all: voice, musicality, text, actress, movement on the stage. She is all one. These are all different aspects of the same thing, and that is why it is so wonderful making music with her…”

Featuring even more superstar musicians—from Anne-Sophie Mutter and Gustavo Dudamel to Philippe Jaroussky and Antonio Pappano—this film paints an affectionate portrait of a one-of-a-kind artist who has devoted herself to unearthing long-lost treasures of the vocal repertoire. A cooperative spirit through and through, Bartoli sees her own role as just one part of a concerted group effort, all with the goal of centering the composer and allowing the music to shine—though, of course, we know a star like Bartoli always makes it shine even brighter…