I'm not a big Bartoli fan, but also not a detractor. So please, don't anyone interpret that I am trying to "bash" her.
I think that people respond to Bartoli's personality and the enthusiasm that she brings to her performances.
I've not had the opportunity to see/hear her live, so can't comment on her impact in person. However, I agree with your assessment that there are many other mezzos who have similar or even greater gifts who don't seem to get the kind ot attention that Bartoli does. IMHO, it's not really all that remarkable a voice. It is remarkable how far it's taken her.
On video and television, I find her tics highly distracting. Her acting as Susanna I found rather rough and crude. Susanna as a Sicilian peasant rather than the clever, well schooled protege of a noble woman.
The music industry "insiders" that I know say that Bartoli is largely a product of the recording engineers. They say that the voice is relatively small, and although in many ways it works very efficiently for her, it's real ly not all that well produced.
Fairly or not, it's often the "flawed" artists who get a lot of attention and affection, while those whose techniques are more reliable (and voices perhaps more beautiful) get taken a bit for granted. I think that Bartoli is probably aware of this and has played the situation very craftily, cancelling whenever there's the slightest reason, but managing to maintain demand for her performances and sustaining the devotion of her fans. Her girlish charm may help her get away with some of this behavior. We'll see whether things change when she starts to show some age...
She has also championed a lot of underperformed repertoire, another very shrewd move on her part. Go where the competition ISN'T!
Judy
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