Cecilia Bartoli isn't your average opera star. She doesn't sing many of the popular 19th century operas. Instead, she prefers to explore the dusty, little-known corners of the 18th century. Bartoli's new album is devoted to music written for a single artist of the Baroque era named Farinelli.

He was the most acclaimed opera singer of the mid-1700s, the rock star of his day, singing some of the most virtuosic music ever written for the human voice. Allegedly, Farinelli (born Carlo Broschi in 1705) could sing 250 notes sustaining a single breath. Bartoli can't quite match that, but on her latest album, titled Farinelli, she undeniably gives it her best shot.