Cecilia Bartoli--The Passion of Song is really two books in one. The first is author Kim Chernin"s account of a growing fascination with Bartoli"s voice and the desire to meet the singer and interview her about her art. The second is a performance guide by coauthor Renate Stendhal that traces the singer"s career from its beginnings on Italian television to her debuts at La Scala and the Met. Neither author takes a particularly critical look at Cecilia Bartoli"s talents or her career, but fans of the singer will find plenty of information about their idol, from her early years studying opera under the tutelage of her mother Silvana Bazzoni, also a singer, to the master classes she now teaches in concert with Ms. Bazzoni.