Anna Schivazappa, Pizzicar Galante, Marc Mauillon – Un Air d’Italie. The Mandolin in Paris in the 18th Century (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 01:09:03 minutes | 2,40 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Arcana
As an instrument from Italy, one that was exotic and evocative of Mediterranean atmospheres, the mandolin was very much in fashion in France until the end of the Century of Enlightenment: a fact also confirmed by many iconographic and musical sources. Pizzicar Galante, an ensemble that stands today as a benchmark for the interpretation of the galant literature for mandolin and continuo, has been acclaimed for the “finesse, creativity and spirit” (Olivier Fourés, Diapason) and “communicative energy” of its performances (Sébastien Llinares, France Musique). For its second recording with Arcana, it offers a compilation of the finest music played during the veritable “golden age” enjoyed by the mandolin in Paris from the 1760s to the Revolution. It is a rare and unexplored repertoire in which the dazzling virtuosity of Anna Schivazappa, a specialist in historical mandolins, dialogues with the beguiling and charismatic voice of Marc Mauillon.
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Pizzicar Galante – Scarlatti: Mandolin Sonatas (2019)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:00:10 minutes | 1,13 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Arcana
Scarlatti and the mandolin: this recording provides a fascinating and unusual encounter between one of the most important composers of the baroque period and an instrument that originated in Naples and enjoyed great popularity throughout Europe, especially in Paris and in other European capitals during the 18th century. The Pizzicar Galante ensemble, founded in Paris in 2012 by mandolinist Anna Schivazappa and harpsichordist Fabio Antonio Falcone, reveals hidden aspects of these musical gems from the Italian Baroque. Drawing inspiration from a mysterious 18th-century French manuscript containing the first movement of Scarlatti’s Sonata K 89, preceded by the indication ‘Sonatina per mandolino e cimbalo’, the musicians deliver a fresh and original interpretation of these works. The music is full of contrasts, rich in virtuoso passages, surprises and effects but also full of sweetness and humour, combined with a certain meditative melancholy. Specialized in the Italian repertoire for mandolin and basso continuo, Pizzicar Galante gives voice to different instrumental timbres. Among these, the charming, crystal-clear sound of an original 18th-century Neapolitan mandolin: an absolute rarity that makes this recording truly unique.
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