Sonate per l'Organo e il Cembalo
Artist
Daniele Proni Organo e Clavicembalo
Composer
Giovanni Battista Martini (1706-1784)
Venue
Cascina Giardino, Crema (CR) Italy
About this album
Giovanni Battista Martini was born on April 24, 1796 and began the study of music in his childhood under the guidance of his father, a bowed instrument player, as well as his older brother Giuseppe. Within the context of the home school of Dom Giuseppe Auregli and of the Church of Our Lady of Galliera, he learned reading, writing, arithmetics and received religious training. He immediately showed a bright intellect and manyfold interests in the field of music, so much to be sent to study with some of the best teachers in Bologna: Angelo Predieri, who taught him singing and composition, and Giovanni Antonio Riccieri, who perfected his knowledge of counterpoint. Francesco Antonio Pistocchi taught him the techniques of singing in depth, while Giacomo Antonio Perti gave him the final precious advice. He was admitted into the family of Saint Francis, a sort of religious apprenticeship, and there he was ordained as Friar Minor in 1725. At the time, he had recently become the assistant of Ferdinando Gridi, choirmaster and organist, who was in poor health: indeed, after just six months, Gridi died and Martini replaced him in his duties, and in a couple of years he became his successor. In 1729, he was consecrated as priest and c
Giovanni Battista Martini was born on April 24, 1796 and began the study of music in his childhood under the guidance of his father, a bowed instrument player, as well as his older brother Giuseppe. Within the context of the home school of Dom Giuseppe Auregli and of the Church of Our Lady of Galliera, he learned reading, writing, arithmetics and received religious training. He immediately showed a bright intellect and manyfold interests in the field of music, so much to be sent to study with some of the best teachers in Bologna: Angelo Predieri, who taught him singing and composition, and Giovanni Antonio Riccieri, who perfected his knowledge of counterpoint. Francesco Antonio Pistocchi taught him the techniques of singing in depth, while Giacomo Antonio Perti gave him the final precious advice. He was admitted into the family of Saint Francis, a sort of religious apprenticeship, and there he was ordained as Friar Minor in 1725. At the time, he had recently become the assistant of Ferdinando Gridi, choirmaster and organist, who was in poor health: indeed, after just six months, Gridi died and Martini replaced him in his duties, and in a couple of years he became his successor. In 1729, he was consecrated as priest and c
Olimpia Abbandonata & Other Cantatas
Artists
Valeria La Grotta, soprano
Ensemble Sonar d'affetto
Nicola Brovelli, violoncello
Mauro Pinciaroli, arciliuto
Luigi Accardo, clavicembalo
Composer
Leonardo Vinci (1696-1730)
Venue
Sant'Eligio Vescovo Churc,
La Mandria di Chivasso (To) (Italy)
About this album
«I entered this city, impressed with the highest ideas of the perfect state in which I should find practical music. It was at Naples only that I expected to have my ears gratified with every musical luxury and refinement which Italy could afford. [...] And what lover of music could be in the place which had produced the two Scarlattis, Vinci, Leo, Pergolesi, Porpora, Farinelli, Jommelli, Piccini, Traetta, Sacchini, and innumerable others of the first eminence among composers and performers, both vocal and instrumental, without the most sanguine expectation?». With these words, Charles Burney, the author of one of the most famous and ancient “histories of music” of the modern age, in October 1770 noted in his travel diary his expectations – certainly not unfulfilled – when visiting Naples, a Europea
Ensemble Sonar d'affetto
Nicola Brovelli, violoncello
Mauro Pinciaroli, arciliuto
Luigi Accardo, clavicembalo
La Mandria di Chivasso (To) (Italy)
«I entered this city, impressed with the highest ideas of the perfect state in which I should find practical music. It was at Naples only that I expected to have my ears gratified with every musical luxury and refinement which Italy could afford. [...] And what lover of music could be in the place which had produced the two Scarlattis, Vinci, Leo, Pergolesi, Porpora, Farinelli, Jommelli, Piccini, Traetta, Sacchini, and innumerable others of the first eminence among composers and performers, both vocal and instrumental, without the most sanguine expectation?». With these words, Charles Burney, the author of one of the most famous and ancient “histories of music” of the modern age, in October 1770 noted in his travel diary his expectations – certainly not unfulfilled – when visiting Naples, a Europea
Esule dalle sfere - Chi resiste al Dio bendato
Artists
Composer
Alessandro Stradella (1644-1682)
Venue
Cappella del Seminario di Vercelli (VC), Italy
About this album
Together with Caravaggio, Alessandro Stradella is one of the most fascinating figures of the Italian Baroque era, not just in virtue of an outstanding talent, but also for a tormented life spent in constant fleeting, that contributed to make him very much alike to a protagonist of a modern day novels. Like the famous painter, Stradella died still young at age 38, killed by a knife wound inflicted to him from the hired assassins sent by Giovan Battista Lomellini, a nobleman from Genoa that thus intended to avenge the honor of his sister who – according to his views – the composer had seduced while giving her
Together with Caravaggio, Alessandro Stradella is one of the most fascinating figures of the Italian Baroque era, not just in virtue of an outstanding talent, but also for a tormented life spent in constant fleeting, that contributed to make him very much alike to a protagonist of a modern day novels. Like the famous painter, Stradella died still young at age 38, killed by a knife wound inflicted to him from the hired assassins sent by Giovan Battista Lomellini, a nobleman from Genoa that thus intended to avenge the honor of his sister who – according to his views – the composer had seduced while giving her
Sonate a due flauti
Artists
Compositor
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)
About this album
Until 1999 Telemann was thought to have written four collections of duets for two flutes, three of which were published in Paris: Sonates sans Basse (1727), XIIX Canons mélodieux (1738) and Second Livre de Duo (1752). The fourth collection remained manuscript and the only copy is kept in Berlin in the Staatsbibliothek (D-B, Mus. Ms. 21787). In 1999, however, all the scores of the Sing Akademie in Berlin stolen during the Second World War were found in the Kiev Library and thus nine other duets came to light and now they have the catalog number TWV 40: 141-149. The manuscript, the work of an unidentified Berlin copyist, has the signature SA 3903 (ZD 1742 g) and consists of two separate parts, each of 22 folios. These are duets of good quality even if a little heterogeneous and in fact the musicologist Steve Zohn has raised doubts about the authenticity of the last three. In reality, the doubts also concern so
Until 1999 Telemann was thought to have written four collections of duets for two flutes, three of which were published in Paris: Sonates sans Basse (1727), XIIX Canons mélodieux (1738) and Second Livre de Duo (1752). The fourth collection remained manuscript and the only copy is kept in Berlin in the Staatsbibliothek (D-B, Mus. Ms. 21787). In 1999, however, all the scores of the Sing Akademie in Berlin stolen during the Second World War were found in the Kiev Library and thus nine other duets came to light and now they have the catalog number TWV 40: 141-149. The manuscript, the work of an unidentified Berlin copyist, has the signature SA 3903 (ZD 1742 g) and consists of two separate parts, each of 22 folios. These are duets of good quality even if a little heterogeneous and in fact the musicologist Steve Zohn has raised doubts about the authenticity of the last three. In reality, the doubts also concern so
Organ Works
Artist
Paolo Bottini, organ
Composer
Amilcare Ponchielli (1834-1886)
About this album
In March 1855, Amilcare Ponchielli (Paderno Fasolaro, August 31, 1834 – Milan, January 16, 1886), became the official organist at the parish church of Sant’Imerio in Cremona. He had just finished his studies at the Royal Conservatoire in Milan when he was given this prestigious and profitable position, which he held until 1860. If he took up the office, it was possibly thanks to Ruggero Manna and don Cesare Palischi’s endorsements. Both of them knew and appreciated the young musician: the former, who was maestro di cappella at the Cremona Cathedral, had already chosen Ponchielli the year before as his substitute in conducting vocal and instrumental consorts at the local theatre; the latter, who had been the organist at the Cremona Cathedral from 1824 to 1849, was also a native of the Cremonese village Paderno Fasolaro. It was the instrument newly created by Angelo Bossi from Bergamo that the gifted musician had the chance to play in Sant’Imerio. Bossi’s organ wasn’t very big, but it was very rich in sounds: following the rules of the coeval organ-making, it was provided with organ stops imitating orchestras and bands instruments, such as the flute, the trumpet, the piccolo, the bassoon, the viola and the cello. Compositions recorded on this disk – whose scores, edited by Marco Ruggeri, had been published in 1999 by the Cremonese publisher “Turris” – belong precisely to this five-years per
In March 1855, Amilcare Ponchielli (Paderno Fasolaro, August 31, 1834 – Milan, January 16, 1886), became the official organist at the parish church of Sant’Imerio in Cremona. He had just finished his studies at the Royal Conservatoire in Milan when he was given this prestigious and profitable position, which he held until 1860. If he took up the office, it was possibly thanks to Ruggero Manna and don Cesare Palischi’s endorsements. Both of them knew and appreciated the young musician: the former, who was maestro di cappella at the Cremona Cathedral, had already chosen Ponchielli the year before as his substitute in conducting vocal and instrumental consorts at the local theatre; the latter, who had been the organist at the Cremona Cathedral from 1824 to 1849, was also a native of the Cremonese village Paderno Fasolaro. It was the instrument newly created by Angelo Bossi from Bergamo that the gifted musician had the chance to play in Sant’Imerio. Bossi’s organ wasn’t very big, but it was very rich in sounds: following the rules of the coeval organ-making, it was provided with organ stops imitating orchestras and bands instruments, such as the flute, the trumpet, the piccolo, the bassoon, the viola and the cello. Compositions recorded on this disk – whose scores, edited by Marco Ruggeri, had been published in 1999 by the Cremonese publisher “Turris” – belong precisely to this five-years per
Quartetto Kv 370 - Sonata Kv 311 - Terzetti dai Divertimenti Kv 439/b
Artist
Composer
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791
About this album
Around the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries numerous chamber, orchestral and even operatic works were transcribed for small chamber groups. This fairly widespread practice enabled a wide range of instrumental combinations to perform the successful compositions of the day. We have examples of operatic overtures transcribed for solo guitar, of operatic arias transcribed for a solo instrument and, subsequently, “variations on a theme”. The instrumental ensembles used for such arrangements were numerous and varied. The importance of this 19th century phenomenon is its opening up of two pathways. In the first place, it led to a spreading of musical culture. Secondly, it encouraged and increased the pool of enthusiastic amateurs who experienced directly the study of musical instruments. Lastly, the economic angle should not be underestimated: the 19th century European musical salon offered a genuine financial opportunity for both publishers and musicians. The music of Mozart, too, lent itself well to this practice and was reva
Around the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries numerous chamber, orchestral and even operatic works were transcribed for small chamber groups. This fairly widespread practice enabled a wide range of instrumental combinations to perform the successful compositions of the day. We have examples of operatic overtures transcribed for solo guitar, of operatic arias transcribed for a solo instrument and, subsequently, “variations on a theme”. The instrumental ensembles used for such arrangements were numerous and varied. The importance of this 19th century phenomenon is its opening up of two pathways. In the first place, it led to a spreading of musical culture. Secondly, it encouraged and increased the pool of enthusiastic amateurs who experienced directly the study of musical instruments. Lastly, the economic angle should not be underestimated: the 19th century European musical salon offered a genuine financial opportunity for both publishers and musicians. The music of Mozart, too, lent itself well to this practice and was reva
Tra le sollecitudini - Autori Ceciliani
Artist
Massimo Gabba,organ
Composers
Angelo Burbatti (1868-1946)
Giovanni Pagella (1872-1944)
Carlo Calegari (1863-1952)
Giovanni Bolzoni (1841-1919)
Michele Mondo (1883-1965)
Dino Sincero (1872-1923)
Costante Adolfo Bossi (1876-1953)
Marco Enrico Bossi (1861-1925)
Federico Caudana (1878-1963)
Giovanni Battista Polleri (1855-1923)
Organ
Carlo Vegezzi Bossi (1897)
Luogo
Duomo di San Giovanni Battista, Ciriè Turin
About this album
THE CECILIAN REFORM
Towards the end of the 19th century the Cecilian Movement was found in Italy: the title belonged to a musical movement that reformed the sacred music inside the Catholic church. So called in honour of Saint Cecily, patroness of music, was the answer to the centenary and almost total absence of the Gregorian chant and of the renaissance polyphony from the liturgical catholic celebrations in favour of more similar styles of the opera music. The main aim of the new compositions had to be a major moderation and pursuit in order to let the assembly participate to the liturgy through chant. In this period were born in almost all the parishes the Scholae Can
Giovanni Pagella (1872-1944)
Carlo Calegari (1863-1952)
Giovanni Bolzoni (1841-1919)
Michele Mondo (1883-1965)
Dino Sincero (1872-1923)
Costante Adolfo Bossi (1876-1953)
Marco Enrico Bossi (1861-1925)
Federico Caudana (1878-1963)
Giovanni Battista Polleri (1855-1923)
THE CECILIAN REFORM
Towards the end of the 19th century the Cecilian Movement was found in Italy: the title belonged to a musical movement that reformed the sacred music inside the Catholic church. So called in honour of Saint Cecily, patroness of music, was the answer to the centenary and almost total absence of the Gregorian chant and of the renaissance polyphony from the liturgical catholic celebrations in favour of more similar styles of the opera music. The main aim of the new compositions had to be a major moderation and pursuit in order to let the assembly participate to the liturgy through chant. In this period were born in almost all the parishes the Scholae Can
Music for the Royal Fireworks
Artist
Composer
Georg Friedrich Händel (1685-1759)
About this album
After the recording dedicated to Johann Sebastian Bach (CD Elegia, Eleorg037, 2016), Riverberi continues his journey into the world of baroque repertoire featuring Georg Friedrich Handel’s music, exploring many musical genres addressed by the composer, from the Suite for orchestra to the opera aria, from the organ concert to the trio sonata. The intent is to offer a glimpse, as narrow as you want but still significant, that can intrigue the listener’s ear with a new sound experience, through the particular combination of two instruments so far apart - the organ and the soprano saxophone - to look incompatible. The arrangement for violin or flute (or other soprano instrument) and basso continuo of the famous Suite “Music for the Royal Fireworks” , which an anonymous composer wrote in the same year of its composition (1749) - yet another proof of the exceptional fame enjoyed by Händel when he was still alive – was a safe base of work: the various movements, from the solemn Ouverture to the graceful final minuets, exploit the rich sound combinations of the Ruffatti organ to display the different affections that this music offers. The Organ Concerto in F, transcription by Händel himself of the
After the recording dedicated to Johann Sebastian Bach (CD Elegia, Eleorg037, 2016), Riverberi continues his journey into the world of baroque repertoire featuring Georg Friedrich Handel’s music, exploring many musical genres addressed by the composer, from the Suite for orchestra to the opera aria, from the organ concert to the trio sonata. The intent is to offer a glimpse, as narrow as you want but still significant, that can intrigue the listener’s ear with a new sound experience, through the particular combination of two instruments so far apart - the organ and the soprano saxophone - to look incompatible. The arrangement for violin or flute (or other soprano instrument) and basso continuo of the famous Suite “Music for the Royal Fireworks” , which an anonymous composer wrote in the same year of its composition (1749) - yet another proof of the exceptional fame enjoyed by Händel when he was still alive – was a safe base of work: the various movements, from the solemn Ouverture to the graceful final minuets, exploit the rich sound combinations of the Ruffatti organ to display the different affections that this music offers. The Organ Concerto in F, transcription by Händel himself of the
Complete Italian Organ Concertos- Vol.2
Artist
Luca Scandali, organ
Composer
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
About this album
In the case of Johan Sebastian Bach, the practice of musical transcription can be considered, an audacious act or an act of will, depending on the perspective from which it is observed. It is an audacity in relation to the level of boldness necessary to confront such a challenge, and an act of will in relation to an aspiration that risks to be unsustainable, because of the high level of difficulty of the task. The musical form of instrumental concerto occupied a role of primary importance in the evolution and the definition of the style and language of the German musician. Such form encountered extreme fortune and growing importance starting from the end of the XVII century until the end of the XVIII century. He was certainly not the first musician to confront himself with this genre; indeed, it is possible to state that the activity of musical transcription characterized the first productions of keyboard music, and accompanied it constantly from its origins to our day, As it is well known, the transcriptions of concertos composed by Italian musicians were made by Bach in 1713/14 on a prompting by young Prince Johann Ernst of Saxony–Weimar (1696-1715), the nephew of Duke Wilhelm Ernst. Moreover, during that period Bach had occasions to wor
In the case of Johan Sebastian Bach, the practice of musical transcription can be considered, an audacious act or an act of will, depending on the perspective from which it is observed. It is an audacity in relation to the level of boldness necessary to confront such a challenge, and an act of will in relation to an aspiration that risks to be unsustainable, because of the high level of difficulty of the task. The musical form of instrumental concerto occupied a role of primary importance in the evolution and the definition of the style and language of the German musician. Such form encountered extreme fortune and growing importance starting from the end of the XVII century until the end of the XVIII century. He was certainly not the first musician to confront himself with this genre; indeed, it is possible to state that the activity of musical transcription characterized the first productions of keyboard music, and accompanied it constantly from its origins to our day, As it is well known, the transcriptions of concertos composed by Italian musicians were made by Bach in 1713/14 on a prompting by young Prince Johann Ernst of Saxony–Weimar (1696-1715), the nephew of Duke Wilhelm Ernst. Moreover, during that period Bach had occasions to wor
Psalmi vespertini a 8 voci (1648)
Artists
Ensemble “Festina Lente”
Michele Gasbarro, conductor
Composer
Virgilio Mazzocchi (1597-1646)
About this album
Virgilio Mazzocchi was born in Civita Castellana, a small town in the province of Viterbo, in 1597. He received his first musical education from his older brother Domenico and, in parallel, he attended the local seminary for his studies in humanities. After receiving the tonsure in 1622, he was appointed maestro di cappella at Civita Castellana’s Cathedral and soon moved to Rome, where in 1623 he became maestro di cappella, first at Chiesa del Gesù, then at the Roman Seminary and finally, in 1629, at the prestigious Cappella Giulia of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. Here he succeeded Paolo Agostini, ‘one of the most witty and lively geniuses of the music of our times in every kind of harmonic composition’, from whom Virgilio learned the art of composing in the most varied and fashionable genres of the time, and above all in the polychoral style. It was in this genre that Virgilio Mazzocchi distinguished himself among contemporaries, giving to the ‘sbattimento dei cori’ (the dynamic dialogue of the choirs) a liveliness unknown before, so much so that years later Della Valle expressed his opinion on the Maestro as a ‘gran musicone’ (great ‘big musician,) due to his compositions with ‘twelve or sixteen choirs, with an echo choir in the dome
Michele Gasbarro, conductor
Virgilio Mazzocchi was born in Civita Castellana, a small town in the province of Viterbo, in 1597. He received his first musical education from his older brother Domenico and, in parallel, he attended the local seminary for his studies in humanities. After receiving the tonsure in 1622, he was appointed maestro di cappella at Civita Castellana’s Cathedral and soon moved to Rome, where in 1623 he became maestro di cappella, first at Chiesa del Gesù, then at the Roman Seminary and finally, in 1629, at the prestigious Cappella Giulia of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. Here he succeeded Paolo Agostini, ‘one of the most witty and lively geniuses of the music of our times in every kind of harmonic composition’, from whom Virgilio learned the art of composing in the most varied and fashionable genres of the time, and above all in the polychoral style. It was in this genre that Virgilio Mazzocchi distinguished himself among contemporaries, giving to the ‘sbattimento dei cori’ (the dynamic dialogue of the choirs) a liveliness unknown before, so much so that years later Della Valle expressed his opinion on the Maestro as a ‘gran musicone’ (great ‘big musician,) due to his compositions with ‘twelve or sixteen choirs, with an echo choir in the dome
Arie per una “voce d’angelo”
Artists
Composers
F.M. Veracini (1690-1768), M. D’Alay (1687-1757)
G.B. Bononcini (1670-17479, L. Leo (1694-1744)
N. Fiorenza (?-1764), G. Giacomelli, (1692-1740)
About this album
Alongside with composers, in the beginning of the XVIII century the first great singers began to come to the front scene of music. In some instances - mostly in the case of Senesino and Farinelli, the castrati – they ascended to the role of international stars. Among these, Francesca Cuzzoni deserves mention. A soprano born in Parma in 1696, she had an adventurous life and Georg Friedrich Händel composed 13 operas for her. Besides that for her extraordinary virtuoso voice, the Parmigiana - as she was known – stood out for her temperamental excesses as well, that caused fierce reproaches from Händel and brought her to a true physical fight on stage with her rival Faustina Bordoni. On the occasion of the nomination of Parma as Italian Capital of Culture in 2020, Elegia Classics celebrates this great interpreter with an attractive record that covers the important steps of her inimitable career, with a beautiful anthology of arias from the works of some of the most famous composers of the time, from Giovanni Bononcini, the fierce rival of Händel in London, to Geminiano Giacomelli, an author almo
G.B. Bononcini (1670-17479, L. Leo (1694-1744)
N. Fiorenza (?-1764), G. Giacomelli, (1692-1740)
Alongside with composers, in the beginning of the XVIII century the first great singers began to come to the front scene of music. In some instances - mostly in the case of Senesino and Farinelli, the castrati – they ascended to the role of international stars. Among these, Francesca Cuzzoni deserves mention. A soprano born in Parma in 1696, she had an adventurous life and Georg Friedrich Händel composed 13 operas for her. Besides that for her extraordinary virtuoso voice, the Parmigiana - as she was known – stood out for her temperamental excesses as well, that caused fierce reproaches from Händel and brought her to a true physical fight on stage with her rival Faustina Bordoni. On the occasion of the nomination of Parma as Italian Capital of Culture in 2020, Elegia Classics celebrates this great interpreter with an attractive record that covers the important steps of her inimitable career, with a beautiful anthology of arias from the works of some of the most famous composers of the time, from Giovanni Bononcini, the fierce rival of Händel in London, to Geminiano Giacomelli, an author almo
Arianna abbandonata & other Cantatas
Artists
Composers
Benedetto Marcello (1686-1739)
Alessandro Marcello (1684-1747)
About this album
When one thinks of the Venetian Baroque repertory, the thought spontaneously runs to Antonio Vivaldi and his famous Four Seasons, forgetting that for a long time this context was identified with authors such as Benedetto Marcello – after whom the Conservatory of the lagoon city is named. For this reason, Elegia Classics decided to dedicate the second volume of its series on the Glories of the Italian Cantatas to Marcello, a Venetian nobleman with manifold interests. Besides being a musician, he devoted himself with appraisable results to the literary field and wrote Il teatro alla moda, a merciless satire on the protagonists of the musical scene in Venice during the first years of the XVIII century. In the musical field, Marcello left us over 300 cantatas of remarkable value for voice and basso continuo, both with or without obbligato instruments. This record features three very beautiful pieces, among which we mention Arianna abbandonata, a long cantata in which Marcello revisits in a very original manner the myth of Theseus and Arianna. The program is competed by Irene sdegnata, These little known works are proposed in the interpretation of Lucia Cortese, one of the most int
Alessandro Marcello (1684-1747)
When one thinks of the Venetian Baroque repertory, the thought spontaneously runs to Antonio Vivaldi and his famous Four Seasons, forgetting that for a long time this context was identified with authors such as Benedetto Marcello – after whom the Conservatory of the lagoon city is named. For this reason, Elegia Classics decided to dedicate the second volume of its series on the Glories of the Italian Cantatas to Marcello, a Venetian nobleman with manifold interests. Besides being a musician, he devoted himself with appraisable results to the literary field and wrote Il teatro alla moda, a merciless satire on the protagonists of the musical scene in Venice during the first years of the XVIII century. In the musical field, Marcello left us over 300 cantatas of remarkable value for voice and basso continuo, both with or without obbligato instruments. This record features three very beautiful pieces, among which we mention Arianna abbandonata, a long cantata in which Marcello revisits in a very original manner the myth of Theseus and Arianna. The program is competed by Irene sdegnata, These little known works are proposed in the interpretation of Lucia Cortese, one of the most int
Correa nel seno amato & other Cantatas
Artists
Trigono Armonico,
Maria Caruso, soprano
Maurizio Cadossi, conductor
Composer
Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725)
About this album
Elegia Classics launches a new series dedicated to the Italian cantata that will see it engaged alongside with the Italian Musicological Society and some of the singers and period instrument ensembles that are today most interesting in the Italian musical landscape. The first volume of the collection is centered on the figure of Alessandro Scarlatti – we could say a must as a choice – who in the course of his long career composed over 700 cantatas. His production spans the gamut of delicate Arcadian atmospheres, from woks based on mythology themes, to pieces of a decidedly dramatic character. The works presented in this CD reveal the two main characteristics of the style of the great composer from Palermo, which are an inexhaustible talent in writing melodies and a complex and very elaborate counterpoint that still looks on to precedent models. The program begins with Correa nel seno amato, a very well known page that many consider to be amongst the most emblematic masterpieces of Scarlatti’s production, to arrive to the world premiere recording of two cantatas, Benchè o Sirena bella and Dove fuggo, a che penso. This record marks the debut of soprano Maria Caruso and of the ensemble Trigono Armonico directed by violinist Maurizio Cadossi in the catalog of Elegia Classics.
Maria Caruso, soprano
Maurizio Cadossi, conductor
Elegia Classics launches a new series dedicated to the Italian cantata that will see it engaged alongside with the Italian Musicological Society and some of the singers and period instrument ensembles that are today most interesting in the Italian musical landscape. The first volume of the collection is centered on the figure of Alessandro Scarlatti – we could say a must as a choice – who in the course of his long career composed over 700 cantatas. His production spans the gamut of delicate Arcadian atmospheres, from woks based on mythology themes, to pieces of a decidedly dramatic character. The works presented in this CD reveal the two main characteristics of the style of the great composer from Palermo, which are an inexhaustible talent in writing melodies and a complex and very elaborate counterpoint that still looks on to precedent models. The program begins with Correa nel seno amato, a very well known page that many consider to be amongst the most emblematic masterpieces of Scarlatti’s production, to arrive to the world premiere recording of two cantatas, Benchè o Sirena bella and Dove fuggo, a che penso. This record marks the debut of soprano Maria Caruso and of the ensemble Trigono Armonico directed by violinist Maurizio Cadossi in the catalog of Elegia Classics.
Opere per Organo
Artist
Diego Cannizzaro, organ
Composer
Lorenzo Perosi (1872-1956)
Organ
Vincenzo Mascioni (1966) Op. 884
Venue
Basilica Cattedrale della Trasfigurazione, Cefalù (PA), Italy
About this album
With this double CD set that follows the presentation of two very beautiful Missae pontificales, Elegia Classics continues its exploration of the production of Lorenzo Perosi, a priest and composer from the region of Piedmont. The program includes his little known organ works, a series of compositions that Perosi wrote for the most part at the beginning of his career. Through these, he began to develop his own original style, freeing himself from the theatrical tones that were close to the Lyric Opera genre and that were adopted by many Italian composers towards the end of the XIX century. These liturgical pieces – often short in time length –feature an intimate atmosphere through which the themes are developed through the resourceful use of the glorious heritage of the past, as can be seen in the fugue passages and in the brilliant improvisation passages. Alongside with these works, the transcriptions made by Marco Enrico Bossi of some excerpts from the Passion of Christ according to Saint Mark’s Gospel and of the Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ by Perosi are
With this double CD set that follows the presentation of two very beautiful Missae pontificales, Elegia Classics continues its exploration of the production of Lorenzo Perosi, a priest and composer from the region of Piedmont. The program includes his little known organ works, a series of compositions that Perosi wrote for the most part at the beginning of his career. Through these, he began to develop his own original style, freeing himself from the theatrical tones that were close to the Lyric Opera genre and that were adopted by many Italian composers towards the end of the XIX century. These liturgical pieces – often short in time length –feature an intimate atmosphere through which the themes are developed through the resourceful use of the glorious heritage of the past, as can be seen in the fugue passages and in the brilliant improvisation passages. Alongside with these works, the transcriptions made by Marco Enrico Bossi of some excerpts from the Passion of Christ according to Saint Mark’s Gospel and of the Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ by Perosi are
Organ works
Artist
Alessandro Bianchi,organo
Composer
Gordon Young (1919-1998)
Organs
Grande organo Diego Bonato (2013)
Balbiani Vegezzi-Bossi
Venue
Parrocchia Sant'Anastasia, Villasanta (MB), Italy
About this album
Though he is almost unknown outside the world of organ music, Gordon Young has been among the most authoritative exponents of the American music landscape of the mid XX century and can boast a vast production of remarkable quality on his behalf, which comprises over 800 works. These works, mostly for organ and choir, made it possible for Young to be awarded the ASCAP prize, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers of the United States, for 18 consecutive years, an accomplishment never equaled by any other composer. To celebrate the first centenary of the birth of Young, Elegia Calssics presents this surprisingly beautiful CD that makes it possible to discover the composer’s brilliant and very personal style. In it, style elements from the great masters of Baroque and of Romantic composers as well can be recognized as these are reinvented in a very personal key. This can be noticed in the Cathedral Suite that opens the program. Young has found a valid paladin in Alessandro Bianchi, an organist of great talent, who performs these works
Balbiani Vegezzi-Bossi
Though he is almost unknown outside the world of organ music, Gordon Young has been among the most authoritative exponents of the American music landscape of the mid XX century and can boast a vast production of remarkable quality on his behalf, which comprises over 800 works. These works, mostly for organ and choir, made it possible for Young to be awarded the ASCAP prize, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers of the United States, for 18 consecutive years, an accomplishment never equaled by any other composer. To celebrate the first centenary of the birth of Young, Elegia Calssics presents this surprisingly beautiful CD that makes it possible to discover the composer’s brilliant and very personal style. In it, style elements from the great masters of Baroque and of Romantic composers as well can be recognized as these are reinvented in a very personal key. This can be noticed in the Cathedral Suite that opens the program. Young has found a valid paladin in Alessandro Bianchi, an organist of great talent, who performs these works
Sonate d’intavolatura per organo e cimbalo
Artists
Gabriele Giacomelli, organo
Andrea Banaudi, cembalo
Composer
Domenico Zipoli (1688-1726)
Organs
Cesare Romani (1588) e Michelangelo Crudeli (1773)
Organo di Michelangelo Crudeli (1777)
e Michelangelo Paoli (prima metà del sec. XIX)
Venue
Cattedrale di S. Stefano,
Cappella del Sacro Cingolo, Pieve di San Giusto in Piazzanese, Italy
About this album
One of the most fascinating and paradoxically least known figures of the Baroque is undoubtedly Domenico Zipoli, whose posthumous fame is almost completely linked to his organ production. Actually his work - numerically rather small, if compared to the eighteenth-century standards, but of very high quality - embraces other genres, from the oratorios (unfortunately lost) to the liturgical music and the cantatas, in whose brilliant and very original writing we can see some stylistic element of the most famous composers of those years, starting from Alessandro Scarlatti, who was for a short time one of Zipoli’s teachers. In 1716, Zipoli moved to Seville, where he entered the Jesuit order and decided to leave for missions in Latin America. Arriving in Argentina, t
Andrea Banaudi, cembalo
Organo di Michelangelo Crudeli (1777)
e Michelangelo Paoli (prima metà del sec. XIX)
Cappella del Sacro Cingolo, Pieve di San Giusto in Piazzanese, Italy
One of the most fascinating and paradoxically least known figures of the Baroque is undoubtedly Domenico Zipoli, whose posthumous fame is almost completely linked to his organ production. Actually his work - numerically rather small, if compared to the eighteenth-century standards, but of very high quality - embraces other genres, from the oratorios (unfortunately lost) to the liturgical music and the cantatas, in whose brilliant and very original writing we can see some stylistic element of the most famous composers of those years, starting from Alessandro Scarlatti, who was for a short time one of Zipoli’s teachers. In 1716, Zipoli moved to Seville, where he entered the Jesuit order and decided to leave for missions in Latin America. Arriving in Argentina, t
Mottetti-Inni-Antifone
Artista
Cappella Musicale della Cattedrale di Vercelli
Don Denis Silano, conductor
Composers
Marco Antonio Centorio (1597/98 - 1638)
Pietro Heredia (1570-1648)
About this album
During Middle Ages the bishopric of Vercelli was one of the most important episcopal venue in northern Italy, also thanks to its position: along Via Francigena, one of the most important European communication routes of the time, crossed both by pilgrims and rich merchants. This strategic position allows Vercelli to get richness, bringing a huge art spread. Beside the architectural masterpieces of the city, the visitors can rediscover the brilliant musical works that were composed here. This CD presents a series of motets by Marco Antonio Centorio and Pietro Heredia. This latter wrote pieces of great interest and he was until today unknown: thanks to Don Denis Silano, director of Cappella Musicale del Duomo, we can listen to this musical beauty. It is an evocative CD, which is added to the first-half of the seventeenth century repertoire, that many identify almost exclusively with Claudio Monteverdi.
Additional info about this CD
Recorded in Cappella del Seminario Arcivescovile Vercelli, Italy, on 17-21 January 2019<
Don Denis Silano, conductor
Pietro Heredia (1570-1648)
During Middle Ages the bishopric of Vercelli was one of the most important episcopal venue in northern Italy, also thanks to its position: along Via Francigena, one of the most important European communication routes of the time, crossed both by pilgrims and rich merchants. This strategic position allows Vercelli to get richness, bringing a huge art spread. Beside the architectural masterpieces of the city, the visitors can rediscover the brilliant musical works that were composed here. This CD presents a series of motets by Marco Antonio Centorio and Pietro Heredia. This latter wrote pieces of great interest and he was until today unknown: thanks to Don Denis Silano, director of Cappella Musicale del Duomo, we can listen to this musical beauty. It is an evocative CD, which is added to the first-half of the seventeenth century repertoire, that many identify almost exclusively with Claudio Monteverdi.
Additional info about this CD
Recorded in Cappella del Seminario Arcivescovile Vercelli, Italy, on 17-21 January 2019<
La musica sacra ai tempi di Leonardo
Artists
Accademia del Ricercare
Pietro Busca, direttore
Composer
Franchino Gaffurio (1451-1522)
About this album
In order to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci’s death, the Italian genius who in his Trattato della pittura wrote “Music is nothing but depiction’s sister”, Elegia Classics is proud to present an entirely CD dedicated to Franchinus Gaffurius, composer from Lodi, nowadays almost forgotten, but who had the extraordinary honour to be painted by Leonardo. The programme is focused on Missa da Carnaval, one of his most significant works, composed for the last Sunday before the Lent, to which he added some motets of striking beauty, that underline a fascinating view of the musical panorama during the last years of the XV century. Of these works Accademia del Ricercare ensemble, directed by Pietro Busca, gives us an inspired performance both expressive and instrumental, with the four masculine voices facing krummhorns, flutes, Renaissance traverse, vielle and basso continuo.
Additional info about this CD
Recorded: in Cappella del Seminario Arcivescovile Vercelli, Italy, on 23-25 February 20
Pietro Busca, direttore
Additional info about this CD
Recorded: in Cappella del Seminario Arcivescovile Vercelli, Italy, on 23-25 February 20
Missa Pontificalis I-II - Confitebor Tibi Domine - Magnificat
Artisti
Coro dell’Accademia Stefano Tempia
Michele Frezza, direttore
Composers
Lorenzo Perosi (1872-1956)
Organs
Organo Tamburini (1933/4) - Organo Pinchi, Opus 419,III/48 (2000)
Venues
Conservatorio G. Verdi, Torino Italia - Basilica Pontificia di Castelnuovo Don Bosco (AT) Italia
About this album
Son of Giuseppe Perosi, kappelmeister of Tortona and protagonist of the Italian sacred music reform, he was born in Tortona on December 21th 1872 and died in Rome on December 12th 1956. Started by the father to musical studies at Santa Cecilia Conservatoire and, later, at “Giuseppe Verdi” Conservatoire with M. Saladino, in 1890 he became organ player and singing teacher in Montecassino Abbey. In 1892 he studied again in Milan, where he got the diploma. He perfected himself in Regensburg with F.X. Haberl and M. Haller in 1893. Towards the end of that year, he became singing teacher in the Imola Seminary, directing the Cappella del Duomo, then that of San Marco in Venice. As a priest, he was known as a director of his
Michele Frezza, direttore
Son of Giuseppe Perosi, kappelmeister of Tortona and protagonist of the Italian sacred music reform, he was born in Tortona on December 21th 1872 and died in Rome on December 12th 1956. Started by the father to musical studies at Santa Cecilia Conservatoire and, later, at “Giuseppe Verdi” Conservatoire with M. Saladino, in 1890 he became organ player and singing teacher in Montecassino Abbey. In 1892 he studied again in Milan, where he got the diploma. He perfected himself in Regensburg with F.X. Haberl and M. Haller in 1893. Towards the end of that year, he became singing teacher in the Imola Seminary, directing the Cappella del Duomo, then that of San Marco in Venice. As a priest, he was known as a director of his
Complete Organ Works Vol.1 - Six Organ Sonatas Op. 65
Artist
Luca Benedicti, organ
Composer
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Organ
Vincenzo Mascioni (1910)
Venue
Cattedrale di Sant'Eusebio, Vercelli, Italy
About this album
The Six Sonatas for organ op.65 by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, commissioned by the editors Coventry and Hollier in London, represent the synthesis of the full artistic and creative maturity of the composer. The passion for this instrument revealed very early in the musician’s life, as witnessed by the fact that he wrote his first composition, “Sei piccoli pezzi”, when he was only 12. His incredible talent in composing for organ was due not only to his constant interest, but also to the many years of attendance with prestigious teachers (he studied harmony and counterpoint with Friederich Zelter while he gained a solid mastery of the instrument with August Wilhelm Bach, who was then the titular organist of the Marienkirche in Berlin) and to the focused knowledge of Bach’s masterpieces. It is indeed important to remark that, as is well known, Mendelssohn played a fundamental role in their rediscovery. He was renowned and appreciated for his interpretation virtuosity as well as for his mastery in impro
The Six Sonatas for organ op.65 by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, commissioned by the editors Coventry and Hollier in London, represent the synthesis of the full artistic and creative maturity of the composer. The passion for this instrument revealed very early in the musician’s life, as witnessed by the fact that he wrote his first composition, “Sei piccoli pezzi”, when he was only 12. His incredible talent in composing for organ was due not only to his constant interest, but also to the many years of attendance with prestigious teachers (he studied harmony and counterpoint with Friederich Zelter while he gained a solid mastery of the instrument with August Wilhelm Bach, who was then the titular organist of the Marienkirche in Berlin) and to the focused knowledge of Bach’s masterpieces. It is indeed important to remark that, as is well known, Mendelssohn played a fundamental role in their rediscovery. He was renowned and appreciated for his interpretation virtuosity as well as for his mastery in impro
Organ Concertos Op. 4
Artist
Massimo Gabba, organo
Composer
George Friedrich Händel (1685-1759)
Organ
Mascioni Op. 570 (1942)
Venue
Chiesa di San Francesco, Moncalvo (AT) Italy
About this album
«“We can say that Hӓndel, in particular, cannot be easily overcome by anyone in his cleverness on the organ, if not maybe by Bach from Lipsia”. With this very flattering judgment of 1739 Johann Mattheson, famous German composer and theorist of the XVIII century, allows us to discover an almost unfamiliar characteristic of the composer of Halle’s production, nowadays known most of all for his works and oratorios. It was really for his oratorios that Hӓndel wrote between 1735 and 1736 the six concerts for organ, strings and basso continuo op.4, that he performed himself in-between his monumental sacred works. In any case, it is not at all about simple occasional works, conceived to pleasantly entertain the public waiting for the restarting of the “real performing”, but pieces of remarkable artistic depth, in which the composer used virtuosic passages and singing movements. These six beautiful works are performed in this CD by Ma
«“We can say that Hӓndel, in particular, cannot be easily overcome by anyone in his cleverness on the organ, if not maybe by Bach from Lipsia”. With this very flattering judgment of 1739 Johann Mattheson, famous German composer and theorist of the XVIII century, allows us to discover an almost unfamiliar characteristic of the composer of Halle’s production, nowadays known most of all for his works and oratorios. It was really for his oratorios that Hӓndel wrote between 1735 and 1736 the six concerts for organ, strings and basso continuo op.4, that he performed himself in-between his monumental sacred works. In any case, it is not at all about simple occasional works, conceived to pleasantly entertain the public waiting for the restarting of the “real performing”, but pieces of remarkable artistic depth, in which the composer used virtuosic passages and singing movements. These six beautiful works are performed in this CD by Ma
Seicento - Italian Early baroque music
Artists
Accademia del Ricercare Pietro Busca, conductor
Lorenzo Cavasanti, Manuel Staropoli,flauti,
Antonio Fantinuoli, violoncello
Claudia Ferrero, clavicembalo
Composers
Francesco Turini (1589 circa–1656)
Giovanni P. Cima (1570 circa–1622)
Dario Castello (1602–1631)
Antonio Caldara (1670–1736)
Venue
Basilica di Sant’Apollinare (Roma), Italy
About this album
During the seventeenth century in Italy the genre of instrumental sonata developed and it was an artistic route that involved a great number of cities and of composers, starting from Sonate concertate in stil moderno by the venetian Dario Castello – a composer that nowadays is wrapped in a fascinating mystery – up to the smooth style and technically unexceptionable of Arcangelo Corelli, who was an example all over Europe. This CD sketches a pleasant fresco of this glorious tradition with a sort of circular path, that starts from Castello, Francesco Turini – a composer born in Praha and active in Brescia for many years – and the Milanese Francesco Paolo Cima, up to Antonio Caldara, coming back finally to the three forerunners: a choice that underlines the coherence with which the sonata spread. A ne
Lorenzo Cavasanti, Manuel Staropoli,flauti,
Antonio Fantinuoli, violoncello
Claudia Ferrero, clavicembalo
Giovanni P. Cima (1570 circa–1622)
Dario Castello (1602–1631)
Antonio Caldara (1670–1736)
During the seventeenth century in Italy the genre of instrumental sonata developed and it was an artistic route that involved a great number of cities and of composers, starting from Sonate concertate in stil moderno by the venetian Dario Castello – a composer that nowadays is wrapped in a fascinating mystery – up to the smooth style and technically unexceptionable of Arcangelo Corelli, who was an example all over Europe. This CD sketches a pleasant fresco of this glorious tradition with a sort of circular path, that starts from Castello, Francesco Turini – a composer born in Praha and active in Brescia for many years – and the Milanese Francesco Paolo Cima, up to Antonio Caldara, coming back finally to the three forerunners: a choice that underlines the coherence with which the sonata spread. A ne
Toccate e variazioni sulla follia
Artist
Diego Cannizzaro, organ
Composer
Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725)
Organ
Antonino La Valle (1630 ca.)
Venue
Chiusa Sclafani (PA), Italy
About this album
Inside the huge production of Alessandro Scarlatti, the keyboard instruments works are a very restricted part under the quantity profile, but under the stylistic one they have many reasons of interest. As we can see even in the most famous pieces, as oratorios and cantatas, the great Neapolitan master was able to create in fact an extraordinary writing, that genially blend some elements of the seventeenth century tradition with a series of modern ideas: as a whole, they bring to a listening of extraordinary pleasantness, as we can see for example in the famous Toccata e Partite sulla Follia di Spagna, theme that was put in music, among the others, by Arcangelo Corelli and Antonio Vivaldi. Beside this work, the programme of this CD also includes unreleased pages taken from the manuscripts preserved in Santa Pietro a Majella (Naples) at Biblioteca del Conservatorio and in Fondo Foà- Giordano (Torino). Realized inside the celebrations for Palermo Capitale Italiana della Cultura, this CD has an
Inside the huge production of Alessandro Scarlatti, the keyboard instruments works are a very restricted part under the quantity profile, but under the stylistic one they have many reasons of interest. As we can see even in the most famous pieces, as oratorios and cantatas, the great Neapolitan master was able to create in fact an extraordinary writing, that genially blend some elements of the seventeenth century tradition with a series of modern ideas: as a whole, they bring to a listening of extraordinary pleasantness, as we can see for example in the famous Toccata e Partite sulla Follia di Spagna, theme that was put in music, among the others, by Arcangelo Corelli and Antonio Vivaldi. Beside this work, the programme of this CD also includes unreleased pages taken from the manuscripts preserved in Santa Pietro a Majella (Naples) at Biblioteca del Conservatorio and in Fondo Foà- Giordano (Torino). Realized inside the celebrations for Palermo Capitale Italiana della Cultura, this CD has an
Giuseppe Tartini & amici, maestri, rivali
Artists
L'Arte dell'Arco
Federico Guglielmo, violino
Francesco Galligioni, violoncello
Diego Cantalupi, tiorba
Roberto Loreggian, cembalo
Composers
Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770)
Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713)
Antonio Vandini (1690-1778)
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Francesco M.Veracini (1690-1768)
Venue
Basilica di Sant’Apollinare (Roma), Italy
About this album
This CD represents the first title of the collaboration between Elegia Records and Roma Baroque Festival, one of the most prestigious Italian shows dedicated to the pre romantic repertoire, come to the eleventh edition in 2018. Lovers of around the world will be able to live the emotion of a great concert in one of the main historical churches of the Eternal City: the same in which ages ago played authors like Palestrina, Corelli and Scarlatti. Recorded on December 15th 2017 in Sant’Apollinare, this CD have Federico Guglielmo and L’Arte dell’Arco, his ensemble of original instruments, as protagonists with a programme about Giuseppe Tartini: the great virtuoso of which Guglielmo is considered among the greatest specialists worldwide. In particular, this recording underlines the fascinating background of Tartini through his friend
Federico Guglielmo, violino
Francesco Galligioni, violoncello
Diego Cantalupi, tiorba
Roberto Loreggian, cembalo
Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713)
Antonio Vandini (1690-1778)
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Francesco M.Veracini (1690-1768)
This CD represents the first title of the collaboration between Elegia Records and Roma Baroque Festival, one of the most prestigious Italian shows dedicated to the pre romantic repertoire, come to the eleventh edition in 2018. Lovers of around the world will be able to live the emotion of a great concert in one of the main historical churches of the Eternal City: the same in which ages ago played authors like Palestrina, Corelli and Scarlatti. Recorded on December 15th 2017 in Sant’Apollinare, this CD have Federico Guglielmo and L’Arte dell’Arco, his ensemble of original instruments, as protagonists with a programme about Giuseppe Tartini: the great virtuoso of which Guglielmo is considered among the greatest specialists worldwide. In particular, this recording underlines the fascinating background of Tartini through his friend