Roberto Guarnieri, the performer on this album, is credited with recognizing the historical and musical value of Calace's guitar repertoire and researching it with philological seriousness.
Historical Context
Calace's guitar compositions reflect the taste and charm of their period, conveying the emotions and intimacy of drawing-room music played at 'periodiche' (musical gatherings) in Neapolitan middle-class homes.
Instruments
The Luigi Mozzani guitar used on this recording is a 'Spanish'-type model, similar to an original Torres model, with a fir soundboard and Indian rosewood body, embodying Mozzani's desired clear and flexible 'Italian sound'.
Compositional Technique
While Calace's works for plectrum instruments are monumental and technically demanding, his guitar pieces, with some exceptions, are typically short, 'aphoristic' compositions of the romantic period.
Composer Biography
Raffaele Calace, the composer, dedicated his life primarily to the mandolin and the cantabile lute, for which he composed approximately 30 and 26 works respectively.
Critical Reception
For almost a century, Calace's guitar works were largely overlooked, possibly because only mandolinists showed interest in his compositions.
Instruments
The guitar used for this recording was made by Luigi Mozzani, a versatile Italian musician, oboist, guitarist, luthier, and composer, around 1936.
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