Calace: Mandolin Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 / Rhapsodia Napoletana

Featuring

Alison Stephens
Steven Devine
Raffaele Calace

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Instruments

As a mandolin maker, Raffaele Calace was crucial in extending the instrument's range up to a'''' by lengthening the fingerboard over the sound hole.

Performer Biography

Alison Stephens, the mandolinist on this recording, was the first mandolin graduate from Trinity College of Music, London, where she now teaches.

Compositional Technique

Raffaele Calace's concertos, originally for mandolin and piano, use the label 'Concerto' to signify a substantial three-movement concert work, rather than the traditional soloist and orchestra format.

Performer Biography

Alison Stephens played on the soundtrack for the Hollywood film 'Captain Corelli's Mandolin' and performed in its sold-out stage show.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Raffaele Calace aimed to elevate the mandolin to its rightful place within the world's musical circles.

Composer Biography

Raffaele Calace, the composer, was born into a family of established mandolin and guitar makers in Naples in 1863 and excelled in playing, composing, and instrument making.

Compositional Technique

In his concertos, Raffaele Calace makes extensive use of mandolin techniques such as tremolo, duo-style, harmonics, arpeggio patterns, pizzicato, glissando runs, and cadenza passages.