The Greeting Cards were written between 1953 and 1967 and were an open-ended cycle, with the composer adding new works irregularly until his death.
Composition History
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco's Greeting Cards, Op. 170, consists of 52 compositions written for various instruments, with 21 pieces for guitar.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Castelnuovo-Tedesco found the technical challenge of composing pieces based on randomly generated themes very stimulating.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The Greeting Cards were not commissioned but were unexpected tributes that Castelnuovo-Tedesco gave to friends, performers, and students, motivated by the joy of giving.
Compositional Technique
Castelnuovo-Tedesco's Greeting Cards use musical cryptography, where themes are generated from the dedicatee's name using a letter-to-note alphabet system he established.
Performer Biography
Andrea De Vitis, the guitarist on this album, has won over 40 international prizes and has premiered numerous pieces dedicated to him.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The Greeting Cards are a gallery of musical portraits dedicated to people in the world of music, including performers, students, and friends, regardless of their professional status.
