All the concertos on this album are world premiere recordings, performed on period instruments.
Instruments
The musicians of Artemandoline perform on period instruments, including Baroque mandolins, Renaissance and Baroque guitars, Baroque mandola and mandolone, and lutes.
Interpretation
The ensemble Artemandoline, led by Juan Carlos Muñoz and Mari Fe Pavón, focuses on returning to original documents and early treatises to achieve musical freshness and rigor in their performances of Baroque music.
Historical Context
Naples, the city where these mandolin concertos originated, was the third largest city in Europe during the Baroque era, with a population almost four times that of Vienna.
Composer Biography
Giovanni Paisiello, one of the composers featured, was primarily famous for his operas, in some of which, like 'Il barbiere di Siviglia', he also used the mandolin.
Historical Context
The French scholar Charles de Brosses, who visited Italy in 1739-40, described Naples as 'the capital of the world of music'.
Compositional Technique
Neapolitan instrumental music, including these mandolin concertos, is characterized by pronounced rhythmic patterns and bold harmonic and melodic strategies, defining a recognizable 'Neapolitan colour' and 'Neapolitan style'.
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