This album was recorded in the sacristy of the church of Sant'Antonio Abate in Milan, a historic venue where Mozart first performed his motet 'Exsultate, jubilate' K 165 in 1773.
Compositional Technique
Béla Bartók's 44 Duos for Two Violins, from which two pieces are featured, incorporate folk music from the Danube and Balkans, as well as counterpoint, polytonality, and polyrhythm.
Composer Biography
Luciano Berio's Duetti per due violini were written as a game and gifts for friends, often composed between flights or during moments of rest.
Interpretation
The violinists on this recording use gut strings tuned to 415hz and different bows, a choice made to suit all the diverse pieces on the album acoustically and technically.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Giovanni Sollima, a cellist, composed his pieces for this album for two specific violinists, Chiara Zanisi and Stefano Barneschi, finding it stimulating to write for people he knows.
Album & Artwork
The album title "Suite Case" is a play on words, referring to both a suite of pieces and a travel case, as the album explores a journey through violin duo repertoire.
Composition History
Giovanni Sollima's piece B275 is based on an unpublished fragment by Beethoven, listed in the Biamonti catalogue, which Sollima has been fascinated by since childhood.
