Count Antonio Freschi belonged to a fringe of Friuli nobility. Antonio Bazzini, teacher and friend of the count, said of him: “I assure you that he plays the violin and sings at the same time in a way that few others could.” The pieces included in this release could only partially be considered romances and Salonmusik: complicating the placement and classification of Freschi’s and Bazzini’s compositions is their frequent propensity for extreme virtuoso violin writing that was not suited for a setting of amateur Hausmusik. They are works which are quite short, very melodic and easy and accessible for the listener, but demand high technical ability and therefore require competent performers.

Among Mozart’s major operas, in the 1830s, two of his works remained unknown because they did not conform to contemporary Italian tastes: the Turkish-style singspiel, Il ratto dal serraglio and Idomeneo. To assure a successful La Scala staging, physician and musicologist Pietro (Peter) Lichtenthal (1780-1853) undertook a considerable re-working of one of them, “Seraglio”. In the end, however, La Scala never staged this adaptation of the opera. The musical material prepared by Lichtenthal was only heard for the first—and perhaps, last—time at the Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza in May 2012.

The music of composer David Fontanesi displays his technical ability within the esthetic and poetic atmospheres that he creates with his unique usage of instrumentation combined with voice. Fontanesi brings compositional techniques of the past to life again alongside his modern ideas. An example of this is seen in Suite Blu for flute and cello (2014). The piece is a Neo-Baroque composition, complete with a Preludio, Fuga, and Sarabanda movements, but still uses modern techniques such as unusual harmonies, and blues-influenced cadences. This album has been recorded by Ensemble Sherezade. Members are Cecilia Alegi, mezzosoprano, Ginevra Petrucci, flute, Lorenzo Fabiani, violin, Fabio Catania, viola, Paolo Andriotti, cello, and Michelangelo Carbonara, piano.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music