Besides being an engineer, a mathematician and a professor of geography, Luigi Hugues was also a flutist, a composer and an esteemed exponent of the nineteenth-century musical genre called Salon Musik. Born in 1836, he started and pursued his musical education together with his brother Felice. Both studied the flute and accompaniment piano; Luigi also proceeded with the study of composition. As we have already pointed out, music was not his only interest. He was also an eminent professor of geography and a scholar in that field. In 1859 he was a teacher at the Istituto Tecnico "Lerdi" of Casale Monferrato, and from 1875 onwards he was appointed professor of geography at the Regia Universit� of Turin. At the same time, in the years between 1863 and 1875 he was director of the Civica Scuola di Musica, a member of the board of directors of the Teatro Municipale, the conductor of the Corpo di Musica della Guardia Nazionale of Casale Monferrato, the organiser of the concerts of the Accademia Filarmonica of Casale Monferrato, and an organist first in the Chiesa di Santo Stefano of Casale, then in the Duomo of that city. Hugues, as previously stated, composed works of the Salon Musik genre: pieces that were suitable for everyday use and could be appreciated by a vast public, but at the same time were unmistakably characterised by didactic features. A careful analysis of his music, moreover, reveals a conscious, intentional use of the virtuosic style that was in vogue in the nineteenth century and was greatly loved by the public of concert halls: this feature is particularly noticeable in all the variations on operatic themes written for one or two flutes and piano accompaniment.

In spite of the predominance of the opera in Italy during the nineteenth century, chamber music and symphonic music had never died out in the musical world. The "father of the opera" had a mastery of instrumental effects and a command of formal balance that made it possible for him to nourish his music with instrumental inspiration coming from chamber music. And the succession of Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini and Verdi, side by side with the new generations of Ponchielli, Catalani, Mancinelli, down to Puccini, Perosi and Mascagni, created the preconditions for the birth and development of the chamber-music genre. This was strengthened also by some chamber-music and vocal influences that had even antagonised the domination of belcanto and operatic singing. Though never actually becoming an attention-seeking attitude, creativeness, a majestic jargon that appeared in many composers ranging from Corelli to Paganini, from Scarlatti to Clementi and many others, became such a noble, brilliant language as to stand out as an original, lofty expression in the crowded maelstrom of operatic theatre. As admirable examples of this we can mention the quartets of Cherubini and Donizetti, that were splendidly assimilated by Bazzini, reaching the original examples of the contributions of Sgambati and Martucci, which appeared a few decades before the creative works of Marco Enrico Bossi. Giulio Giurato and Roberto Noferini conclude with this production the complete publication of Marco Enrico Bossi's chamber music (Tactus tc 822704, 822606, 822707).

The versatility and timbral richness of the modern transverse flute have made it a protagonist of twentieth century music from Claude Debussy to Edgar Varese up to the latest generations of composers. It's melodious timbre has always been compared to the human voice. It has also been associated with the intimacy of the psyche (from the madness scene in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor to Schonberg's Pierrot Lunaire lieder cycle). This is most likely because the flutist transforms breath into the sound of the instrument through direct contact without intermediary elements. The interest in the timbral peculiarities of the flute has gradually extended to all sizes of the instrument (from piccolo to double bass), this has allowed us to rediscover the expressive potential of a flute ensemble, as has already happened for centuries with stringed instruments. The result of this expressive exploration is a repertoire capable of inspiring the different technical and artistic solutions present in the recording of this CD: works written or revised between 2021 and 2022 for the Impetus Quintet. This recording is a series of musical "snapshots" that are as significant for those who listen to it as for those who recorded it. They are photographs of the present that surrounds us, moments of musical life and soundscapes. The sounds form an eclectic panorama made from different techniques and languages, sometimes transfigured or stylized-allusions and glimpses into worlds that intersect almost by chance in the present time.

In 2014 in Trieste, Italy, the Musica Libera Association started the Festival Viktor Ullmann to bring to life the music of many composers persecuted by the Nazi and Fascist regimes for their Jewish origin and political, cultural, and artistic commitment. Since it's foundation, the Festival has set itself the ambitious purpose of rediscovering those musical pages, forgotten for too long, to revive the creative genius of their composers and reflect on the Shoah from a different point of view. Some of these musicians saved themselves by eventually finding their way into exile outside Europe. In this context, the present project focuses on music dedicated to the clarinet and piano chamber ensemble, with Davide Casali and Pierpaolo Levi performing an interesting and lesser-known repertoire by Italian composers from the historical 20th century.

The recording project "Labyrinthoi" (Labyrinths) is the result of the collaboration between saxophonist Isacco Buccoliero and composer Andrea Siano. Driven by a strong desire to explore the timbral and technical possibilities of the saxophone, the two Apulian artists work on arrangements and compositions of original pieces. Their aim is to expand the saxophone repertoire by drawing from tradition while simultaneously creating new musical forms and styles. The entire project is inspired by the imagery evoked by the labyrinth: a timeless archetype that speaks to humanity and it's inner condition within the cosmos. It reflects the perpetual search for a path that is often winding and whose completion presents itself as a daunting challenge, despite the ease with which one may have entered it. The five tracks collected here appear as five labyrinths from which, as in Spacecraft, maybe it is possible to get out only by moving upwards, in other words by overcoming all centrifugal, centripetal and gravitational forces.

There was magnificent cultural vitality recorded in Bologna in the early seventeenth century, and it is always fascinating to grasp the links between academic undertakings and daily life, between the regular occurrences of festive occasions and the civic institutions. From this rich workshop of ideas, two centuries of splendour and eminent talents were to unfold, active in all fields of knowledge and the arts. The performance of the tragicomedy Filarmindo by Ridolfo Campeggi, which took place in 1605 to celebrate the wedding of Marquis Ferdinando Riario and Countess Laura Pepoli, was 'stuffed' - following a well-established theatrical practice - with the four intermezzi of Aurora Ingannata. The task of composing the music for these intermezzi was given to Girolamo Giacobbi, at the time the chapel master of the Basilica of San Petronio and highly respected professional. This memorable performance, preserved in the chronicles of the time, is masterfully revived by the ensemble Dramatodia (already featured in Il Festino del Gioved� Grasso by Adriano Banchieri, tc 550008), paying homage to the gem from which the ensemble takes it's name.

Juan Ramon Jimenez is the author of the famous poetic prose in 138 short episodes, Platero y yo, which he wrote in 1914. Spokesman of the simplicity of life and poet with a strong sensitivity, he tells a story, imbued with a classic sense of form and at the same time "moral," of his return to the land of his childhood and of his encounter with the donkey, Platero. The images that the poet shows us through the eyes of the young donkey are those of a typical Spanish landscape made of scenes of uncontaminated and pure life. From the fairy-tale adventure of these pages full of pure poetry, love and nostalgia one doesn't doesn't leave untouched. The reader that follows the narrative ends up finding himself with a child's gaze full of wonder and overcome by the affection of this magical journey. Castelnuovo-Tedesco, therefore, recognized the value of this work and chose to set some of the scenes to music, not for guitar and sung voice (principally) but for guitar and narrator. It is evident after reading the literary pieces that the criteria for his selection was the aesthetic contents and the evident "translatability" of the contents into a purely musical language. Guitarist Stephen Figoni and the voices of Laura Aguzzoni and Olimpia Pizzol guide us into the simple, enchanted world evoked by the two great artists' contributions.

The idea of developing a project on Bolognese composers for guitar has been more and more appealing to me, as my activity of ensemble guitarist increased; an activity which I had firmly chosen in accordance with the 1970s' ideals regarding collective work. I have always found this way of making music more rewarding and useful than soloistic work, which I still perceive as self-referential; especially in the field of contemporary music, very self-referential per se. Within programmes structured even for large ensembles, I have often found myself proposing pieces for soloists, sometimes very beautiful, either by young authors at the beginning of their career or by renowned composers who often belonged to the Bolognese music environment. However, what I have always found somewhat absurd is that those compositions, prepared with care, sometimes for prestigious events such as "Chigiana Novit�", were often first and last ever performances. From this sort of frustration derives the choice to collect these few pieces, in order to narrate the Bolognese voice of the guitar from the 1970s to the 2020s, along an ideal itinerary of teachers and students (who became teachers themselves) starting from their forefather, Giacomo Manzoni, and to record them so that they won't be forgotten. Andrea Orsi

Classical Music

The Japanese harpist Nagisa Tanaka is the winner of the 11th International Harp Competition "Suoni d'Arpa", 2022 edition. The recording of the CD, offered by Tactus to the young artist, features a selection of compositions spanning from the late 18th century to the final echoes of the historical 20th century. The works primarily include opera transcriptions and pieces derived from dance music, enriched by two intriguing explorations: a variation on a popular aria (Paer) and a transcription from piano (Respighi). This diverse repertoire highlights the technical and musical brilliance of the exceptionally talented Japanese harpist, who performs on the exquisite "Iris naturale" model by Salvi Harps, a world- renowned Italian company specializing in the design and craftsmanship of harps.

Heliossea is an intermedia work for flutes and live electronics composed by Alessandro Grego in 2003 and premiered in Trieste on June 21 - the summer solstice - of the same year. It is a meditation on the rising of the sun, starting from the first ray of light at dawn breaking over the horizon. Astronomical data about the phenomenon, translated into sound using Grego's custom-designed software, plays a crucial role in shaping the music. In 2023, to mark the 20th anniversary of Heliossea's premiere, Alessandro Grego created a new version titled Heliossea XX. This updated rendition was performed for the first time on September 3, 2023, at the Miramare Castle Park in Trieste. The work is conceived as a tribute to Margherita Hack and her contributions to science and Italian culture. The new version of Heliossea, produced by the Prodigys Group, was realized in collaboration with inaf-oats, which oversaw the scientific aspects of the project, and the "Studio di Sonologia Computazionale" in Padua, under the direction of Alvise Vidolin, which managed the surround sound diffusion. Astronomical data provided by the National Institute for Astrophysics (thanks to it's director Fabrizio Fiore and Massimo Ramella) enhanced the work's precision and immersive quality.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music