Davide Locatelli Hyper Silent

The mandolin reached prominence as a solo instrument in the 17th century when it began to appear in operas and oratorios, and in chamber and solo repertoire. Amongst the most prominent composers for the instrument were Niccolò Ceccherini and Pietro Cappellini, masters of polyphony. But it was Filippo Sauli’s Sei partite, composed for the four-course mandolin, that constitute a body of work unique in early 18th-century mandolin repertoire – a kaleidoscopic digest of different styles and influences that combine French and Italian traditions in music of exquisite taste and expressive beauty. Born in L’Aquila in 1992, Davide Ferella has appeared as soloist at several Italian festivals, performing with groups such as I Virtuosi Italiani. He has collaborated with the Teatro alla Scala di Milano and Teatro Comunale di Bologna. A keen scholar, he is dedicated to the rediscovery of the mandolin repertoire from the 17th and 18th centuries. In 2019 he founded the early music ensemble Accademia degli Erranti, of which he is also the artistic director; in July 2020, Dynamic published their first recording, ‘Tiranni affetti, Works for mandolin and voice’, entirely dedicated to the works of Florentine composer Carlo Arrigoni.

The figure of Davide Ficco occupies a special place among the numerous guitarists/composers who enlarged the repertoire for their instrument. In fact, his figure is not exclusively limited to the universe of the six strings; rather, he gathers its idioms and intertwines them in a thick network of artistic, cultural, historical and ethnic references, making use also of the possibilities for research and expansion provided by new technologies. His output for the guitar’s six strings is in fact a successful example of cultural eclecticism. His vast knowledge does not only encompass the guitar repertoire, or the classical repertoire in general, but rather embraces various artistic forms, lingering also over the history of extra-European cultures and traditions. This all is poured into his music, in the form of countless extra-musical references, which may be more or less hidden, and which bestow refinement and elegance on his music without being burdened by an ostentatious intellectualism. Such richness does not belong to Ficco’s compositional activity only, but also derives from his work as a performer. Ficco has practised this activity for years, combining the musician’s technical know-how with the ability to draw diverse influences together and to let them emerge. However, this all happens in the service of the musical score, and not of an intellectual hedonism.

For this release, clarinettist Davide Bandieri is joined by a superlative group of musicians, all determined to shine a light on some of Hindemith’s most sensitively scored chamber music. As a keen amateur clarinettist himself, Hindemith composed for the instrument throughout his life. This repertoire therefore takes us on a journey right from his early works in the 1920s – when the composer was influenced by the ailing conservative composer Arnold Mendelssohn – to the mid 1950s, when his music had been strongly shaped by Schoenberg’s ideas about tonality. Characteristically for Hindemith, much of his clarinet repertoire is Hausmusik – written for a domestic setting rather than public performance. A sense of intimacy can therefore be heard alongside the composer’s typical wit. The Musikalisches Blumengärtlein is one of Hindemith’s many parody pieces, with tongue-in-cheek comic effects in its unusual instrumentation and original movement names like the punning ‘Canon (for shooting)’.

This album is entirely dedicated to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's music. First, violinist Davide Toso and violist Christian Euler bring to life Mozart's Sinfonia Concertant for Violin and Viola. Additionally, conductor Volker Hartung and the Cologne New Philharmonis Orchestra give and extraordinary performance of Mozart's Jupiter Symphony.

Davide Monti is a violinist who combines his infectious energy with an exceptional talent of being a completely natural performer. A much sought-after director, soloist, concertmaster and chamber musician, his playing has been described as “phenomenal”, a “top solo violinist” with “incredible freshness” where “all appears extraordinarily spontaneous and organic”. His prize-winning recordings include his version of Vivaldi's Four Seasons which has been reviewed as “definitely one of the best versions of the decade”.

The Pianist Davide Milan Cabassi starts a recording path that will see him in the recording of four cd entirely dedicated to sonatas by Ludwig van Beethoven. The first of this series, recently published, contains the sonatas op. 10 and the Pathetique Op. 13. For the truth Cabassi had already recorded some sonatas of Beethoven (op. 110 and the two Op. 27), but it is now a more full-bodied and structured project to leave testimony of an author who is congenial, and which has also Concerts repertoire. Just in relation to the new record release takes place our meeting.

After his debut on Decca with "Guitarra Clasica", Eugenio Della Chiara returns to the recording studio to create a new album entirely dedicated to Schubert. Also in this case it has its fulcrum in the transcription of famous pages where the young guitarist is assisted by Davide Cabassi at the fortepiano for the Sonata D821 "Arpeggione" and of the tenor Mert Süngü for the Cinque Lieder from the manuscript by Franz Xaver von Schlechta. "In choosing the music that came together in this recording I tried, using my imagination, to build a schedule that could give an idea of the famous musical venues organized by Schubert and his closest friends: for this purpose I collected a series transcriptions (some of which were made when the Viennese composer was still alive) of works that included the guitar in its staff, bringing them together in a sort of ideal schubertiade". (Eugenio Della Chiara)

Elegant Baroque sonatas for violin and basso continuo by a pair of little-known brothers, Pietro and Prospero, who belonged to Handel’s circle of talents in 18th-century London.