Sonatas for Baroque Guitar
Da Vinci Classics, 2024
In the world of lutes, Roncalli is renowned for his “Capricci Armonici Sopra la Chitarra Spagnola”, his only surviving work, published in Bergamo in 1692. Within these compositions, the composer displays remarkable command of the technical and expressive capabilities of the Baroque guitar. The folk tradition, from which the Baroque guitar draws its roots, is here interwoven with the intimate sophistication of a musician of rare taste and elegance, elevating the instrument to exceptional heights.
The guitar used is a modern replica of an instrument by the esteemed luthier Antonio Stradivari. Given that Stradivari lived in Cremona, it is plausible (if not probable) that Ludovico Roncalli may have owned, or at least played, one of his instruments. Thus, the guitar of Count Roncalli represents not only an example of a specific type of guitar craftsmanship but also a reconstruction of a setting and distinctive sonority.
Sonate D’Intavolatura di Leuto
Da Vinci Classics, 2021
Little is known about the life of Giovanni Zamboni Romano. Busoni calls him "a very good contrapuntist of music and virtuoso player of the theorbo, lute, cymbal, guitar, mandola, mandolin, and a good grinder of oriental stones, that is, jewels". There is very little certain information beyond that, not even the dates of his birth and death.
The eleven works in Sonate d'Intavolatura di Leuto, Opera Prima (Lucca, 1718) are known to make up the last printed publication for lute in the form of Italian tablature. This practice of writing music was later abandoned in favor of a more modern method of writing based on the use of the pentagram.
Zamboni’s lute work, of which unfortunately only one book is known to us, contains music of the highest quality. The evident Corellian influences are frequently combined with incursions of the galant style and French movements.
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«Simone Pansolin gives these sonatas a wonderful, twinkling quality which makes them jewel-like.»
— B. Winkler, “SWR”
«Wonderful and amazingly played music.»
— G. Schamp, “De Belgische Liutacademie”
«An instrumental mastery of absolute importance, which is punctually matched by a coherent and never “over the top” interpretative vision. [...] A record that really deserves to be listened to»
— G. Odero, “Il Fronimo”
«A dreamy, poetic and meditative album.»
— M. Riboni, “Amadeus”