Gioachino ROSSINI (1792-1868)
Overtures Arranged for Mandolin Quintet
L’Italiana in Algeri (1813, arr. Michele Di Filippo) [8:26]
Il Viaggio a Reims (1825, arr. Michele Di Filippo) [7:35]
La Cenerentola (1817, arr. Michele Di Filippo) [8:37]
La Scala di Seta (1812, arr. Michele Di Filippo) [7:18]
Il Signor Bruschino (1813, arr. Mario Maciocchi) [5:26]
Il Barbiere di Siviglia (1816, arr. Enrico Marucelli) [7:39]
Tancredi (1813, arr. Enrico Marucelli) [7:02]
La Gazza Ladra (1817, arr. Enrico Marucelli) [10:12]
Quintetto a Plettro “Giuseppe Anedda”
rec. Sept/Nov 2019, Assolo Produzioni Musicali, Genzano di Roma, Italy
BRILLIANT CLASSICS 95904 [62:32)]
Let me preface this review by saying I am a sucker for oddball arrangements of familiar classics. A group of eight Rossini overtures transcribed for mandolin quintet would certainly qualify as such. But this release transcends my own idiosyncrasies, for these arrangements work very well indeed, preserving the charm and liveliness of these frothy works and adding an extra dimension to them.
The mandolin quintet is not so outlandish for these pieces from an historical perspective; the Wiener Zeitung of early 1820s Vienna, where Rossini’s operas were beloved, contain advertisements for transcriptions of all kind of peculiar ensembles of his works, such as La Gazza Ladra ,set for two guitars. It’s unclear how much of this work was done with the approval, or at least the toleration, of the composer. Half of the arrangements on this disc are historical ones by eminent mandolin players of the early 20th century; the other half are modern versions by Michele Di Filippo. Perhaps connoisseurs of the mandolin could distinguish the new from the old, but they seem perfectly consistent in style to me.
Overall, these overtures quite successfully make the transition from orchestra to the small ensemble featuring a pair of mandolins. The Quintetta a Plettro “Giuseppe Anedda” does fine work, providing a most lively performance that is quite in keeping with the music. Much of the heavy lifting is done by the lead mandolin, with the guitar and contrabass acting more or less as a kind of basso continuo beneath them. To my mind, the most successful arrangements are the ones where the original work relies heavily on triplets, such as Il Viaggio a Reims, Tancredi and La Gazza Ladra.. The mandolin is able to render these figures with speed, simplicity, and energy that gives them a liveliness well beyond that found in a typical orchestral rendering. The one weakness of this grouping is of course the inability of the mandolin to render a sustained note. This deficiency is generally remedied through the use of tremolo, but I found its employment here to be tasteful and not excessive.
Rossini’s overtures tend to follow a set pattern of a slow introduction, followed by a brisk development-free kind of sonata form. The composer instills energy in the piece by closing the exposition and recapitulation by an extended crescendo and ever more agitated bass line. The combination of guitar and contrabass here renders these important figures with tremendous success, to the point the listener’s heart begins to race with excitement, effectively generating suspense.
The sound quality of the recording is quite vivid and the brightness of the mandolins comes across quite well without being piercing. The placement of the musicians is quite precise in the wide soundstage. The ends of each piece do have a bit too much echo for my tastes. There’s no dynamic compression here, permitting the carefully mounted tension to grip the listener and not let go until the conclusion of each piece. There’s sufficient variety in the pieces that I didn’t feel any need to take a break between the different overtures.
In all, I found this disc tremendous fun and a creditable variation on these well-known works.
Mark S. Zimmer
Performers
Emanuele Buzi (mandolin); Norberto Gonçalves da Cruz (mandolin); Valdimoro Buzi (mandola in G); Andrea Pace (guitar); Emiliano Piccolini (contrabass)
