Mandoline. Dans les salons fin-de-siècle

Description

After the success of Mandolin on Stage, devoted to the most emblematic mandolin concertos of the 18th century and recorded with Il Pomo d'Oro under the direction of Francesco Corti, Raffaele La Ragione returns with a third album for Arcana. With the collaboration of pianist François Dumont (who plays on this occasion a precious 1896 Pleyel) and the exceptional participation of soprano Sandrine Piau, he tells us a fascinating chapter in French musical history. Between the 1880s and 1890s, Paris indeed discovered a true passion for the mandolin, a craze encouraged by the concerts organized at the Trocadéro during the 1878 Universal Exhibition. In the salons of high society, the Neapolitan mandolin became a symbol of elegance and exoticism, evoking the atmospheres of southern Italy and immediately captivating poets and composers alike. Produced in collaboration with the Fondation Palazzetto Bru Zane, the album brings together original pieces, period arrangements drawn from French operas and operettas, as well as vocal works dedicated to the mandolin, recreating all the sonic charm of a fin-de-siècle salon.