The mandolin came into vogue in 18th century Paris, where the nobility and middle class became fond of the charming, modest but melodious qualities of this plucked instrument. This CD presents an exquisite bouquet of works written for the mandolin: genre pieces, sonatas and arias written by composers mostly forgotten nowadays, but highly fashionable in their time. The ensemble Artemandoline did extensive research into this genre, taking painstaking efforts to recreate this perfumed era of the Stile Galante, playing period instruments. « Galant pleasures », seems an apt description
for this release, which presents a charming
selection of works written for the mandolin
in 18th century in Paris. Zaneboni, Altieri, Cifolelli, de Gistau, de
Ferreira: many of the composers included
hailed from different parts of Europe,
eventually settling in Paris where music for
the mandolin was reaching its zenith. Other information:Recorded in August 2012.