MERTZ: Tarantella Op13 No6;Opern-Revue, Op. 8 No. 8: Gaetano Donizetti's Elisir d'amore : RONCALLI Suite II: D.SCARLATTI: Sonata, K. 335 / L. 510; K. 208 / L. 238; K. 322 / L. 483: TERZI: Elegia; Danza Di Nani; Sorriso di bimba (Arietta); Minuetto ; Berceuse Op48 No2:Notturno Op43; Carillon; Romanza Op48 No1; Serenata alpestre, Op. 9.
Luciano Marziali
KSG EX Audio: 67037
Italian guitarist Marziali begins with a fast and relentless version of Mertz’s Tarantella, and a fine performance it is .A good start! Ludovico Roncalli five – movement Suite II is only 8 minutes in total but the Preludio, Alemanda, Gavota, Sarabanda, and Gigua, are very authentically played and are a fine contrast to the Mertz. Domenico Scarlatti of course never wrote for our instrument but he wrote hundreds of keyboard Sonatas, many of which transfer beautifully to the guitar, and indeed a huge amount have, over the years, been arranged as such. Here our player picks three contrasting Sonatas, and all of which sound utterly natural on the guitar. His trilogy finishes with one of the most famous, L483/K322, in a fine performance. The other Mertz piece is one of a huge selection of Opera pieces that he translated into guitar pieces, very flashy, and beautifully played, because Mertz’s music is never easy to play , and these Opera revues are particularly tasking for the guitarist!
The recital closes with nine pieces by the 20th century Benvenuto Terzi whose music is melodic, very guitaristic, extremely varied, and lots of fun. From the elegantly beautiful Elegia, to the haunting Sorriso di Bimbo (Arietta) they all proved a satisfyingly beautiful conclusion t0o what is a lovely set of pieces, effortlessly performed and very clearly recorded. Altogether this is a lovely CD that many will enjoy!
Chris Dumigan