Works for Mandolin
Download from iTunes Quantity in Basket: None ROBERT LOMBARDO Works for Mandolin TROY611 - Price: $16.99
play sound file need help?
Go Back >

 

A recording of music written for an atypical classical instrument, beautifully performed.

Robert Lombardo was born in Hartford, Connecticut to Sicilian immigrants. He graduated with a master's degree in composition from the Hartt School of Music where he studied with Arnold Franchetti. He was awarded a Ph.D. in composition from the State University of Iowa. Lombardo holds the title of Professor Emeritus from Roosevelt University where he was Professor of Theory and Composition and Composer-in-residence from 1965 until 1999. The composer writes: "Although the mandolin has occasionally been used by composers in contemporary literature, e.g., Schoenberg, Stravinsky and Crumb, I always thought of the instrument in the folk category. About a dozen years ago, my perception of the use of the mandolin changed. In 1991, Dimitris Marinos, a student who recently arrived from Greece, came to my studio at Roosevelt University for his first composition lesson. He had a mandolin case tucked under his arm. After his lesson, I was curious and asked him if he wouldn't mind playing his mandolin for me. I guess I expected him to play a folk tune, and was pleasantly surprised - amazed would be a better word - when he played a very complex work replete with multiple stops, fast chromatic passages that covered the entire range of the instrument - in an apparent effortless fashion. I was captivated by this young man's musicality and virtuosity. After he showed me some of the instrument's technical capabilities, I thought about writing a short composition for him." That is the origin of how the compositions that appear on this disc came about.
Contents:
Robert Lombardo, composer
Contrasti a due
Dimitris Marinos, mandolin, Dimitris Dessyllas, marimba

Robert Lombardo, composer
Seven Deadly Sins
Julia Bentley, mezzo soprano, Dimitris Marinos, mandolin

Robert Lombardo, composer
Fantasy Variations
Dimitris Marinos, mandolin

Robert Lombardo, composer
Affreschi caldi
Julia Bentley, mezzo soprano, Dimitris Marinos, mandolin, Paul Bowman, guitar, Alison Attar, harp

Robert Lombardo, composer
Sicilian Lullaby & Cadenza
Dimitris Marinos, mandolin

Robert Lombardo, composer
Orpheus & the Maenads
Dimitris Marinos, mandolin, String Orchestra, Cliff Colnot, conductor

Review:
"The compositions are consistently engaging and attractive...[Dimitris] Marinos's playing is extraordinary..." (American Record Guide)

"For anyone interested in modern music that is both intellectually challenging and expressively rewarding, it offers a splendid introduction to the work of a composer who deserves to be more widely known." (Fanfare)
You may also like:
More Info
iTunes LOMBARDO, BAKER, GARDNER, SMITH Witness