Search - Raphael Calace, Steven Devine, Alison Stephens :: Raffaele Calace: Mandolin Concertos Nos. 1 and 2; Rapsodia Napoletana

FINE MANDOLIN MUSIC

Terry J. Lehane | 03/22/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Mandolin Concertos--sounds like something out of Vivaldi. But here we have something romantic and with reflective depth. RAFFAELE CALACE (1863-1934) was a virtuoso who worked to elevate the technical range of his instrument. As you will hear from this recording he was also a fine--and very Italian--composer. This music is a delight. It is delivered by MS. Alison Stephens and Steven Devine with delicate force.

These are concertos but Calace wrote them to be performed in camara. They were therefore written for mandolin and piano rather than for orchestra. What surprises me is how well mandolin and piano go together. I would have expected some muddying of contrast but this is totally lacking.

Altogether a great addition to any library. Calace and MS. Stephens are real discoveries."

Too much piano

N. Penick | Baytown, TX USA | 08/22/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This music and recording are exquisite. My only complaint is that the piano is much too loud. The piano accompaniment overpowers the mandolin rather than supports it. That's more a recording fault than a performance fault and could have been corrected. Too bad; otherwise, it's a superb recording."