# Music by Genre > Orchestral, Classical, Italian, Medieval, Renaissance >  Mandolin orchestra videos on Youtube

## Eugene

Solists have their relaitvely long-running thread.  I thought orchestras might deserve some attention too.  To start, here's a fine sounding mandolin orchestra in Madeira (mostly...other than the older "Tuna D'Elas" posts).

----------


## Acquavella

I couldn't agree more. I am becoming a fan of the Japanese school of mandolin. Check out these orchestras. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX0eJnoHFrE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki4dgped5d0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EFZDd_l2ow

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PUhCg8U6J8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJYNIgLzUmg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bcz6zYpp7-c

----------


## Scott Tichenor

Posted elsewhere:

We've enabled the ability to embed these videos directly into forum pages now if you wish.

Here's how

----------


## John Goodin

Ok, this isn't really an orchestra but it's not a solo either. 



Of course it's also not "classical" except in the broad sense that mandolin orchestras of the early 20th century played this music. Nick Robinson of the Skedaddlers sent me an email saying that the group was using some of the Golden Era sheet music from my site.

This particular piece can be found in the _Whitney Warner Collection of Mandolin & Guitar Music_, arranged by Samuel Siegel. It's sure fun to hear.

Thanks to Scott for making this so easy.

John G.

----------


## el cro

Here is another performance from the same orchestra from Madeira. This time in a Christmas concert with the title "Bandolins tocam Natal" (Mandolins play Christmas).
It's a non-permanent orchestra created back in September that resulted from the 1st Plectrum Orchestra Training, and still hasn't got a name.

BTW I'm playing on the 2nd row, 2nd place from the left.

*Tchaikovsky - Waltz of the Flowers*


*Christmas Medley*


You can hear and download the MP3 recordings here.

Enjoy,

Élio

----------


## aussiemando

I found this one today!  Great stuff.
Ruth

----------


## aussiemando

I'm not sure if my attempt at putting it up has worked.  If not, here is the link

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=xsAeRqW0xns

----------


## Acquavella

Serenata gaia; R. Calace

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNMJNdKklQs

----------


## Acquavella

Song of the Spirit; Karl Jenkins (1944)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCbLMJSrK3c

----------


## vkioulaphides

Since Alex has not posted this, I thought I'd indulge myself.  :Wink: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ur4iI...y_videos_edit2

The visual aspect is, in my humble opinion, MIRACULOUS! I absolutely LOVE how the daylight dims as the piece progresses, and city lights come gradually aglow. Credit for all this goes to Mr. Ulderink, the brilliantly creative cameraman who thought of projecting images of New York's Central Park, as a visual backdrop, on the wall of the church where this performance took place. I have no praise that could be high enough for his work.

The playing of Het Consort is, of course, no less miraculous than the visual component. To give credit where credit is due: I wrote the original version of this score with _quartetto romantico_ instrumentation, for the Baltimore Mandolin Quartet; the version referenced here is an "expanded" orchestration by the ever skillful Mr. Timmerman, music director of this fine ensemble. I wholeheartedly approve of, and greatly admire the touch-ups he added.

The piece itself, well... _that_ I will leave for others to judge. It is a quiet, contemplative, meditative work, where little "happens"; by way of compositorial excuse, dusk doesn't really "do" much, after all. What I wrote was an expression of part what I _see_, part what I _feel_ on my daily walks across the park, "as the shadows grow long" (to quote the famed phrase of Pirandello). I hope this reaches you, my kind and gentle audiences.

Enjoy!

Victor

----------


## Alex Timmerman

Hello All,

I just came accross this video of the Guitar Mandolin Orchestra Città di Brescia under the direction of Claudio Mandonico with the "Notte di Luna" by Angelo Bettinelli (1878-1953) performed in a most excellent way!


*Wonderful!* 




Best,

Alex

----------


## Alex Timmerman

Hi all,

I had completely forgotten I still had some videos of Het CONSORT to share with you. Here is one of a composition with the title '*Mistica*' composed by the Italian composer *Arrigio Cappelletti*. 
Not much is known about Maestro Cappelletti except for the fact that he wrote some excellent and beautiful compositions for mandolin orchestra. 
This particular work is one of my personal favorites because of the polyphonic, dramatic and mysterious character it has. 
And of course the wonderful writing for all instrument groups in the orchestra. Really special.






Best,

Alex.

----------


## Acquavella

Hi Alex, 

Lovely posts. The orchestra sounds wonderful and the Cappelletti piece is beautiful. I can see why this is one of your favorites. Lovely harmony and tonality. Cheers. 

Chris.....

----------


## el cro

Time to post some more videos. These are from last night's concert.

Canciello's *Trio*


and *Les Toreadors* from Carmen


More videos in our page.
Enjoy!

----------


## Rob MacKillop

This is a great topic. All the videos are amazing and quite inspiring. Keep 'em coming!

----------


## Alex Timmerman

Hello All,

Perhaps you remember my announcement of some time ago about our Mandolin Chamber Orchestra giving a couple of concerts in France this month. From the concert in the Saint Nicolas Church in Bancigny we have made video shots and I thought it would be nice to share them with you here at the Mandolin Café. Especially since we also played several compositions written by our 'own' Mandolin Café composers *John Craton* and *Victor Kioulaphides*.

To start with, here are two videos (two, because I had to cut between the 2nd and 3rd movement for it is not permitted to go over the 10 minutes YouTube duration limit) with John Craton's *'Danseries Anciennes'*. 
John based this dances on the 'feeling' one gets when listening to the tunes and melodies of Medieval France. In total there are five dances in this concert suite; 
*Estampie, Pavane et Gaillard, Basse dance et Tourdion, Carole et Bransle gay and Piva.* 
The French public, who indeed felt connected with their musical heritage, applauded the composition with great enthusiasm! And that is not strange at all, since the dances are all wonderful and especially the last, fast and cheerful *'Piva'* begs for applause! 

With the *Danseries anciennes* John Craton again proved to be a wonderful composer for mandolin orchestra! These dances are absolutely wonderful to study, play and listen too. And - also important - excellent to open a concert with!
I am sure many orchestras around the World will take up and play John's *Danseries anciennes* at their concerts!


Thanks again John for composing this music for us! And to all the others here; enjoy the videos!


*Danseries Anciennes by John Craton - Part I*





*Danseries Anciennes by John Craton - Part II*




Best regards,

Alex

----------


## vkioulaphides

A while back, I was profoundly honored when my esteemed colleague and dear friend John Craton sent me the score and (synthesized) audio files of this piece, before even the performers would have had their first glance at it. As is well known at the Café, John is an extraordinarily (and unduly) modest gentleman. I could offer no "opinion" on the piece, other than my unreserved approbation. What more _could_ I say? *Danseries* is a masterpiece, and as fine a score as anyone could ever aspire to produce for this, our beloved medium of the plucked orchestra. 

My high regard for the piece has grown higher yet, now that I have heard it performed by real instruments— as played by the fine members of Het Consort, and as directed by Alex, who understands the inner workings of the plucked orchestra intimately. Both the writing for the individual instruments and the sum total effect of the orchestra are truly exemplary. All I can do is tip my hat.

My only wishful comment is that, alternatively, I would _also_ like to hear this piece in an acoustically drier space. The score has all sorts of clever, stylish "kicks", cross-accents, hemiolas, snappy syncopations, all of which would benefit from a bit less ambient resonance. On the flip side, of course, the harmonies gel a lot better in the more "present" resonance of the lovely French chapel. Obviously, one cannot have a creamy, French sauce AND translucent vinaigrette, all at once.

My heartfelt congratulations, both to the composer and the performers of this wonderful, WONDERFUL piece! 

Victor

----------


## John Craton

_**Blushes heartily**_

Many thanks for Victor's glowing words and for Alex et al.'s marvellous performance. The real artists here are the performers who made these dances come alive and invigorated them with their artistic spirituality. I just hope this little set of ancient dances is as enjoyable to play and listen to as they were for me to write. Having long been drawn to early music, I found it both a pleasure and a challenge to meet Alex's request for something in a style dating from my youth  :Wink:

----------


## Alex Timmerman

Hello all,

Thanks John and Victor for your comments. It always is a great joy for us to perform your compositions!
And Victor, I totally agree with you, a better microphone or microphone settings would certainly capture more details of John's composition. Maybe on a future concert we can realize this. But for now this is all we have.

Hopefully the sound is slightly better in the next video made during our weekend in France. 
Filmed here is Victor Kioulaphides' *Broadway '97.* As you perhaps know Victor composed this jazzy 'Ballad' originally on the request of Carlo Aonzo to use at his New York Mandolin Workshop 2009. There it was also premiered on March 29th this year. 

*Broadway '79* is, as Victor explained, _"an instrumental jazz ballad, scored for two soloists in alternation, playing one "chorus" each, joining on the refrain, twice over the orchestra of first and second mandolins and mandolas, plus "walking bass" mandoloncello"._  
In the performance shown here by Het CONSORT, with Sebastiaan de Grebber and Ferdinand Binnendijk as the mandolin soloists, the original instrumentation is - with permission of the composer, of course - enlarged with a guitar section and a Chitarrone moderno as the bass.

What you see is a video of Victor's *Broadway '79*  played by Het CONSORT during a rehearsal that was 'open' for public during the weekend of September 18th 2009 in the Saint Nicolas Church in Bancigny, France. 


Enjoy 
and best regards 
from a sunny Holland    :Smile: .

----------


## vkioulaphides

Lovely, "smokey" performance... The languor and sensuality of the harmonies seems almost indecent in a house of worship...  :Redface:  Sebastiaan and Ferdinand do a prime job with their solos, while the orchestra supports them sensitively with a "jazz halo". 

Who could ask for anything more?  :Wink: 

Cheers to one and all,

Victor

----------


## Martin Jonas

I've recently come across some videos from a concert by Mattinata di Matteo, the Bay Area ensemble led by Sheri Mignano.  These are all ballo liscio tunes, played by mandolin ensemble with guitar accompaniment plus Sheri herself on lead accordion.

Recording quality is not great, but I like the arrangements and the tunes -- pretty much the same style and material we play with our own ensemble (minus accordion).  I just link a few tunes at random below; there are several more on Youtube if you search for "Mattinata di Matteo".

Martin

----------


## Alex Timmerman

Hello all,

Thought it would be a nice idea to bring back this topic to life again...


Best and enjoy,

Alex

----------


## Alex Timmerman

Hello All,

At Facebook our 'own' Linda Binder (thanks Linda!) informed on a very interesting video of Carlo Aonzo as the soloist, accompanied by the Orchestra a Plettro Gino Neri conducted by Stefano Squarzina, in the 3rd movement of Raffaele Calace's 2nd Mandolin Concerto (Opus 144).

I like to forward that video to you.

Enjoy!

----------


## mando1man

Here's some videos of the Nashville Mandolin Ensemble recorded in 1996. Included are the late, great Charlie Derrington, Paul Zonn and Butch Baldassari:

----------


## Margriet

here some video's of Greek mandolin friends in Athens. Maybe they are too humble to post them here, or they are not at cafe (yet). It is worth to share.

When you listen one, you will find 15 other video's of Attika Plucked Orchestra , with enthousiastic young people. Most of them were in the class in March with Ugo Orlandi in Athens.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cv-h7...eature=channel

Margriet

----------


## vkioulaphides

Lovely performance and, oh, what WONDERFUL memories! Thank you for posting this, Margriet. It reminds me I should re-establish contact with some of those friends, compatriots, and fellow-mandolinists. 

Cheers,

Victor

----------


## vkioulaphides

Also nice to see all these young Greeks playing mandolins and mandolin-family instruments. In the "Dark Ages" of my own youth, such a thing would have been nearly inconceivable, as we were in the interim between a long-gone heyday and the veritable Renaissance of the present day. Attika seems to get a good deal of air-time; they deserve it!

See? We're not all bad ;-) We play mandolins. We have talented young people. We enjoy each other's company. Factoring in "human capital", not all our assets are toxic; it is rather our ~dear~ leaders (bar none) who are Toxic Asses.

But I digress...

Three cheers for the players of Attika!

Victor

----------


## Hiin

I like the polyphonic harmony on this video.

----------


## Alex Timmerman

Hi all,

Here is a video of Piazzolla's 'La Muerte del Angel'.

Cheers,

Alex.

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=.../0/MhzJMIwWSmY

----------


## vkioulaphides

SPECTACULAR playing! Coupled, of course, with Piazzolla's unique ability to be brusque without being brutish, and sentimental without being maudlin. A tough balance-point for a composer to find... Het Consort does justice to both the "spice" and the sentiment of this score. Bravi!

Cheers,

Victor

----------


## Alex Timmerman

Thanks Victor! 

You are absolutely right; Piazzolla and his music are very special! We like this particular piece very much; especially because of the voicing in the dramatic middle section. Very rewarding to play! I think some of these Tangos will be a nice addition on our next CONSORT CD. Thanks for your appreciation!

Alex.

----------


## margora

Hi Alex,
Very beautiful playing, as always.  The arrangement is also quite interesting -- much more involved/elaborated than, say, the Brouwer arrangment for solo guitar but also not a duplicate of the Piazzolla original (as best as I could tell).  Yet I would think you would have to have worked from some score as a point of departure?

----------


## Alex Timmerman

Hello Robert,

Thanks for your comment! For the Piazzolla music I always listen first to a particular composition on his CD's that I have. This way I get a notion how the special effects (glissandi, pizzicati, percussion etc.) are done and how these effects can be best produced by a mandolin orchestra. Or how they can come closest to the original sound. 
After that I like it to see, if there are any on YouTube, a video of that work performed by Piazzolla and his ensemble. Then I study the score and start working on the arrangement of the music for mandolin orchestra. 
In the arrangement for Het CONSORT of Piazzolla's _'La Muerte del Ángel'_ I tried to stay as close as possible to the original Tango score by José Bragato. That was indeed my 'point of departure' and that is as close one can get, I think, also concidering the fact that Bragato performed together with Astor Piazzolla, playing – ánd recording - the violoncello in the various ensembles around Piazzolla. For instance with the nonetto ‘Conjunto 9’ and the ensemble ‘Octeto Buenos Aires’.

More info on Astor Piazzolla and his musical curriculum vitae is to be found here: http://www.piazzolla.org/biography/b...y-english.html


Best greetings,

Alex.

PS. Please forward my best regards to Mark and Beverly and all the members of the PMO.

----------


## Jim Garber

Nice rendition of a Venezuelan waltz, La Partida.

----------


## Margriet

Here are two video's of "Dimitris Dounis" quintet, 4 Athenians ( from Attika Plucked String Orchestra) and 1 Napolitan (Raffaele La Ragione). Made last week, on tour.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tl0dnAleg58


[URL="http://www.youtube.com/user/marcogilli#p/a/u/1/gecifx4rb2s"]http://www.youtube.com/user/marcogilli#p/a/u/1/gecifx4rb2s[/
URL]

Enjoy..... (I do)

Margriet

----------


## Margriet

the second did not work......
here another try

----------


## vkioulaphides

LOVELY! Thank you SOOOooooooooo much for posting these, Margriet!

In one of my many email-exchanges with Ali S., who had just recorded some works of Hadjidakis (along with some by other Greek composers, Yours Truly included), she asked me, point-blank, what I thought of it; after all, I was Greek, I had crossed paths with Hadjidakis innumerable times, I had grown up with his music ringing in my ears, ever since childhood— he was but a few decades my senior. In her usual candor, she simply wanted to know my "take" on it all.

I replied, perhaps more passionately than expected, with a hypothetical scenario: if an imaginary library, wherein ALL 20th-century Greek music (my own included) were housed were on fire, and I had but ONE in-and-out trip to make before the ceiling caved in on me, I'd have gladly jumped into the flames; if I could have salvaged ONE piece of music in that desperate effort, it would surely have been one by Hadjidakis, not one of my own, or by anyone else.

I stand by that. And *Gioconda's Smile* would have been a prime candidate for salvation from said hypothetical inferno. Not every composer's pen is touched by an angel...

Cheers,

Victor

----------


## Giorgos

After a couple of months of following this forum, it seems that this is the right time to post, after... 7 or 8 years! Some of you may even remember me (Victor, Eugene, Plami). Anyway, since I "participate" in the last two videos (on the cello), I thought you might also enjoy this video, shot in Cremona, Nov. 21:

----------


## vkioulaphides

> Some of you may even remember me (Victor, Eugene, Plami).


Oh, but... OF COURSE we remember you!  :Smile:  Thanks for posting this nice video!

Καλές γιορτές και καλή χρονιά, εντός ημερών...

Cheers,

Victor

(I may, just _may_ be in Athens some time in February. We should stay in touch...)

----------


## Giorgos

Καλή χρονιά και σε σένα Βίκτωρα!

Hope to see you whenever you're back in Athens - ironically, as I found out, you came to the Orfeio Conservatory for Orlandi's workshop the only day I wasn't there :Frown:

----------


## Alex Timmerman

Very nice! Thanks for posting Giorgos. 


Best wishes for 2011
and 
greetings from Holland,

Alex.

----------


## Alex Timmerman

Mmmm... I seem to have pressed the button twice... and can't delete one of the two. But re-editing is possible! 

Therefore I make of this post a very Best Wishes one for everybody!! :Grin: ! 
And I do that with adding a new video I made by combining two films made of the same concert. A concert also that is very special to me.
So here is the *Mandolin Concerto No. 1* in d minor by *JOHN CRATON* premièred by the young Dutch mandolinist Ferdinand Binnendijk on June 15th, 2006 in the concert hall of the Nieuwe Buitensociëteit in Zwolle, Netherlands. Ferdinand is accompanied by the 'Het Orkest van Het Oosten' lead by Candida Thompson.

To stay 'in Greek' spheres it is perhaps nice to know that John Craton dedicated this wonderful Concerto for solo mandolin with string orchestra to 'our own' Victor Kioulaphides.


Enjoy! 

Alex.

----------


## vkioulaphides

> Hope to see you whenever you're back in Athens - ironically, as I found out, you came to the Orfeio Conservatory for Orlandi's workshop the only day I wasn't there


Ah, what MAGICAL times those were! Ugo Orlandi was there, Margriet was there, all the Greek contingency was of course there...

Well, we ought to make some _new_ good times, too!  :Wink: 

Cheers,

Victor

----------


## vkioulaphides

> To stay 'in Greek' spheres it is perhaps nice to know that John Craton dedicated this wonderful Concerto for solo mandolin with string orchestra to 'our own' Victor Kioulaphides.


John's grace and generosity far outpaces any _merit_ on my side, of course; it there ever was a less _deserving_ dedicatee, well... that would be hard to imagine. But I am grateful, all the same, and offer my heartfelt compliments to John for such a lovely, charming, energetic composition. The young Ferdinand did it justice.

Cheers,

Victor

----------


## Margriet

> So here is the *Mandolin Concerto No. 1* in d minor by *JOHN CRATON* premièred by the young Dutch mandolinist Ferdinand Binnendijk on June 15th, 2006 in the concert hall of the Nieuwe Buitensociëteit in Zwolle, Netherlands. Ferdinand is accompanied by the 'Het Orkest van Het Oosten' lead by Candida Thompson.


What we have here is a concerto for mandolin and *string orchestra*, which is....VERY interesting!
Do we have a thread for that ? I was looking and found "mandolin concerts of note", but I think that one is meant for upcoming concerts; another one is called "mandolin in major orchestra repertoire" and there is the "mandolin in opera" thread.

Maybe some member who is much more handy than me on cafe knows where it fits the best, or he/she  can open a new thread (I would not dare). It would be nice to have more mandolin concerts together, where this one can have a real worthy place. (we can also start one with "young talents..... :Smile:  How old was Ferdinand when he played this ?

Margriet

----------


## Bernie Daniel

Acquavella already posted linked this video but here is an embed.  I posted it again because I love this conductor (and the music of course)!

----------


## Alex Timmerman

> How old was Ferdinand when he played this ?
> 
> Margriet





Hi Margriet, 

Ferdinand Binnendijk was 15 years old when he performed John's 1st Mandolin Concerto.


Best, 

Alex

PS. Thanks for the Birthday present, wonderful!!!       :Smile:

----------


## Margriet

> Ah, what MAGICAL times those were! Ugo Orlandi was there, Margriet was there, all the Greek contingency was of course there...
> 
> Well, we ought to make some _new_ good times, too! 
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Victor


I agree !

Nice to see you here, Giorgos and I hope another time again in Athens as well !

Margriet

----------


## vkioulaphides

Well... _our_ next encounter will be on _this_ side of the pond, soon enough.  :Wink:  As for my Greek friends and colleagues, first I'll have to let my travel plans firm up. In all cases, a great deal of *mandolin*-playing is expected.  :Mandosmiley: 

Cheers,

Victor

----------


## Margriet

Found another one, nice. 



I think the soloist is Raffaele La Ragione.

----------


## Margriet

> (we can also start one with "young talents..... How old was Ferdinand when he played this ?


I quote here myself  :Smile: 

Indeed we can talk about a *young talent*. Especially having the news that last night Ferdinand won the 1st price and many other prices on a most important classical music concours in the Netherlands for young musicians! One of the pieces he played was Variatians on a Basque melody, composed by Victor. This has also a video on youtube, though back about three years ago. I am sure Alex will tell more about this event and this GREAT result, not at least for the mandolin in the classical music.

----------


## Jim Garber

A couple of versions of this light piece. "Plink, Plank, Plunk" by Leroy Anderson.

----------


## el cro

We had a nice concert this weekend. Check out here.



Playlist: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_lis...090DEC410FF225

----------


## Jim Garber

Very nice, Élio. I enjoyed the performance -- very powerful. I couldn't quite see what they guy in the back was doing. Was he painting?

----------


## el cro

Yes, he was painting. During the first part of the concert (a mandolin-accordion duet), each one of us went to the canvas to draw a little detail. Then he completed those elements during the orchestra performance. The result was really nice.

----------


## Alex Timmerman

A good day to you all,

Enjoy Mozart!

Best, Alex.

----------


## Margriet

Great Alex, what energy amd brilliancy!

thanks for sharing.

Margriet

----------


## Margriet

This one did not appear yet here.... 

This is the second movement. The work has three pieces.



Margriet

----------


## vkioulaphides

Sounds vaguely familiar...  :Wink: 

Thanks for digging this up, Margriet!

Cheers,

Victor

----------


## jacky

http://youtu.be/cyP5T4130Qo


Last weekend, the wonderful Dutch Orchestra, RMGO, visited us, the Fretful Federation in Brighton. We very much enjoyed hosting them and on Sunday we presented a joint concert with them as part of the annual Brighton Festival. RMGO played a beautiful program of works by Stamitz, Wolki and Piazzola and we followed with pieces by Jenkins, Kreidler, Barbella, Ketelby, Schwaen and Goodin. Finally, both orchestras came together to play Palladio and Coppelia. It was a thrilling experience to play in such a large ensemble.

http://youtu.be/brwfoSZnIyQ

----------


## Jason Stein

> A good day to you all,
> 
> Enjoy Mozart!
> 
> Best, Alex.


That was wonderful!

----------


## MLT

Here is a clip from the Oregon Mandolin Orchestra's performance last night.

http://youtu.be/LsWKS-XbsHM

----------


## Alex Timmerman

Thanks MLT, 

A wonderful composition (nice arrangement also!) and a nice performance of the Oregon Mandolin Orchestra!

Best, Alex.

----------


## Alex Timmerman

Hi all, 

Here is a video that might give you an idea of how high the level of music making - here with regard to orchestra playing - can develop when the mandolin is understood and well taught!

Enjoy the fantastic work titled *"Life Beat"* for Mandolin Orchestra composed by 
the Japanese composer *Hiro Fujikake*  in an excellent performance by 
the *Chiba Higashi High School Mandolin Orchestra*. 

Best, Alex.

----------


## MLT

> Thanks MLT, 
> 
> A wonderful composition (nice arrangement also!) and a nice performance of the Oregon Mandolin Orchestra!
> 
> Best, Alex.


Thanks Alex.  I have a couple more that I need to review and set up for posting.  We also have another member who took video and I think he will be posting to YouTube as well as he reviews and cleans up his clips.

MLT

----------


## MLT

Here is another from the Oregon Manadolin Orchestra's May 13th Concert.  This is Polonaise by Michal Oginsky.

----------


## JeffD

ARTE MANDOLINISTICA  This is great.

----------


## Margriet

> ARTE MANDOLINISTICA  This is great.


impressing !

----------


## Margriet

> Hi all, 
> 
> Here is a video that might give you an idea of how high the level of music making - here with regard to orchestra playing - can develop when the mandolin is understood and well taught!
> 
> Enjoy the fantastic work titled *"Life Beat"* for Mandolin Orchestra composed by 
> the Japanese composer *Hiro Fujikake*  in an excellent performance by 
> the *Chiba Higashi High School Mandolin Orchestra*.


In some way I missed this in the thread. It is really impressing, what happens with the mandolin in Asia and I hope there will come more input from there to the cafe. Language is quite a problem, but there are several , who found the cafe and are also willing to translate (Baiyongjie? Hiin?, KWong?) Thanks, Alex and JeffD for sharing and the people making this music and recording.

Margriet

----------


## Alex Timmerman

Hi all,

Here is a video of *Het CONSORT* playing *Johann Sebastian Bach*'s *Double Concerto* BWV 1043. A famous work this originally Concerto composed for 2 solo Violins and Chamber Orchestra. Perhaps even one of *Bach*'s most known works, heard and seen here in my arrangement for 2 solo Mandolins and Mandolin Chamber Orchestra. Although the sound quality of the video is far from the quality of a CD recording I never the less wanted to share this wonderful music with you. 
The soloists in this performance with *Het CONSORT* are *Sebastiaan de Grebber* and *Ferdinand Binnendijk*. 


Enjoy and best greetings,

Alex.

----------


## Tom Wright

Really nice double concerto, brings back my youth before I went over to alto clef. Thanks.

----------


## Alex Timmerman

Hi All, 

Enjoy the celebrated *CSÁRDÁS* by *Vittorio Monti* (1868 - 1922) performed by *Het CONSORT*  conducted by Alex Timmerman with* Sebastiaan de Grebber* as the mandolin soloist. 

A performance given by the orchestra during the *1st FESTIVAL INTERNAZIONALE ORCHESTRA A PLETTRO* in the Villa Comunale in *Taormina*, Sicily, Italy on July 26, 201. 


Best greetings, 

Alex.

----------


## Steve Davis

Nice arrangements Alex.

----------


## Alex Timmerman

Thanks Steve, Nice to know they are appreciated!  :-)

Best from Zwolle, 

Alex.

----------


## Beanzy

I've been very quiet on here but want to post to let you all know I reckon this is one of my favourite threads on the forum. It's such an eye-opener.... no ....ear-opener as to what is going on and what is possible with enough people with enthusiasm and a passion for their music.

Brilliant and inspirational... thanks to all.

----------


## David Miller

The mandolin ensemble that I formed last spring, the Syzygia Mandolin Ensemble, had its premier performance this past Tuesday at the Hartt School of Music in West Hartford, CT. Here is a video of a piece by John Goodin titled "Cathedral Hill." We have had a lot of fun bringing the group together over the past few months. I do want to apologize to Tad, who got accidentally cut out of the frame on the video - Sorry Tad!

----------


## Margriet

Beanzy: Thanks for telling.

David: you have got a lot done in a short time. Thanks for sharing ! I heard a piece of John Goodin for the first time, nice.

Margriet

----------


## Alex Timmerman

Hi All, 

Enjoy *'THE SONG OF THE JAPANESE AUTUMN'* by *Yasuo Kuwahara* (1946 - 2003) performed by the Dutch Mandolin Chamber Orchestra* Het CONSORT* with *Sebastiaan de Grebber* as the mandolin soloist playing his own cadenza to this composition. 

An outdoor concert given by *Het CONSORT* during the *1st FESTIVAL INTERNAZIONALE ORCHESTRE A PLETTRO* in the ancient* TEATRO GRECO* in *Taormina*, Sicily, Italy, on July 25, 2011.



Best greetings, 

Alex.

----------


## MLT

Alex & Orchestra,

Simply fabulous. I think the venue is spectacular. Maybe someday the orchestra that I am a part of will also have an opportunity to perform there.

Thank you for all of the videos that you post by Het Consort.

----------


## MLT

Below are two new videos from one of the recent performances by the Oregon Mandolin Orchestra, Brian Oberlin Conducting.  

These were recorded from the 16 September 2011 concert at the Glenn & Viola Cultural Arts Center in Hillsboro, Oregon.  I appologize for lighting of the First's section (the camera just can't seem to account for the high light level).  

First -- _Vocalise_ by Serge Rachmaninoff with Featured Soloist Josh Fienberg




Second -- *Two Dances from Spain* by an unkown composer(s)

----------


## attikaorchestra

Thank you a lot Victor! Looking forward performing "Peripatos" and any other of your works...

----------


## vkioulaphides

My warmest and most enthusiastic congratulations to all of you! 

By way of context: this orchestration stemmed from one of the issues of my tiny, and ~quite~ non-commercial *GrecoMando Editions*, originally as a duet for (one) mandolin and guitar. For those interested, I simply cut and paste the introduction of that edition.

---
Nikolaos Halikiopoulos Mántzaros was born on October 26, 1795, in Kérkyra (Corfu); he died in his native city on March 31, 1872. In 1826, he moved to Italy, where he studied at the Naples Conservatory with the great pedagogue Nicola Zingarelli, teacher also of Vincenzo Bellini, Saverio Mercadante, and several other notable composers of the Italian concert and operatic stage.

Upon Zingarelli's retirement in 1835, Mántzaros was offered the directorship of the Naples Conservatory by his admiring teacher; he was later offered a similar position at the Milan Conservatory. He declined both offers, as he had already returned to Kérkyra, where he single-handedly directed the local Philharmonic Society and the Conservatory, taught all musical subjects pro bono, and even assisted his neediest and worthiest students at his own expense.

Mántzaros fame in Greece alone rests on his setting of the Greek National Anthem, "Hymn to Liberty", on poetry by Dionysios Solomós. Apart from that one composition, however, his work remains unknown. Yet Mántzaros composed 12 Fugues for Piano, 3 Masses (one for the Orthodox, and two for the Catholic liturgy), one Cantata, Lamentations of Jeremiah, Psalms of David, works for piano, numerous songs and works for vocal ensemble, as well as 24 Symphonies-Overtures.

The Sinfonie-Overture are one-movement, yet sectional works, in the style of Italian academic classicism. The extant manuscripts are in "short score": two staves, one in treble, one in bass clef. The texture consists of a rhythmically vigorous melody, an almost equally active countermelody in the bass, and sparse, chordal inner voices. There is no authoritative evidence on the intended instrumentation.

The texture of these works hardly speaks of pianistic writing. It is most likely that, when his schedule allowed, Mántzaros would have "spread out" these charming compositions (which were after all the major corpus of his compositional output) for some sort of ensemble, creating a proper conductors score and writing out parts for the various instruments; his total devotion to his students and their needs over his own ambitions never allowed him the time to do so. The Symphonies were never performed in their composers lifetime.

It is the editors firm belief that plucked instruments, so broadly popular in the Ionian Islands during the 19th century, would have certainly struck the composer as at least one possibility for instrumentation of the Symphonies. We have therefore picked up this presumed intention of Mántzaros where he left it and scored his Sinfonia-Overtura Nº 5 in E major for mandolin and guitar. We find that the result is convincingly, beautifully, and charmingly fitting for plucked/picked instruments; in fact, it is hard to imagine any instruments other than mandolins and guitars that would capture the works character as aptly. We hope you agree.

---

Thanks to the skills and talents of *ATTIKA*, one of my fondest dreams has come true. I am deeply grateful to this young, high-spirited group, and look forward to their development in the years to come.

Three cheers for Attika, Mántzaros, and the organizers of the Bulgarian festival.

Victor

----------


## Martin Jonas

As I have posted here in the past, our ensemble plays a lot of pieces by the early 20th century Dutch mandolin composer Johan Kok.  I have just looked around for Youtube videos of Kok's orchestral pieces, and there are quite a few around:

La Frisonette (by an ad-hoc orchestra at CMSA 2010, presumably featuring some of our Cafe members)

Balalaika Souvenir (same orchestra)

Same piece again by another orchestra

Tredici

Benvenuto

Benvenuto again

No sure which piece this is as the title is given only in Japanese.  Sounds a bit like La Festa Splendora but isn't it.

Sempre Vivo

Sonatine No. 1

L'Ile Enchantee

Balalaika Souvenir (again)

Balalaika Souvenir yet again: clearly Kok's most popular piece on Youtube.

We have about 50 pieces by Johan Kok in our repertoire, but still only four of these eight pieces ("Balalaika Souvenir", "Tredici", "La Frisonette" and "L'Ile Enchantee"), the only one of which we play regularly being Balalaika Souvenir.  The above doesn't really reflect the true range of the material, being heavily biased towards the more bombastic and cinematic end rather than his more charming smaller pieces.  He was very prolific indeed, and always fun to play!

Martin

----------


## garypaynephoto

This is the inaugural weekend performance of the New Expression Mandolin Orchestra (NEMO). This is a new San Diego orchestra conducted and directed by classical mandolinist Chris Acquavella. We will hopefully be starting our second season in the new year.

----------


## MLT

Congratulations to Chris & all of the members of NEMO on thier inagural performance.  Thanks for sharing the video.  Best to you all as you enter your second season in the new year.

----------


## Beanzy

Was looking for the most appropriate place to put this and thought this old thread would be best for this ensemble.

----------

Alex Timmerman, 

Jim Garber, 

Mike-D

----------


## Alex Timmerman

Hi all, 

Here is a video just for fun and to send you our best wishes for a *happy*, *healthy* and *musical 2017*!

Alex and all the members of The Dutch Mandolin Chamber Orchestra HET CONSORT.

----------

3step, 

BCVegas, 

Beanzy, 

Eugene

----------

