Eterardi: Concerto for Mandolin (Echo Concerto), Baroque mandolin
Gian Francisco Eterardi (18th Century): Concerto Pour Mandoline
I. Allegretto (0:00)
II. Poco Largo (3:03)
III. Minuetto (1) & (2) (5:57)
Also known as "Echo Concerto" because of the call-and-response structure of the first movement.
Arranged for mandolin orchestra and soloist by Mario Monti. I have adapted Monti's arrangement to a mandolin quartet (2 mandolins, octave mandolin and tenor guitar):
"Baroq-ulele" nylgut-strung mandolin
1915 Luigi Embergher mandolin
Mid-Missouri M-111 octave mandolin
Ozark tenor guitar
This is a really nice 18th Century mandolin concerto in three movements, originally written for solo mandolin, two violins and continuo. Mario Monti published his arrangement for mandolin orchestra and soloist in 1976. I have found very little information about Eterardi: there is only one other surviving composition by this composer, an ouverture for two mandolins and basso, and nobody seems to be willing to commit themselves to any more precise dates than "18th century".
There are three other recordings of this concerto on Youtube: a 1985 recording by I Solisti Veneti using the original instrumentation, a live recording from 2012 also for violins and mandolin soloist (first movement only) and, best of all, this performance directed by Carlo Aonzo at the 2014 International Italian Mandolin Academy concert in Bolzano which I found after completing my own recording. Carlo is using the same arrangement by Mario Monti that I have used, but with a full orchestra rather than my quartet line-up. I am glad to see that Carlo uses almost exactly the same tempi as I did -- the reason his is shorter than mine is that he left out the repeat in the Poco Largo.
The Poco Largo is my favourite movement. It's such a delicate piece of music with the triplets of the solo mandolin part arpeggiating up and down the scales.
Martin
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks