Bella Italia - Steven Mead |
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Repertoire
- Dulcamarata (Donizetti Variations) for Euphonium and Symph Band K.H. Koper
- Caro mio ben G. Giordani Arr. A. Bona
- Aria di chiesa "Pietà Signore" A. Stradella Arr. A. Barbagallo
- Vaga luna che inargenti V. Bellini Arr. A. Bona
- Vi ravviso, o luoghi ameni V. Bellini Arr. A. Bona
- Ah, non credea mirarti V. Bellini Arr. A. Bona
- Ah, non giunge V.Bellini Arr. A. Bona
- A fors' è lui G. Verdi Arr. F. Creux
- Di Provenza il mar, il suol G. Verdi Arr. F. Creux
- Ave Maria G. Verdi Arr. F. Creux
- Vissi d'arte G. Puccini Arr. A. Bona
- Serenata E. Toselli Arr. T. Ruedi
- Preghiera F. Feliciangeli Arr. F. Creux
- Alla Czardas G. Orsomando Arr. F. Creux
- Variations on "Carnival of Venice" J.B. Arban Arr. D. Hunsberger
Additional Info
Steven Mead has for some years visited Italy regularly, bringing his instrument to this country of music lovers who, it must be said, seem to have fallen in love with the sound of the euphonium. Thanks to his numerous visits to Italy (including Aosta, Milan, Trento, Bolzano, Bologna, Florence, Rome, Ancona, Bari, Calabria and Sicily), he has developed a musical affinity with the country, the people and their music. This unique CD is another landmark in the relationship between Mead and this country and for the growth of the popularity of the euphonium in Italy.
It has always been part of the Italian band music tradition to play pieces from the operatic repertoire using instruments, especially those of the saxhorn family, to "imitate" the human voice. This tradition began in the nineteenth century when, given the lack of radio and records, the band was the medium of broadcasting the fashionable melodies of operatic music in the town squares. Today Italian bands are following many different musical paths, including the current extensive repertoire of original pieces. Dedicating almost an entire CD to operatic Romances and Arias therefore has a double meaning: on the one hand it pays homage to this genre, whose intrinsic beauty defies description and on the other hand it does that which virtuosi and instrumental soloists all over the world have always done, that is to give a ‘voice' to these immortal works through their instruments. Please enjoy the unique, inimitable sound of Steven Mead, who for the first time has recorded a CD with an Italian military band on this stunning album of Italian classics!