Solo classical mandolin music from baroque to contemporary. "Chris Acquavella delivers powerfully emotive solo performances that pay homage to their historical origins through his own uniquely personal mandolin voice." David Grisman

20 MP3 Songs in this album (57:43) !
Related styles: Classical: Early Music, Classical: Romantic Era, Solo Instrumental

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Details:
Welcome to my first solo album, Praeludium. You are about to embark on a journey of âstandard but not so standardâ, classical mandolin repertoire dating from the baroque period to contemporary. The mandolin has been with us for over four centuries. One might think this is plenty of time for concert audiences to become familiar with the classical mandolin repertoire. However, when asked to name that repertoire, most people can only come up with Vivaldiâs Concerto for Mandolin (RV425) and Mozartâs Don Giovanni, if that. Many years of war, new musical instruments and the introduction of jazz and rock & roll forced the mandolin into the shadows, only to rise up again later in history. In truth the mandolin has a vast array of works dating from the 17th century to modern day, including repertoire for solo mandolin and mandolin with other various instrumentation. Today the classical mandolin is once again growing in popularity; its repertoire rediscovered and enjoyed by performers and concert audiences around the globe. New music is constantly being written for the mandolin and scholars are unearthing long lost works from various libraries. The solo mandolin has a captivating and haunting quality, with its repertoire as sweet, romantic and virtuosic of that of the violin or guitar. Praeludium is my attempt to introduce new audiences to this wonderfully charming music performed on my favorite instruments: the mandolin & baroque mandolino. I hope you enjoy this project as much as Iâve enjoyed making it.

Recording details:
Recorded: Studio West, San Diego CA, July 2011
Engineer: Darrell Harvey
Mastered: Sound Media Productions, Seattle WA, August 2011
Mastering: Brandon Busch
CD Design: Gary Payne
Photography: Gary Payne
Instruments:
2010 Brian N. Dean âGermanâ model
2011 Brian N. Dean Baroque Mandolino

BIO:
Chris Acquavella graduated First Class Honors from Trinity College of Music in London, England. He studied under the instruction of Alison Stephens. Chris won the Wolfsan Foundation Music Award in 2004 and was awarded the TCM Trust Silver Medal for String Studies in 2006. Chris Acquavella performs across Europe and America both in a solo and chamber music capacity. Aside from chamber music, he concertizes as a soloist & orchestral musician with various orchestras throughout the world. Chris is currently a member of the Ger Mandolin Orchestra, directed by Mike Marshall, as well as Duo LaRe with guitarist, Nathan Jarrell. Chris Acquavella has performed & taught workshops at the CMSA Conventions and Mandolin Symposium. He is an instructor at the New Expression School of Music in San Diego, California.