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Marco Baldini: Maniera
ByAlongside composer and pianist Daniela Fantechi and bass clarinetist Edoardo Ricci, Baldini was a member of the improvising trio Blutwurst, founded in 2011. In 2014 they ceased improvisation and only performed written compositions. Baldini started composing, mainly sharing the process with the academically-trained Fantechi. The 2020 Covid lockdown gave Baldini time to devote to composition and to develop. The seven pieces he wrote for Vesperi largely featured cellos and double basses, giving the music its distinctive sound and atmosphere. That album attracted positive reviews from a range of sources and the CDs sold out quickly. (It is downloadable, though, for anyone who missed out on the CD.)
All of which brings us to Baldini's second album, Maniera. Although the music is all performed by members of Apartment Housea sign of the esteem now afforded to Baldinithe sound is rather more varied than that on Vesperi, largely string-driven quintets, quartets or trios, the album having its own distinctive sound. The six pieces all date from 2021 to 2023, with one of them"Trio 2"being heard in two distinct versions, violin, viola and cello and two violins and viola. Anyone familiar with Vesperi would be likely to identify the music here as Baldini. On this evidence it seems highly likely that he will continue onward and upward for the foreseeable future.
Track Listing
Selva (2023); Trio 2 (2022); Arpocrate (2022); Plutone (2023); Quintetto (2021); Trio 2 (2022); Otto (2023).
Personnel
Bridget Carey
violaAnton Lukoszevieze
celloMira Benjamin
violinChihiro Ono
violinJames Opstad
bass, acousticAdditional Instrumentation
Apartment House:- Mira Benjamin: violi ; Chihiro Ono: violin (1, 3-7); Bridget Carey: viola; Anton Lukoszevieze: cello (1-5, 7); James Opstad: double bass (1, 4-5 ).
Album information
Title: Maniera | Year Released: 2024 | Record Label: Another Timbre
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