D i s c o g r a p h y
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Schneiderman - Yamaya Duo
BEETHOVEN FOR TWO GUITARS (hänssler CLASSIC)
While Beethoven never wrote a note of music for the guitar, there is a handful of masterful arrangements of his music, mostly of piano works and string quartets, from the early 19th-century. This recording explores the best of these arrangements for two guitars by Ferdinando Carulli, Vincenz Schuster, et al. Recorded on historical instruments using no-nail technique.
Schneiderman - Yamaya Duo
ADAM DARR: GERMAN ROMANTIC GUITAR DUETS (Profil)
Adam Darr (1811-1866), in his relatively short and tragic life, produced some of the most virtuosic, inventive, and idiomatic music for the guitar in his time. Mostly unknown today, his music is comparable to that of Johann Kaspar Mertz and Napoleon Coste. This 2-CD set explores his large body of works for 2 guitars of varying combinations: regular, terz, 10-string guitars, and guitar tuned in D. Performed by John Schneiderman and Hideki Yamaya on originals and replicas of historical instruments.
THE ARCHLUTE IN 18TH-CENTURY ITALY: The Dalla Casa Manuscript, Vol. 2 (Mediolanum)
The second volume in the Dalla Casa Manuscript series, this CD contains the music written for archlute from this rare source from mid-18th-century Italy. Much of this music is without attribution, but some well-known composers from the era are represented, including Leonardo Leo (1694-1744) and Pier Giuseppe Sandoni (1685-1748). The music is primarily galant in style--straightforward structure, pleasant melodies, and clear harmony--and is the best representation of the Italian lute repertoire from the era.
THE MANDOLINO IN 18TH-CENTURY ITALY: The Dalla Casa Manuscript, Vol. 1 (Mediolanum)
The mandolino, or the Baroque mandolin, was the predecessor to the modern mandolin. Unlike its offspring, it had 6 courses of strings (instead of 4) and was mostly played with the fingertips (instead of with a plectrum). Though mostly unknown today, it enjoyed a modest popularity in the 17th- and 18th-centuries and a sizeable repertoire. This recording contains pieces from the Filippo Dalla Casa Manuscript, dated 1759 from Bologna, Italy. Though by mostly unknown composers, the quality of the music is very high and compares with the best lute, keyboard, and chamber music from the period. Mandolino is played by Hideki Yamaya, and continuo on lute is played by John Schneiderman.
LUDOVICO RONCALLI: Works for Guitar (Mediolanum)
The Baroque guitar, or ‘chitarra spagnuola’ as it was called back then, was an enormously popular instrument throughout the Baroque period, particularly in Italy, where its solo repertoire was first developed. The music of Ludovico Roncalli was the last book of music for Baroque guitar that was published in Italy, and is considered to be some of the best in the repertoire. His beautiful sonatas combine the French formal organization and dance rhythms and the Italian lyricism and intuition for harmony. Performed by Hideki Yamaya on a replica of a historical Baroque guitar strung in a historical manner, from the original text.
