Discography

This album presents nine String Quartets, written over a period of fifteen years, acting as a seismograph of Albini’s compositional activities in excellent performances by Quartetto Indaco: Eleonora Matsuno, Jamiang Santi, Francesca Turcato and Cosimo Carovani. The precious booklet contains a lengthy essay on the composer and his music written by Italian musicologist Giovanni Cestino.
★ Brilliant Classics ★ Spotify
● Track 01. Giovanni Albini, String Quartet No. 1 Op. 1 (2003) – I. [3’42];
● Track 02. Giovanni Albini, String Quartet No. 1 Op. 1 (2003) – II. [2’08];
● Track 03. Giovanni Albini, String Quartet No. 2 Op. 3 (2005) – I. [2’19];
● Track 04. Giovanni Albini, String Quartet No. 2 Op. 3 (2005) – II. [2’41];
● Track 05. Giovanni Albini, String Quartet No. 2 Op. 3 (2005) – III. [1’10];
● Track 06. Giovanni Albini, String Quartet No. 3 Op. 7 (2006) – I. [3’11];
● Track 07. Giovanni Albini, String Quartet No. 3 Op. 7 (2006) – II. [1’31];
● Track 08. Giovanni Albini, String Quartet No. 3 Op. 7 (2006) – III. [2’11];
● Track 09. Giovanni Albini, String Quartet No. 4 Op. 15 (2008) [4’18];
● Track 10. Giovanni Albini, String Quartet No. 5 Op. 19 (2009) [4’22];
● Track 11. Giovanni Albini, String Quartet No. 6 Op. 24 (2010) [5’01];
● Track 12. Giovanni Albini, String Quartet No. 7 Op. 25 (2010) [9’47];
● Track 13. Giovanni Albini, String Quartet No. 8 Op. 39 (2013) – I. [2’15];
● Track 14. Giovanni Albini, String Quartet No. 8 Op. 39 (2013) – II. [0’16];
● Track 15. Giovanni Albini, String Quartet No. 8 Op. 39 (2013) – III. [3’05];
● Track 16. Giovanni Albini, String Quartet No. 8 Op. 39 (2013) – IV. [3’15];
● Track 17. Giovanni Albini, String Quartet No. 9 Op. 57 (2018) [9’26].

This release showcases four works from Albini’s sacred oeuvre, including his Pange lingua, full of powerful energy and drama, and the Missa Prima, performed for the first time at the reopening of the 15th-century Pavia Cathedral in 2012 after almost 30 years of restoration. The other two works on the disc, Testamento Spirituale for wind quartet and Preghiera for recorder trio, give the voice a different role, with the instrumental music of the former originating from the a text by Father Christian de Cherge, and the voice no longer present in the latter – described in the liner note as ‘more of a hidden memory’. Seasoned performers of 20th-century repertoire, the Choir of the Faculty of Musicology Cremona gives dedicated performances of Albini’s music in this collection under the baton of Ingrid Pustijanac, with excellent instrumental support from musicians of the 15.19ensemble and Il Giardino delle Muse.
★ Brilliant Classics ★ Spotify
● Track 01. Pange Lingua, for choir [6’29];
● Track 02. Missa Prima, for choir; Kyrie [0’48];
● Track 03. Missa Prima, for choir; Gloria [3’13];
● Track 04. Missa Prima, for choir; Sanctus [1’22];
● Track 05. Missa Prima, for choir; Agnus Dei [1’59];
● Track 06. Testamento Spirituale, for wind quartet [13’55];
● Track 07. Preghiera, for recorder trio [8’59].

This collection showcases a variety of works from Albini’s oeuvre, many of which have been praised for their mathematical significance. Strong links to Western Classical music can be heard in each of these pieces, but mathematical theory is also employed in a variety of ways: Una teoria della Prossimità is completely determined by mathematics, from its structure to its continuity and notation, and Estatica is formed around the single tone of E and expanded outwards. The collection also features three of the string quartets; with String Quartet No.5 – a rapidly changing piece constantly underpinned by the G minor scale – followed by the strict motion of No.6 and the innovative No.7, which is based on Albini’s own specific system of triadic cycles.
★ Brilliant Classics ★ Spotify
● Track 01. Corale No. 4, preludio for Cello Solo [1’42];
● Track 02. Una teoria della Prossimità, for String Orchestra; I – Densità [3’04];
● Track 03. Una teoria della Prossimità, for String Orchestra; II – Continuità [2’56];
● Track 04. Corali #27 e #41, Double Concerto for Violin, Guitar Duo and String Orchestra; Corale #27 [6’55];
● Track 05. Corali #27 e #41, Double Concerto for Violin, Guitar Duo and String Orchestra; Corale #41 [6’30];
● Track 06. Estatica, for Guitar [5’52];
● Track 07. String Quartet No.5 [4’42];
● Track 08. String Quartet No. 6 “Solo per grado congiunto” [4’51];
● Track 09. String Quartet No. 7 “Corale” [9’58].

A mesmerizing collection of selected tracks that embody the essence of the music commissioned to me by Fine 5 Dance Theatre for one of their sensational contemporary dance spectacle, a dance performance that combines choreography, music, and laser lights titled “there is a chair waiting for to be sat on”/“white river”. An enchanting fusion of electronic beats meets the captivating ukulele sound. ★ Spotify ★ Apple Music ★ YouTube
● Track 01. Üks [7’21];
● Track 02. Kaks [3’26];
● Track 03. Kolm [9’59].

The soundtrack commissioned to Giovanni Albini for the Alfa Romeo Centenary Exhibition at La Triennale Museum – Milano. Commissioned by La Triennale Musuem – Milano. ★ Spotify
● Track 01. Colore Italiano – Tema (featuring Cecilia Bernini) [2’43];
● Track 02. Colore Italiano – Ambiente (featuring Matilde Oppizzi) [10’21].

Frederick Rawski is a composer of concert and electronic music based in Japan. His work draws upon classical, electro-acoustic and traditional musical forms from around the world. Misremembrances features work composed between 2017 and 2021.
★ Spotify ★ Amazon ★ Apple Music ★ Deezer
● Track 01. Milan, Misremembered – Giovanni Albini, ukulele [2’59];
● Track 02. An Admirable Persistence – Transient Canvas [6’11];
● Track 03. The Corrosive Effects of Desire – Invoke [11’09];
● Track 04. An Affliction (In Four Parts) – Kite Quartet [9’53];
● Track 05. Three Icaros – Nick Montopoli [6’55];
● Track 06. A Shut Door Opens Outward – Unassisted Fold [6’46];
● Track 07. Riding a Tethered Horse – Invoke [11’06];
● Track 08, Milan, Misremembered (Reprise) – Kite Quartet [2’42].

The history of music is made of ebb and flow. One of the crucial currents of the twentieth century was Neoclassicism, through which composers such as Stravinsky or Prokof’ev distanced themselves from late-Romantic sentimentalism in order to recover a lost essentiality. The Neoclassical way, however, was just one aspect within a larger rediscovery of early music; for the sake of precision, we should also speak of Neo-Baroque, Neo-Renaissance, and even of Neo-Middle-Ages. Twentieth-century composed found their way by rediscovering the musical heritage predating the eighteenth-century Classicism, and managed to detach themselves from their nineteenth-century forebears, and to find a new way to modernity through the revival of a distant past. This new way included, among its most important elements, the retrieval of a harmonic system other than tonality (i.e. modality) and the adoption of a rhythm which tended to transcend bar lines as well as the metrical symmetry which had imposed itself in the eighteenth century. […] The reconsideration of the eighteenth century is at the roots of the Minuettolento op. 66 no. 1 by Giovanni Albini. Only the vestiges are left of what was the original dance: the song prevails, legato, with the instrument’s dark voice, which seems almost to overturn the gallant conventions of the eighteenth century, by putting its sensuousness into relief. (Liner notes by Luca Ciammarughi)
★ Da Vinci Publishing ★ Spotify
● Track 01. Aulis Sallinen – Elegia “Sebastian Knight’ille” Op. 10 [4’06];
● Track 02. Benjamin Britten – Suite No. 3 Op. 97; Introduzione: Lento [2’21];
● Track 03. Benjamin Britten – Suite No. 3 Op. 97; Marcia: Allegro [1’55];
● Track 04. Benjamin Britten – Suite No. 3 Op. 97; Canto: Con moto [1’16];
● Track 05. Benjamin Britten – Suite No. 3 Op. 97; Barcarola: Lento [1’24];
● Track 06. Benjamin Britten – Suite No. 3 Op. 97; Dialogo: Allegretto [1’39];
● Track 07. Benjamin Britten – Suite No. 3 Op. 97; Fuga: Andante espressivo [2’21];
● Track 08. Benjamin Britten – Suite No. 3 Op. 97; Recitativo: Fantastico [1’27];
● Track 09. Benjamin Britten – Suite No. 3 Op. 97; Moto perpetuo: Presto [0’53];
● Track 10. Benjamin Britten – Suite No. 3 Op. 97; Passacaglia: Lento solenne [4’18];
● Track 11. Benjamin Britten – Suite No. 3 Op. 97; Mournful Song, Autumn, Grant repose together with the saints [3’29];
● Track 12. Davide Tammaro – Toccata [2’36];
● Track 13. Giovanni Albini – Minuetto Lento Op. 66 No. 1 [2’30];
● Track 14. György Ligeti – Sonata for Solo cello; Dialogo [3’44];
● Track 15. György Ligeti – Sonata for Solo cello; Capriccio [3’59];
● Track 16. Cosimo Carovani – Suite No. 3 “Ad Antiqua”; Ricercare [4’21];
● Track 17. Cosimo Carovani – Suite No. 3 “Ad Antiqua”; Pavana Notturna [3’43];
● Track 18. Cosimo Carovani – Suite No. 3 “Ad Antiqua”; Cantus Firmus [3’19];
● Track 19. Cosimo Carovani – Suite No. 3 “Ad Antiqua”; Fugato (con John Dowland) [4’41];
● Track 20. Cosimo Carovani – Suite No. 3 “Ad Antiqua”; Prima conclusione: Introduzione (piccola Toccata) e “les nouveaux Sauvages” [3’24];
● Track 21. Cosimo Carovani – Suite No. 3 “Ad Antiqua” – Seconda conclusione: Johannes Pavan [1’11].

This album will make all those who distrust contemporary classical music re-evaluate their stance. Performed superbly by the strings of the Kalisz Philharmonic Orchestra, the 2014 Grammy winners, led by the outstanding Maestro Paweł Kotla, the featured works represent the more mainstream approach to musical styles, techniques, forms, and their various expressive outcomes. The well-known, widely accepted and universally admired points of reference – Bartók, Copland, Elgar, Prokofiev, Stravinsky, Shostakovich, Sibelius, Vaughan Williams and the like – are here for all to hear. From the very simple yet effective diatonicism of “Crescendo No 2” by Giovanni Albini to the ultra-expressive “Hataori” by Satoru Ikeda, the most “modern” and powerful work on this recording, the listener is taken on an exhilarating journey through a kaleidoscope of textures and moods, which will leave no one indifferent. Love it or hate it, this recording rocks. In Foivos Papadopoulos’s “Skies (Shadows)” the principal of the orchestra, Dominik Kossakowski, gives a master class on how to play an extended violin solo within a larger structural context. The other works are “Sinfonia Brevis” by Scott Brickman, “Four By Four” by Brian Field, “Fume Giallo” by Alessandro Giannotti, “Millie’s Math House” by David Hirshleifer, “The Vast and Flat Plain” by Juan Pablo Medina, and “Contentamento” by Allen Molineux – all of them worthy outgrowths of the great Western tradition, still alive and, as this CD proves, still lively. The music is very well recorded, and the artwork leaves nothing to be desired. Recommended. (© Piotr Grella-Mozejko)
★ Phasma-Music ★ Spotify
● Track 01. Giovanni Albini – Crescendo, Op. 69 No. 2 [6’26];
● Track 02. Scott Brickman – Sinfonia Brevis, I Valse Triste [3’41];
● Track 03. Scott Brickman – Sinfonia Brevis, II Fantastic Dances [4’19];
● Track 04. Brian Field – Four by Four [6’16];
● Track 05. Alessandro Giannotti – Fiume Giallo [7’07];
● Track 06. David Hirshleifer – Millie’s Math House Theme and Variations [11’08];
● Track 07. Satoru Ikeda – HATAORI [12’19];
● Track 08. Juan Pablo Medina – The Vast and Flat Ground [10’07];
● Track 09. Allen Molineux – Contentamento [09’08];
● Track 10. Foivos Papadopoulos – Skies (Shadows) [07’26].

This recording stems from a project centered on Ave maris stella (Hail, Star of the Sea), in which new settings of this well-known hymn from the Middle Ages were commissioned to five composers from different countries (Italy, Argentina, and the US). The new works are presented here alongside musical gems from the extant repertoire. The hymn, probably attributable to Venantius Fortunatus (6th/7th century) or perhaps to Paul the Deacon (8th century), is a prayer to the Holy Mary greeted as the Sea Star, a bright light that directs the uncertain sailing in life’s darkness to a safe harbour. The hymn entered the liturgical canon as part of the Vespers in the Marian feasts, and has longly fascinated composers from all times. For that reason, the album has been titled Mater Alma, i.e. “life-giving Mother”, both an epithet of Mary in the Latin text, and a metaphor of the hymn’s power of inspiring new music – sometimes beyond the original musical or poetic material. (Liner notes by Chiara Bertoglio and Niccolò Galliano) ★ Da Vinci Publishing
● Track 01. Pietro Ponzio – Ave Maris Stella [7’29];
● Track 02. Francisco del Pino – Luz [5’05];
● Track 03. Fabrizio Nastari – Hommik [5’44];
● Track 04. Patrick Braga – Yemanjá [5’42];
● Track 05. Codex Cambrai A410 – O Maria, maris stella / [Veritatem] [1’51];
● Track 06. Codex las Huelgas – O Maria, maris stella / [Veritatem] [1’44];
● Track 07. Codex Montpellier H 196 – O Maria, virgo davitica / O Maria, maris stella / Veritatem [1’46];
● Track 08. Marco Benetti, Ave [4’14];
● Track 09. Giovanni Albini – Ave maris stella Op. 62 [5’38];
● Track 10. Corrado Margutti – Ave maris stella [7’18];
● Track 11. Bruno Bettinelli – In paradisum [3’09].

This release contains eighteen four-minute works, written by composers from nine countries. A woodwind quartet, sometimes casually called wind quartet, is an ensemble of four woodwind instruments, or music written for four instruments. The usual scoring is flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon. The instruments in a woodwind quartet usually have different ranges that allow for rich harmonies with high and low tones. Since these four instruments are from different subgroups of the instrument family, wind quartet music has timbral variety from each instrument’s resonance. The performers are Iwona Glinka (flute, piccolo) and Trio Arundos: Konstantinos Giovanis (oboe, English horn), Grammenos Chalkias (clarinet, bass clarinet) and Ioannis Evangelatos (bassoon).
★ Naxos ★ Phasma-Music
● Track 01. Giovanni Albini, Quartetto Op. 24 No. 5 “Solo per grado congiunto” [3’53];
● Track 02. Aaron Alter – Popcorn Blues [4’24];
● Track 03. Jerome de Bromhead – Warm Crosswind [3’54];
● Track 04. Ricky Chaggar – First Encounter & Time Together [4’12];
● Track 05. James C. Danly – Idle Thoughts [4’59];
● Track 06. Lars Fetzek – Palindrome Quartet #1 [3’26];
● Track 07. Martin Lennartz – Mozart ? (koinzidentiale Musik Op. 34) [4’25];
● Track 08. Chan Wing Lun – Qiufen (Autumn equinox) [4’18];
● Track 09. Allen Molineux – Elaine’s ImitationDance [4’13];
● Track 10. Claudio Passilongo – Piccola Pastorale con Fuga [4’06];
● Track 11. Andrew Sigler – Treetops [3’33];
● Track 12. Randall Snyder – Animè [4’33];
● Track 13. José Jesus de Azevedo Souza – Combined sounds [4’16];
● Track 14. Stamatia Statherou – English Castle [4’01];
● Track 15. Alan Terricciano – Roundelay [4’23];
● Track 16. William Toutant – Bavardage [3’33];
● Track 17. Michail Travlos – Triptych [4’44];
● Track 18. Douglas Wagoner – Two Humoresques [3’20].

Anthology of Italian music for recorder ensemble from Renaissance to contemporary composers. Performers: Il Giardino delle Muse – Simone Erre (soprano and bass recorders), Valerio Febbroni (soprano and alto recorders), Benedetta Ferracin (alto and tenor recorders), Matteo Maringola (alto and tenor recorders) and Luciano Nizzoli (tenor recorder). Treviso, Studio Musica, february-september 2016. Audio recorder/editor & Art Director: Michele Della Ventura).
● Track 01. Ugo Nastrucci – Petite Suite Imaginaire; Prelude;
● Track 02. Ugo Nastrucci – Petite Suite Imaginaire; D’après Michelle;
● Track 03. Ugo Nastrucci – Petite Suite Imaginaire; Intermezzo “Aumenté”;
● Track 04. Ugo Nastrucci – Complainte (Les larmes de la june fillette);
● Track 05. Giovanni Francesco Anerio – Gagliarda XII “Vestiva i colli”;
● Track 06. Vincenzo Ruffo – Capriccio “O felici occhi miei”;
● Track 07. Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina – Ricercar del primo tuono;
● Track 08. Adriano Banchieri – Fantasia seconda;
● Track 09. Giuliano Tiburtino – Capriccio “La Sol Fa Re Mi”;
● Track 10. Boris Porena – I testardi (Die Hartnäckigen);
● Track 11. Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina – Ricercar del sesto tuono;
● Track 12. Vincenzo Ruffo – Capriccio “Hor che ‘l cielo e la terra”;
● Track 13. Gioseffo Zarlino – Bicina sul primo modo;
● Track 14. Boris Porena – Minuetto canonico (Kanonisches Menuett);
● Track 15. Alessandro Marcello – Concerto di flauti; Andante;
● Track 16. Alessandro Marcello – Concerto di flauti; Allegro;
● Track 17. Alessandro Marcello – Concerto di flauti; Presto;
● Track 18. Giovanni Albini – Quartetto Op. 24 No. 4, Canto di grigi nudi.

Guitar lovers are lucky enough to have their pick of repertoire, spanning the entire globe as well as many centuries. Never before, however, have they been able to listen to their favourite pieces all in one place – from Baroque to 20th Century, from Latin America to north Germany. This ambitious and expansive set of 40 CDs brings together a wide range of works for solo guitar guaranteed to satisfy those eager to explore repertoire both known and unknown. It includes the recording of my Corale 45, Notturno, Op. 29 in VOLUME 5 at TRACK 10. ★ Brilliant Classics ★ Spotify

The artistic project “Finito illimitato” was first staged on 23 May 2014, offering a journey through the history of the Universe from its birth to the present day. The “generating” scientific concept of this artistic event is the cuirent standard Model of the Universe, known as the Big Bang Model. It was considered that ‘Linea” by Luciano Berio could admirably and theatrically evoke the situation created in the initial phases of life of the Universe. The work “Pulse and Ligh” by Ivan Fedele is inspired by the “third phase” of the history of the Universe, when, after neutral atoms nave ormed, light begins to “travel in the dark”. The work “Terza Algebra del Tempo” by Giovanni Albini is inspired by the fourth and fifth phase in the history of the Universe: from the reation of stars and planets, to that of life and mankind. Performers: Alvise Vidolin (sound engineer), Luca Richelli (live electronics), Arrigo Axia, Paolo Parolini (percussions), Daniele Roi, Aldo Orvieto, Maria Grazia Bellocchio (piano). SIAE – Classici di Oggi. ★ Stradivarius
● Track 01. Luciano Berio – Linea;
● Track 02. Ivan Fedele – Pulse and light;
● Track 03. Giovanni Albini – Terza algebra del tempo.

With its romantic and mystical connotations, ‘night’ has long been the inspiration behind many works of art. This release presents an alternative reading of its beguiling message, detailing a selection of little-known and contemporary compositions that have all been written for guitar. Brimming with colour and expression, these miniature and highly varied evocations form a gem of a recording that is not to be passed up. The compilation is a worthy addition to the guitar enthusiast’s library, with the instrument’s subtle nuances perfectly capturing night’s enigmatic nature.
★ Brilliant Classics ★ Spotify
● Track 01. Giorgio Mirto – 3 Nocturnes; No. 1 [5’33];
● Track 02. Giorgio Mirto – 3 Nocturnes; No. 2 [4’53];
● Track 03. Giorgio Mirto – 3 Nocturnes; No. 3 [5’02];
● Track 04. Livio Torresan – Notturno [5’02];
● Track 05. Roberto Manca – Notturno No. 3 [4’14];
● Track 06. Roberto Manca – Ulisse [2’46];
● Track 07. Rosolino Di Salvo – La notte di Penelope [5’33];
● Track 08. Giorgio Signorile – Ninna nanna a Donegal [4’41];
● Track 09. Giorgio Signorile – Le colline di Karen, notturno africano [4’16];
● Track 10. Giovanni Albini – Corale #45, notturno, Op. 29 [5’37];
● Track 11. Máximo Diego Pujol – Nocturno [4’09];
● Track 12. Ángel E. Lasal – Nocturno [3’48];
● Track 13. Miklos Rozsa – Valzer Crépuscolaire [4’25];
● Track 14. Andrew York – Into Darkness [2’38].

A selection of contemporary works for classical guitar by highSCORE New Music Center members. ★ Spotify
● Track 01. Enrico De Palmas – Dualità [2’02];
● Track 02. Alberto Barberis – Vuoto che l’Eco non Colma [3’25];
● Track 03. Eugene Astapov – Lenten Music [4’00];
● Track 04. Giovanni Albini – Lacrimosa Op. 34 No. 2 [4’31];
● Track 05. Riho Esko Maimets – Aftermath [5’25];
● Track 06. Stefanie Lubkowski – Every Night I Have the Same Dream [5’10]; ● Track 07. Giorgio Mirto – II da 4 Pezzi [2’45];
● Track 08. Nicholas Omiccioli – Danza di Fuoco [2’42];
● Track 09. Paden Schmidt – The Importance of Play [3’17].

Guitar quintet, the theme of highSCORE Festival 2010, gave rise to the idea for this compilation: young composers getting to grips with the quintessential classical genre (the string quartet), and dealing with the spice added by the presence of an instrument whose origins are very distant from classical music (the electric guitar). There are numerous approaches to establishing a meaningful dialogue between these two worlds, that are so different from one another not only in terms of repertoire but also in terms of the characteristic timbres of the two instrument families. The various approaches, however, generally tend towards one of two extremes: on the one hand integrating the two sound into a single timbre, and on the other highlighting the differences, the heterogeneity and the extraneousness of the two worlds. The five pieces in this compilation explore the many subtle hues that lie along the spectrum between these two extremes, doing so in highly personal and characteristic styles that generate surprisingly rich and original results. ★ Spotify
● Track 01. Giovanni Albini – Fontane Veneziane, Corale #45 Op. 30 No. 1 [3’00];
● Track 02. Jenny Beck – One or Many Wolves [4’55];
● Track 03. Jeremy Vaughan – [Composition] for 5 [10’21];
● Track 04. Elizabeth Kennedy Bayer – Saint Quarrelsome [7’45];
● Track 05. Mark Buller – Edge [4’07].

★ Spotify ★ Apple Music
● Track 01. Amigdala [2’56];
● Track 02. Amigdala (Orchestral Breath) [3’42].

● Track 01. The Real Tuesday Weld – The Day Before You Came;
● Track 02. Flow. Experience – Fade To Grey (Dubb RMX);
● Track 03. Grand National – Rub Your Potion (Fear of Theydon Mix);
● Track 04. Tones on Tail – Lions;
● Track 05. David Motion & Sally Potter – The Maze;
● Track 06. Matt Gordon – Anne;
● Track 07. Club des Belugas – A Men’s Scene;
● Track 08. Orchestra di Piazza Vittorio – Tarareando;
● Track 09. Lindström – Gentle As A Giant;
● Track 10. Klaus Waldeck – Midsummer Night Blues;
● Track 11. Joker’s Daughter – Kyoto Song;
● Track 12. Albini – Ceccarini, Amigdala;
● Track 13. Raz Ohara & The Odd Orchestra – Where He At (Apparat Remix);
● Track 14. Five Points – End Titles;
● Track 15. Wim Mertens – Struggle For Pleasure.