Mauro GIULIANI - Le Bouquet Emblématique (guitar) - Christian El Khouri

This album's programme features three works for solo guitar composed by Mauro Giuliani and performed by Christian El Khouri: Giulianate Op. 148, Choix de mes fleurs chéries Op. 46, and the Cavatina Bel raggio lusinghiero from Rossini’s Semiramide. The first decades of the 19th century saw an exceptional flourishing of guitar music, following an important modification to the instrument’s structure that had taken place in the late 1700s: the addition of a sixth string to the five in use up to then. With six strings, the guitar quickly became popular all over Europe, especially in Vienna and Paris, thanks to the works of several Italian and Spanish guitarists. Among them was Mauro Giuliani, who was born near Bari in 1781. Little is known about his training years, but in 1806 he was already an accomplished artist living in Vienna, where he enjoyed friendly relationships with Beethoven, Hummel and Moscheles. Back in Italy in 1819, he failed to achieve the same success and died prematurely in Naples in 1829. In his works Giuliani skilfully merged the legacy of the Italian 18th-century instrumental tradition with the achievements of the Viennese music culture. His works are in pure classical style, but with a grace and melodic spontaneity that are typically Italian.
The collection Choix de mes Fleurs chéries, ou Le Bouquet Emblématique Op. 46 was first published in 1814 with a dedication to Monsieur Jules Giraud. This work is recorded here for the first time by Christian El Khouri. The title and nature of this collection of short morceaux caractéristiques consisting of ten pieces, each bearing the name of a flower or a plant as its title, are rather mysterious, as both the identity of the dedicatee and the symbolic references behind the flower titles are still debated.
The Giulianate Op. 148, which consists of two collections of four pieces each, was composed after the composer’s return to Italy. The very title of this work indicates that it had a very intimate and special nature, which summed up the most important aspects of his style and guitar language, by then in its full maturity. The programme on this album ends with a composition without opus number, the cavatina Bel raggio lusinghiero from Rossini’s Semiramide.
Christian El Khouri began to study guitar at a young age. After graduating from Milan’s Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory, he also earned a teacher’s diploma which led him to his current role of guitar professor at the Liceo Musicale P. Secco Suardo in Bergamo. He has achieved important successes as a soloist in several Italian and international competitions. Maestro El Khouri’s active performance schedule leads him to concertise extensively in Italy and abroad, both as a soloist as well as a member of ensembles and chamber orchestras.
CDS7855 (1 CD) - Available in physical and digital formats
Category: Instrumental
Audio Format: DDD
Recorded place and date : San Bartolomeo’s Church, Nomaglio (TO) Italy. August 2019
Notes: Italian, English
Packaging: Jewel box
Duration: 66 mins.
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