Music from the Novels of Louis Bernieres / Stephens, Ogden

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
It is unusual to make a soundtrack for a series of books, but music--particularly music for guitar and mandolin--is everywhere in the novels of Louis de Bernières. On this CD, guitarist Craig Ogden and mandolinist Alison Stephens play music that the characters in the books either play or discuss. The pieces that relate to Corelli's Mandolin include a version of Vivaldi's Concerto in C, arranged for guitar and mandolin, and an excerpt from Hummel's Concerto for Mandolin in G Major. The most interesting pieces are by Calace, Persichini, and Palumbo, three composers who wrote for the mandolin in the late 19th century. Classical mandolin was extremely popular during that period, until it was eclipsed by the guitar in the 1920s. Composers such as these wrote beautiful music that was forgotten when the public's taste in instruments changed. The South American trilogy is represented by solo guitar pieces by composers like Villa-Lobos, Barrios, Llobet, and Lauro. The only mandolin-guitar duet in this section is the charming arrangement of a folk tune called "Mis Dolencias." Ogden and Stephens are both fine musicians and they do an excellent job in playing this delightful music. --Michael Simmons

Tracks:

Concerto In C, RV 425: I Allegro
Concerto In C, RV 425: II Largo
Concerto In C, RV 425: III (Allegro)
Concerto For Mandolin In G Major: II Andante con variazioni
Grand duo concertant, Op. 85
Polcha variata
Amor si culla, Op.133
Petite Bolero
El Colibri
Choros No.1
Prelude No.1
Four Venezuelan Waltzes: 1 Allegro
Four Venezuelan Waltzes: 2 Allegro
Four Venezuelan Waltzes: 3 Allegro ritmico
Four Venezuelan Waltzes: 4 ( )
Choro da Saudade
Las Abejas
El Noi de la Mare
El Testament d'Amelia
El Mestre
Mis Dolencias
Suite Andaluza: I Soleares
Homenaje a Tarrega: II Soleares

Amazon.com

It is unusual to make a soundtrack for a series of books, but music--particularly music for guitar and mandolin--is everywhere in the novels of Louis de Bernières. On this CD, guitarist Craig Ogden and mandolinist Alison Stephens play music that the characters in the books either play or discuss. The pieces that relate to Corelli's Mandolin include a version of Vivaldi's Concerto in C, arranged for guitar and mandolin, and an excerpt from Hummel's Concerto for Mandolin in G Major. The most interesting pieces are by Calace, Persichini, and Palumbo, three composers who wrote for the mandolin in the late 19th century. Classical mandolin was extremely popular during that period, until it was eclipsed by the guitar in the 1920s. Composers such as these wrote beautiful music that was forgotten when the public's taste in instruments changed. The South American trilogy is represented by solo guitar pieces by composers like Villa-Lobos, Barrios, Llobet, and Lauro. The only mandolin-guitar duet in this section is the charming arrangement of a folk tune called "Mis Dolencias." Ogden and Stephens are both fine musicians and they do an excellent job in playing this delightful music. --Michael Simmons

Customer Reviews:

Captain Corelli comes to life!.......2000-04-12

An essential companion to "Captain Corelli's Mandolin". Hearing the music on this CD really brought parts of the story to life for me, and I feel confident that anyone who enjoyed the book will derive pleasure from this disc. Hear the polka with which Corelli impresses Pelagia and the concerto he plays to Dr Iannis (after irritating him by insisting on tapping out the orchestral introduction, played here on the guitar). All of the music is taken from or inpired by the novels of Louis de Bernieres, but it would be wrong to think that this is an album only for literary fanatics - there is a tremendous range of styles, and the listener's attention is held throughout on purely musical grounds. As someone who had never heard solo mandolin music before I was pleasantly surprised by the dynamic and tonal range the instrument produced. Alison Stephens gives a virtuoso performance of relatively unknown music which deserves a much wider audience. There is also classical guitar music (sensitively played by Craig Stephens), most with a Latin American feel, and some very succesful arrangements for guitar and mandolin (the Hummel and Vivaldi concertos), as well as some more familiar tunes. The beautiful short pieces by Perichini, Calace and Palumbo (all recorded for the first time here) are particularly worth hearing. This is a CD I have returned to over and over again, and I would recommend it unhesitatingly

Track Listings:

Track Listings

track listings

Track Listings

All Dressed Up & No Place To Go

Gardens of the Heart

Electric Mud

A Jazz Portrait of Frank Sinatra [Original recording remastered]

Genuine [Import]

Faithful [CD-single]

Echoes of an Era [Original recording remastered]

Giovanni P. da Palestrina: Canticum Canticorum Salomonis "The Song of Songs"

Directo En Arena [Import]

Complete Masterworks Recordings, 1962-1973

Fats Waller and His Rhythm: The Middle Years, Part 1 (1936-1938)

Cocinando Exitos [Import]

Dirladada Y Otros Exitos [Import]

Chicago Blues Bash

Tibetan Bells II