1717: Memories of a Journey to Italy Scaramuccia

• Tomaso Albinoni (1671 - 1751): Albinoni. Sonata in Bb major for Pisendel:
• 1Albinoni: Sonata in Bb major for Pisendel. I Adaggio02:41
• 2Albinoni: Sonata in Bb major for Pisendel. II Allegro03:27
• 3Albinoni: Sonata in Bb major for Pisendel. III Adagio02:20
• 4Albinoni: Sonata in Bb major for Pisendel. IV Allegro02:54
• Giuseppe Tanfani: Tanfani. Sonata in D majo:
• 5Tanfani: Sonata in D major. I Largo02:41
• 6Tanfani: Sonata in D major. II Allegro01:44
• 7Tanfani: Sonata in D major. III Larghetto01:58
• 8Tanfani: Sonata in D major. IV Tempo Giusto03:12
• Giuseppe Valentini (1681 - 1753): Valentini. Sonata in A major "La Montanari":
• 9Valentini: Sonata in A major "La Montanari". I Preludio. Adagio03:40
• 10Valentini: Sonata in A major "La Montanari". II Allemanda, Allegro01:59
• 11Valentini: Sonata in A major "La Montanari". III Largo03:05
• 12Valentini: Sonata in A major "La Montanari". IV Giga. Vivace affettuoso03:19
• 13Valentini: Sonata in A major "La Montanari". V Minuè01:20
• Antonio Maria Montanari (1676 - 1737): Montanari. Sonata in E minor:
• 14Montanari: Sonata in E minor. I Largo02:06
• 15Montanari: Sonata in E minor. II [Whitout indication]02:34
• 16Montanari: Sonata in E minor. III [Whitout indication]03:59
• Johann Georg Pisendel (1687 - 1755): Pisendel. Sonata in E major:
• 17Pisendel: Sonata in E major. I Largo02:05
• 18Pisendel: Sonata in E major. II Allegro ma non tanto02:07
• 19Pisendel: Sonata in E major. III Largo02:20
• 20Pisendel: Sonata in E major. IV Allegro assai01:45
• Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (1678 - 1741): Vivaldi. Sonata in G major for Pisendel, RV 25:
• 21Vivaldi: Sonata in G major for Pisendel, RV 25. I03:36
• 22Vivaldi: Sonata in G major for Pisendel, RV 25. II Grave (Pisendel)02:55
• 23Vivaldi: Sonata in G major for Pisendel, RV 25. III04:23
• Total Runtime01:02:10

Info for 1717: Memories of a Journey to Italy

Imagine that you have the opportunity to fill your suitcase with the best music of your time. What would you take and what would you leave? Remember you do not have room for everything and you have to choose! This is more or less what happened to Pisendel (the concertmaster of the Dresden orchestra and one of the greatest virtuosos of his era) during his trip to Italy in 1717. For almost a year the young Pisendel toured Italy and met the greatest masters of his time, and throughout his sojourn, he collected the best compositions he could find and filled his suitcase with them. Incidentally, he was forced to use a smaller type of paper, taking up less space in his suitcase and allowing him to transport more musical treasures to Dresden.

But there is more than just music behind these pieces: they tell of of a personal and intimate journey. In the Suonata à Solo fatto per Maestro Pisendel Del Vivaldi, Vivaldi left empty space for Pisendel to complete the sonata with a movement of his own. In a mysterious sonata by Valentini, an autograph dedicated not to Pisendel but to Montanari (who was Pisendel’s teacher). How this valuable and personal score ended up in Pisendel’s hands is a mystery.

In addition, we have the exciting presentation of two world premiere recordings: a sonata by Pisendel that contains modifications by Montanari, and a sonata by Giuseppe Maria Fanfani that has not been performed since the eighteenth century.

“Pisendel’s journey through Italy is a story that deserves and has yet to be told” (Prof. Michael Talbot)

1717. Memories of a Journey to Italy: Scaramuccia on Pisendel footsteps: Scaramuccia, an international Early Music ensemble based in The Netherlands, looks at Pisendel’s fascinating travel to Italy in their second album: 1717. Memories of a Journey to Italy.

Johann Georg Pisendel was the concertmaster of the Dresden orchestra and one of the greatest virtuosi of the 18th century. In 1717, soon after starting to work at the court, the young Pisendel joined the Elector Prince tour through Italy and met the greatest masters of his time. Throughout his sojourn, he collected the best compositions he could find and filled his suitcase with them. These manuscripts, written by great masters such as Vivaldi, Albinoni and Valentini, – which whom he had the privilege of learning with and befriend during that trip – became part of his music collection, the so-called Schrank II. This archive, one of the most important and unique in Europe, has miraculously survived several bombings throughout history. In 1896, after more than a hundred years of oblivion, it was discovered and transferred to the SLUB (Die Sächsische Landesbibliothek – Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek), where it is preserved today.

This production has been acclaimed by reviewers all over the world: "La connaissance indéniable que Javier Lupiáñeza de ce répertoire lui permet une liberté et une autorité remarquables dans son approche : agile, créatif, inspiré, il fait magnifiquement goûter les milles saveurs de ces partitions qui, vues sur leurs deux pentagrammes, cachent souvent leurs mystères. Ses complices de Scaramuccia – Inés Salinas au violoncelle et Patrícia Vintém au clavecin – l’accompagnent avec énergie, fantaisie et finesse." Olivier Fourés, Diapason, March 2021 “Fascinating CD. […] “They are technically outstanding and balanced with rare sensitivity”. Brian Robins, Early Music Review “Fresh and vivid performances in a natural lifelike sound quality.” Pizzicato, 11 Nov. 2018 “Javier Lupiáñez’s enthusiastic violin playing in the Largo, Allegro and Tempo Giusto is first class.” Michael Schwartz, The Whole Note. In 2019 the album received a nomination for the ICMA awards as best baroque instrumental music recording.

This album is the first of a large project called “The Cabinet II Project”, in which Scaramuccia delves on the legacy of the Schrank II. It was launched with the ensemble’s own recording label: Snakewood Editions. The second album of the series, “Pisendel. Neue Sonaten”, has been released on 1 December 2020.

Ensemble Scaramuccia:
Javier Lupiañez, violin, direction
Inés Salinas, violoncello
Patrícia Vintém, harpsichord

Ensemble Scaramuccia
was founded on the initiative of the violinist and musicologist Javier Lupiáñez. It debuted at the fringes of Bruges and Utrecht festivals in the summer of 2013 and met with a very positive reception from the audiences and organizers. Since then, the ensemble has gained reputation within the European Early Music scene, often praised for its uniqueness. Among other festivals and venues, Scaramuccia has performed at Internationaal Kamermuziek Festival Utrecht – Janine Jansen and Friends, Kasteelconcerten and Musica Antica da Camera (The Netherlands), Fora do Lugar, Encontros de Música Antiga de Loulé Francisco Rosado and Sente a História (Portugal), Festival Internacional de Arte Sacro de Madrid and Teatro Kursaal de Melilla (Spain), Museum Vleeshuis and Philarmonie de Namur (Belgium), Maldon Festival of Arts (United Kingdom) as well as Festival Echi Lontani (Italy).

In its zeal to discover new music, Scaramuccia had the privilege of being the first ensemble to have attributed the RV 820 and the RV 205/2 to Vivaldi and performing both pieces as a world première in an interview and a live concert broadcast in the programme De Musyck Kamer of the Dutch radio station Concertzender in the summer of 2014. These works, together with other lately-discovered pieces by Vivaldi for violin and basso continuo, were recorded for Ayros in 2015 as part of the ensemble’s first album.

Scaramuccia was awarded the Audience Prize in the Göttinger Reihe Historischer Musik 2015/2016 competition.

The ensemble is currently working on “The Cabinet II Project”, which will take the Listeners on a journey to Dresden, following the footsteps of the great Konzertmeister Johann Georg Pisendel and rediscovering his manuscripts preserved in Schrank II. The project includes a broad range of elements, such as unearthing the musical works, live performances, publishing sheet music and musicological texts as well as CD recordings.

1717. Memories of a Journey to Italy, released in 2018, is the first disc of the series. It has been acclaimed by reviewers all over Europe and nominated for the 2019 ICMA Awards. The second album of the series, Pisendel. Neue Sonaten, has been released in winter 2020. Both albums were launched with the ensemble’s own recording label: Snakewood Editions.

Booklet for 1717: Memories of a Journey to Italy