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Romanticismo Italiano (SACD)
Stefano Golinelli - Vincenzo Antonio Petrali

Romanticismo Italiano (SACD)

Quartetto Altemps

Label: Challenge Classics
Format: SACD
Barcode: 0608917200607
barcode
Catalog number: CC 720060
Releasedate: 05-06-26
- World Premiere Recording of Stefano Golinelli’s String Quartet Op. 100 No. 1 and Vincenzo Antonio Petrali’s Quartet in G major
- Rediscovering two forgotten masterpieces of Italian Romantic chamber music
- Unique encounter between two 19th century keyboard virtuosi — a celebrated pianist and a renowned organist— who turned to the string quartet as a new artistic frontier
- A compelling fusion of Italian bel canto lyricism with the structural depth of the Austro-German quartet tradition
- Based on meticulous research of original sources, manuscripts and critical editions, bringing long-unpublished works back to life
- Performed by Quartetto Altemps with a historically informed yet forward-looking approach, combining stylistic awareness with vivid interpretative energy
 
Quartetto Altemps’new album Romanticismo Italiano brings to light two extraordinary yet long-overlooked voices of nineteenth-century Italy: Stefano Golinelli and Vincenzo Antonio Petrali. Conceived as a rediscovery of “two treasures of the Italian musical heritage” that fill the apparent void of Italian chamber music of the era, this world premiere recording reveals how two towering keyboard virtuosi— a celebrated pianist and a renowned organist— embraced the string quartet, the supreme chamber genre. In Golinelli’s String Quartet Op. 100 No. 1 in B minor (1854), operatic intensity and harmonic restlessness meet the structural clarity of the Austro-German tradition, evoking echoes of Haydn, Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Schubert while retaining a distinct Italian lyric impulse.

Petrali’s Quartet in G major, presented in its 1884 revised version, reflects a mature and deeply personal synthesis: Italian cantabile warmth intertwined with contrapuntal mastery inspired by Central European models. Rooted in meticulous research of original sources and manuscripts, Quartetto Altemps approaches this repertoire with the spirit of musicians performing music of their own time — forward-looking, vibrant, and alive. The result is more than a historical reconstruction: it is a powerful artistic statement that restores these works to their rightful place, illuminating a forgotten chapter of Romantic Italy with passion, stylistic awareness, and compelling interpretative depth.