Alfredo d'Ambrosio (1871-1914)
Sérénade, op. 4 "A M. P. Decourcelle"
Canzonetta, op. 6 "A Eugène Gandolfo"
Romance, op. 9 "A Carlo Germano"
Mazurka, op. 11 "A Pablo de Sarasate"
Strimpellata, op. 12 "A Hugo Heermann"
Cavatina, op. 13 "A Jaroslaw Kocian"
Sicilienne, op. 14
Berceuse, op. 15 "A Mireille"
Novellette n° 1, op. 16
Novellette n° 2, op. 20
Aubade, op. 17
Rêverie, op. 18 "A Mlle Jeanne Vautier"
Feuille d’album, op. 21
Aria, op. 22 "A Jan Kubelík"
Arietta, op.23
Orientale, op. 24 "A Jacques Thibaud"
Introduction et Humoresque, op. 25 "A Edie Reynolds"
Madrigal, op. 26
Romance, op. 27 "A Joseph Debroux"
Deuxième Canzonetta, op. 28
Berceuse, op. 30
Caprice-Sérénade, op. 31 "A August Wilhelmj"
Sonnet allègre, op. 35 n° 1
Nocturne, op. 35 n° 2
Chanson napolitaine, op. 37 n° 1
Mélancolie, op. 37 n° 2
Valse, op. 37 n° 3
Aveu, op. 38 n° 1 "A Achille Simonetti"
Le Rouet, op. 38 n° 2 "A Ernesto Centola"
Ballade, op. 39 "A Vittorio Monti"
Serenata, op. 40
Burlesque, op. 43
Racconto, op. 44
Tarentelle napolitaine, op. 45
Elégie, op. 46
Troisième Canzonetta, op. 47 "A Mlle Suzanne Decourcelle"
Idylle, op. 48 "A Mr Georges de Franco de Almodovar"
Serenatella, op. 50 "A Fernand Monge"
Aubade, op. 53 "A Mario Frosali"
Napoli-Sérénade, op. 54 "A G. Bonincontro"
Intermède Louis XV, op. 55
Ariette, op. 56
À ton reveil
Souvenance

Gran Duo Italiano

Mauro Tortorelli, violon
Angela Meluso, piano

Quelques élèves violonistes reconnaîtront un morceau ou l’autre de ce triple cd, pour l’avoir travaillé, mais le nom de D’Ambrosio ne fera pas plus. Mort en 1914 âgé de 43 ans, essentiellement pédagogue du violon, il a surtout écrit pour son instrument, outre les duos de ce coffret, deux concertos, un quatuor à cordes, mais aussi un opéra et un ballet. Il a perfectionné son jeu de violon auprès de Pablo de Sarasate, puis d’August Wilhelmj, a côtoyé nombre de virtuoses de son temps, qui ont joué ses concertos aussi bien que les pièces du présent enregistrement. La plupart d’entre eux sont dédicataires des ces miniatures sonores, charmantes et délicates, drôles ou enjouées, mais parfois aussi évocatrices de l’Espagne ou de l’Italie. Les deux interprètes font merveille dans ce répertoire, qu’ils défendent avec conviction, par un style de jeu parfaitement approprié, c’est-à-dire raffiné et sans ostentation aucune. On se retrouve assez vite dans le salon de Madame Verdurin, on voit les auditeurs paupières fermées, goûter cette musique tranquille et suave, éveillant chez chacun des souvenirs personnels variés. (Lothaire Mabru)

Charming salon miniatures by a Neapolitan master of the musical postcard. Alfredo d’Ambrosio (1871-1914) was born in Naples and perhaps became a student of Marco Enrico Bossi, but he made his career around the turn of the last century once he moved to France. As the composer of small- and large-scale works for the violin that were premiered and performed by virtuoso soloists of the day, published internationally and appealing in different forms to both amateur and professional musicians, D’Ambrosio enjoyed a measure of fame that seems rapidly to have waned after his death, at the early age of 43. The present album has the field to itself (for now) in attempting a complementary survey of D’Ambrosio’s work as a salon musician. D’Ambrosio wrote a violin concerto, premiered in Berlin, and an opera, first heard in Nice in 1903, but his slender claim to fame rests on the album leaves recorded here, in which he records his friendship and esteem for distinguished colleagues. Aside from his publisher Decourcelle and his daughter Suzanne, D’Ambrosio pays tribute to the friendship of fellow violinists such as August Wilhelmj, Jacques Thibaud and Jan Kubelík. Then there is a trio of fellow violinist-composers, the best known of whom is Vittorio Monti (author of the Csardas which remains popular encore fare). There are elegies, canzonettas, ariettas, serenatas and romanzas, most of them just a minute or two in length, all written to be enjoyed equally by the musicians, the dedicatee and by their audience. They are revived here with native flair by the Gran Duo Italiano, who have made a series of acclaimed albums for Brilliant Classics, including the sonatas of Saint-Saens (94848) and the music of other lesser-known late-Romantic Italian contemporaries such as Santoliquido (96589) and Scalero (96160).