Happy Birthday - Raffaele Calace

[Scott Tichenor]

Born this day in 1863.

[Scott Tichenor]

This Alon Sariel performance seems fitting.

[damonbourne]

Just an FYI, Alon is joined in that video by the very talented and lovely Francesca Ghilione.

[vkioulaphides]

"This Alon Sariel performance seems fitting."

Thank you, Scott! Indeed, not only is this spectacular performance PERFECTLY fitting for the occasion of Calace's birthday; it is also a heart-warming reminder of what wonderful music-making is possible on the mandolin, why we all love it so much. Thanks again!

Cheers,

Victor

[Jim Garber]

Happy birthday, RC! 145 and going strong! I will play a little Piccola Gavotta tonight when I get home.

[Alex Timmerman]

Hi all,

Congrats indeed to Raffaele Calace!

Till today I never realized that I share the same December date of birth with the great Italian Maestro (thanks Scott!)

Fun!


Alex

[Alex Timmerman]

Let's celebrate him with a nice Mazurka of his hand:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuSNdxTxGcI


Greetings,

Alex

[vkioulaphides]

LOVELY! Thank you, Alex.

The older I get *ekhm* the more convinced I become that the essence of interpretation is timing. No, I do not mean simply, crudely, arithmetically tempo; if that were the case, ANYone could be a master interpreter, provided a nifty electronic metronome. What I DO mean is the pacing of events, the way one musical event leads to the next.

Wagner once wrote that "the art of composition is the art of transition". I would second his view, adding that the art of interpretation is the art of making those transitions the composer wrote in the score. There is, of course, not just ONE "right" way of doing so, but there are —how should one put it diplomatically?— more, and less felicitous outcomes.

(Easier said than done... I'm sure we've all heard hapless performances, where the music fizzles out and DIES between musical events, or when they seem to follow each other in a scrambled, haphazard manner; worse yet, those where the conductor's inflated ego DELIBERATELY distorts the composer's express directions, "re-interpreting" the work in his Infinite Wisdom. )

This performance of Het Consort was sheer pleasure. I will surely have to come back to it time and time again. I also add that part of that great pleasure is due to seeing those bright, sunny faces of dear friends again.

Cheers,

Victor

[Richard Walz]

I don't know the piece played by Sariel, very much classic Calace and very well played. Thanks Scott! It would be great to hear him in a normal acoustic some day.

Happy belated birthday to Alex!

[Alex Timmerman]

Hello Victor,

Thanks for your nice reply and explanation of what Music is all about.
Indeed timing is a most essential part of music making. Perhaps even the most important after being able to actually play the notes and enjoy the music story the composer wrote (either alone or with others) while playing the composition. Once a performer, music group or a condutor with his, or her, ensemble/orchestra are able to occupy themselves with timing and with the desire to tell the music story to the audience, ART comes in. That should be the ultimate goal. At least that is what it is for us.


And thanks to you Richard!

I agree compleately with you; Alon Sariel is a wonderful and excellent performer. And a very sensitive one too! You can feel that when watching the video Scott attached here.
But also when working together with Alon one feels his great commitment to the mandolin and desire to raise the instrument to a higher level of appreciation. Last month Alon visited us in Zwolle and we were fortunate to work with him on some compositions for mandolin orchestra. He has an open mind and fresh ideas. It was a very memorable time we shared.
Besides being a mandolinist, Alon is a graduated lutenist as well and - as if that's not enough - he just started (or wanted to start) a study for to become a conducter.
Next to this all - and this is something you and I like very much - Alon also has a great interest in the history of the mandolin in general and likes to play several kinds of mandolin types. That is gut- and metal strung ones. So I am sure we will hear more from him in the future!


Cheers,

Alex.

[Plamen Ivanov]

Congrats to Mr. Calace and happy belated birthday to Alex! If i remember well, there is another well respected member of the Cafe, who had his birthday two or three days ago. So, my best wishes go to Eugene as well!

The Polonese Op. 36 is one of my favourite Calace pieces! And it is in fact the first Calace work that i heard. So, for me Scott's choice for celebrating Calace's birthday is actually the most appropriate choice for the purpose.

I have several recordings of The Polonese and i should admit that Alon Sariel's live performance is excellent! There is just something in those israeli flatbacks, that i cannot define and that doesn't make them bad, but may be a bowlback (even not a Calace) would be more suitable for performing that piece... Anyway, absolutely great performance!

Best,
Plamen

[vkioulaphides]

Happy New Year to you, too, Plamen!

Indeed, I was tempted to say something to that same effect myself, but feared I would be clobbered to death with some of those heavy, F-style cases. It is the performance, of course, that counts, so I will hold my tongue on matters related to instrument of choice. Alon could sound like a genius even if he played on a cigar-box strung with shoelaces.

In a fantastically "global" coincidence, I spent my New Year's Eve playing an instrument I "inherited", so to speak, that Alon performed on while joining La Napolitaine on their tour of Japan last spring. I am sure that, had he wished to hold on to it after it had been on loan to him, the ever gracious previous owner would have consented. But he didn't— I will never know the reasons, nor will I ever ask. So... that wonderful mandolin is now in my hands, warming my heart each and every day. Who am I to argue matters of taste?

Cheers to one and all,

Victor

[atetone]

Well, I don't know anything about the music of Raphaele Calace but I did recently find one of his Mandolyras.
It is damaged but quite a nice find. Very interesting construction.
I have not yet decided how I am going to go about getting it repaired.

[atetone]

I have all of the parts and pieces including a very ratty old case which I think is original.

[Bruce Clausen]

Beauty, Tony! It's yours? That damage had to hurt! It would be great to see it brought back to life. Keep us posted. And yes, I'd say you have a genuine original mandolyra case there.

Bruce

[atetone]

Yes Bruce, it is mine. I found it just around the corner from you in Langley a while ago.
I am not quite sure what I am going to do with it yet.
The damage was already done before I acquired it.
I need to do some research on it to find out what kind of demand there is for these versus repair costs etc...
It is nice though.
2 good readable labels in it. Built in 1897.

[atetone]

Oops, obviously I don't know how to spell his name either.
Apologies to all Calace enthusiasts.

[Matt Vuksinich]

Calace mandoliras CAN be superb instruments! Lorenzo Andrini, a competitor/contemporary of David Apollon, played one as his main instrument (on stage and at home)--I had the fortune of meeting him in 1972, and had always thought of this as the holy grail of bowlback mandolins. His son refuses to sell it for any amount, but allowed me to use it at the San Francisco Festival of the Mandolins a few yrs ago, when we played the tune he wrote for it ("Mandolira," of course); after 30 yrs of neglect, it was still sublime. I believe this was a 1904 model; he also had an 1896, with which I was not at all impressed. My brother owns two, neither of which is particularly memorable except for historical appeal. I was lucky enough to recently acquire an 1898, which is sublime.

Traditional wisdom is that the "horns" of the lyre really don't add anything sonically; I can't vouch for this, other than to note that I prefer mine to my 1906 "standard" Calace mandolin. As you can see from photos, the aluminum struts extending from the upper neck or peghead to the horns was for neck stability, since it does have a very extended (and usable! ) fingerboard. Interestingly, some of these models did not have this.

If I can figure out the mechanics, I'm trying to attach photos. The one with the ugly guy is me playing Lorenzo's; the two on a brown leather sofa are of mine; the professional shot is Elderly's, of one of my brother's; and the last is of Lorenzo and his brother Frank.

Suffice it to say, I'm a big fan of the mandolira, tho my vast personal experience consists of only 6. As far as market value: I'd guess probably around $4500-5000 for one without the extensive repair Atetone's requires--I base this on knowledge of what an extraordinary Calace of that era fetches, plus extra for the rarity. I note that Fine Instruments had one listed online for $7000 for a couple yrs--don't know what it sold for, but was no longer listed last fall. SO, by all means, have it repaired, Atetone--I think you'll be impressed.

[Matt Vuksinich]

Let's see if the photos attached THIS time

[Bruce Clausen]

Great info. Thank you, Matt. The photo of Lorenzo and Frank is terrific. And if you've played on six of these, you're probably one of the leading experts.

BC

[Matt Vuksinich]

While I'm at it, here are some pics, from Bernunzio, of a 1904 Turturro mandolira I purchased a few yrs back, when I had despaired of ever finding a Calace. Tone and playability of this one are not even close to the Calace, but it was an adequate temporary consolation prize.

[atetone]

Thanks for the info Matt.
Very good.
Nice pictures too.
I am not sure if I will end up keeping my mandolyra or not,,,, probably not really my style but I had to pick it up once I stumbled across it.
I have to decide how I am going to go about getting it fixed first.
I was in contact with an Italian gentleman but I am a bit hesitant about sending it to Italy for repairs. I will have to think about that.
He sort of made me a cash "as is" offer but it was pretty low I think.
I would probably be better off to get it put right and then go from there.
Thanks again for the info,,, very helpful.

[gluca]

Good morning to all of you,
sorry for my English, I'm Italian and I live in Rome.
I was looking in the web to take informations about the old mandolin given to me when I was child, by an aunt of mine.
Unfortunately I'm not able to play nothing,
and at the end, the instrument is closed in its box that sometime I open just to see how much it is beautiful...

it seems the mandolin that are you talking about..
see the attached pictures, waiting your comments.

ciao
Gianluca

[atetone]

Hi Gluca, yes your mandolira looks like a very good example.
It appears to be in very good condition.
The Calace shop still exists in Napoli and they are still producing lots of mandolins.
Maybe you could contact them and get some more information.

[gluca]

Thank you for the suggestion.
I will make a trip in Naples and have a look at the Calace store,
will take my mandolira with me so it will come back in the place were it was born 102 years ago.

regards
Gianluca