FRANCESCO ZAPPA (1717 – 1803)
6 Duets for Violin and Cello
Duet I in B-flat
Duet II in C
Duet III in D
Duet IV in F
Duet V in G
Duet VI in E-flat
1 CD
IN THE ITALIAN MANNER ENSEMBLE
Giacomo Coletti, violin
Anna Camporini, cello
Little is known about Francesco Zappa, a Milanese cellist and composer from the mid-18th century. This recording allows us, for the first time in modern times, to appreciate the qualities of a musician who was widely and widely admired at the time. The six Duets for violin and cello, published in Paris and presented here, are characterized by a refined, salon-like colloquialism. Zappa composed them in the most classic gallant style, without ever allowing his music to descend into superficiality. On the contrary, a rich inventiveness and a sense of formal proportion reveal a composer of excellence whose unmistakable trait is the typical Italian melodiousness.
