Lauro: Guitar Music

Poli Cappelli, Cristiano

96627

The son of two Italians, a barber and a musician, Antonio Lauro (1917-1986) was born in Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela. He began at an early age to take music lessons from his father. The family moved to Caracas, a city with many stimuli and full of opportunities and he started taking music lessons, studying piano and composition at the Academy of Music and Declamation.

It would be his encounter with the music of Agustín Barrios Mangoré, who was giving a series of concerts in Venezuela at the time, that he decided to abandon the study of the piano and violin to dedicate himself completely to the guitar, becoming an exceptional guitarist and composer. Antonio Lauro was, in 1938, the first Venezuelan to complete formal studies in classical guitar, while at the same time cultivating a career as a popular musician and performing in a trio for voice and guitars with which he toured all of South America.

Lauro was politically committed and a fervent nationalist. This inspired him to celebrate and explore his Venezuelan origins and musical heritage: he was particularly attracted to the Venezuelan Waltz form, characterized by its brilliant, rhythmic melodies and frequent use of the hemiola and changes of metre and tempo.

In 1951, Lauro was imprisoned, because of his democratic convictions, by General Marcos Pérez Jiménez, this however did not stop his composing activities, it was during his time in prison that he wrote two of his most important works: the Sonata for guitar and the famous Venezuelan Suite, followed by the Concerto for guitar and orchestra.

In his compositions for guitar Lauro aimed to unite popular Venezuelan music with complex forms of the European tradition. They are highly attractive, melodious works, full of spirit, charm and brilliant writing for the instrument.

Beautifully played by Cristiano Poli Cappelli, one of the leading Italian guitarists. He already recorded several successful albums for Brilliant Classics with music by Gangi, Tansman, Carlevaro and Castelnuovo-Tedesco.

CD x 2

Brilliant Classics

2023-03-01

5028421966274