PICCOLA BANDA DI CORNAMUSE
Siamo qui a cantar la Stéla

Fy 8249

885016824921
Felmay Records
Italia

 

The enveloping sound of the bagpipes immediately evokes the spirit and the atmosphere of Christmas. La Piccola Banda di Cormanuse, made up of about ten musicians from Northern Italy and Swiss Canton Ticino, uses bagpipes of the Center of France in various sizes in a fascinating polyphonic interplay. Featuring the voice of Caterina Sangineto and the organ of Marc Novara, the album brings together arias and Christmas songs of various European origins: French noël linked to the Advent period, a Stéla from Veneto, the famous traditional Piva, piva from Bergamo, two British carols, ending with a composition by Russian Vladimir Martynov. The perfect soundtrack for Christmas festivity.

The enveloping sound of the bagpipes immediately evokes the spirit and the atmosphere of Christmas. The traditional repertoires associated with this period of the year are widely spread throughout all Europe and they are well exemplified in this album, which takes its title from a Christmas’ song from Veneto region and from the show that the group offers in the Christmas period.
Siamo qui a cantar la Stéla opens with an instrumental suite from Bourbonnais (France), melodies collected at the end of ‘800 that were part of the repertoire of the boys who went begging from home to home in the Advent period. A theme that united them to the two Italian songs in the cd : Siamo qui a cantar la Stéla , a song of the Stella's rite in Vicenza , and Piva, piva which was played in Lombardy by the "baghet" players, the bagpipe of Bergamo valleys. Also the other noël in the cd are related to Christmas begging , their texts were found in the Bibles des Noëls, publications widespread in France from the XV century with lyrics to be sung on popular arias and used by singers to gather food, wood for the fireplace and some coins. The two English carols featured in the cd are See amid the winter's snow , a sacred hymn composed at the end of ‘800 , and Halsway Carol , dedicated to the winter solstice, composed in 2011 by Nigel Eaton , a famous hurdy-gurdy player who was member of Blowzabella and a collaborator of Jimmy Page & Robert Plant and Peter Gabriel.
The album ends with Zapovedi Blazenstv (The Beatitudes) by the Russian composer Vladimir Martynov (the nine Beatiths of the Gospel according to Saint Matthew) , originally written for choir but very well suited to be performed with the bagpipes of the center France.

La Piccola Banda di Cornamuse was born in 2012 around a musical instrument that has seen a revival that goes beyond the boundaries of its region and a growing European growth: the "musette", bagpipe of the center of France. Unlike the "Highland Bagpipe", the "musette" does not have a band tradition, much less military, but it is suitable for polyphonic arrangements due to the different sizes of this instrument. La Piccola Banda di Cornamuse, composed by about ten musicians from the northwest of Italy and from Canton of Ticino (Switzerland), bases its sound on this polyphonic interplay in a repertoire ranging from the specific one of the bagpipes of center France, music from Scandinavian, Italian and English traditions, complemented by original compositions for "musette" and adaptation of songs from other musical worlds.
In Siamo qui a cantar la Stéla the polyphony of the bagpipes are embellished by the voice of Caterina Sangineto, by contribution of Marc Novara on the church organ and Hammond, by the incorporation of other popular instruments such as ocarinas, flutes, chalumeau and synthesizers played by a sequencer.