From chill to a Neapolitan mystery to Carulli to the Day of the Dead
From chill to a Neapolitan mystery to Carulli to the Day of the Dead
Robin Hill’s ‘Eclectic City’ Episode 36
Opening music: ‘Chill 22’ performed by Robin Hill from the album, ‘Standing on Air’
Hello, this is Robin Hill, and welcome to Episode 36 of ‘Eclectic City’.
The music you just heard was ‘Chill 22’ from my album, ‘Standing on Air’.
The guitar I was playing on that recording was my 1963, Manuel Reyes flamenco. Also, on that recording could be heard my mandolin, which was made in 1888 by the Neapolitan mandolin maker, Nicola Spoto.
There is quite an interesting story connected with this instrument.
I was performing a couple of concerts on board a luxury cruise ship, the Crystal Serenity. The ship was anchored in the Bay of Naples and tenders transported the passengers to nearby Sorrento. Cruise ships cannot dock in the harbour as they are too large.
I had a few days off so I thought I would explore Sorrento. I walked around its beautiful streets and suddenly came across an antique shop where my attention was riveted by a most beautiful mandolin in its original walnut case on display in the window. I stood admiring this instrument for some time and decided to go inside to enquire the price.
I took a photo of the window display and also of the street
and continued to walk around the town. Vesuvious could be seen from some of the streets and, of course, I was very close to Pompei.
I took the tender back to the ship and could not get the mandolin out of my mind. I was really really regretting not buying the instrument…
A week later I was home and could still not stop thinking about this beautiful artefact!
But I didn’t know the name of the shop or the street I only had the photographs.
I was going to be back in Naples two weeks later and wondered if I could somehow glean the name of the shop and contact them.
I managed, through Google, to find the Tourist Information email address in Sorrento. I sent them the two photographs and asked them if they could identify the shop and the street? Within an hour they replied with an email address for the shop! I sent a message saying I would like to buy the mandolin would they hold it for me for a couple of weeks when I would be back in Naples? They agreed! Sure enough two weeks later I caught the
Ferry from Naples to Sorrento and located the shop with the mandolin. I tried the instrument in the shop and immediately bought it! I had to wait about an hour for the return ferry from Sorrento to Naples so I found a very quiet park overlooking the Bay of Naples and sat on a bench taking the mandolin from its beautiful walnut case. I started to play the Largo from Vivaldi’s Concerto in D…siting there on the bench overlooking the Mediterranean…and thinking there are certainly worse jobs than this!
Here is that Largo played here on guitar!
MUSIC: Largo in D – Vivaldi…played by Robin Hill
That was the ‘Largo’ from Antonio Vivaldi’s Concerto in D originally for lute, continuo and strings played on my 1976 Miguel Rodriguez ‘Churchdoor’ guitar.
As a footnote to the mandolin story..I was again in Naples a few months later and had made a note of the workshop address in Naples of Nicola Spoto, who had made the instrument in 1888. It was Salita Pontecorvo, 34, Naples. I managed to find the street which was quite long and wide. The houses were numbered consecutively….3,4, 5 etc. it was with mounting excitement as I ascended the sloping street toward number 34….here it comes 32,33……35! Mysteriously there was no number 34! There was no gap between 33 and 35…I was thinking maybe it had been bombed in WW2..very strange…one day I hope to solve the mystery!
Talking of Naples, it was the birthplace of our next composer, Fernando Carulli who was born there in 1770. Carulli was a guitar virtuoso and singer
who, like his compatriot, Mario Giuliani, also played the cello.
Carulli composed over 400 works for solo, duo guitar and also many chamber works involving the guitar and 2 guitar concertos.
This piece is one of his best known compositions played here by myself with PW. This is Rondo in G major from an album we recorded for the BBC which was not for sale but played on BBC Radios 2,3 &4...usually
after or before the shipping forecast!
MUSIC: ‘Rondo in G’ by Fernando Carulli performed by Hill/Wiltschinsky Duo.
That was the ‘Rondo in G major’ by Fernando Carulli, or to give him his full title Ferdinando Maria Meinrado Francesco Pascale Rosario Carulli !!
Finally, I’m going to play another track from the ‘Standing on Air’ album. This is a track inspired by a visit to Mexico. This is ‘Day of the Dead’…
Thanks for listening….