Raffaele La Ragione - Mandolin on Stage - BBC Music Magazine

This disc spotlights the mandolin, not as the tremulous instrument used to accompany Neapolitan songs but as a major protagonist that inspired works by some of Europe’s leading Baroque and Classical composers. The four concertos featured here – by Paisiello, Lecce, Vivaldi and Hummel – demonstrate the mandolin’s ‘spirit, musicality and virtuosity’ as its popularity spread from Naples to Venice to Austria. Its chameleon colours are highlighted here by the use of three different types of mandolin.