ZAMBONI: Lute Music [CD de audio] Yavor Genov and Zamboni

The Italian composer Giovanni Zamboni is something of a mystery to the modern listener. Very little is known about his life; Born in Rome at the end of the 17th century, he became a virtuoso on the theorbo, lute, harpsichord, guitar, mandora and mandolin, and had a parallel career as a jeweler. Several of his compositions have been lost over the years, but among his published works are a collection of four-part madrigals and a collection of solo lute music, the Sonate dintavolatura di leuto. Published in Lucca in 1718, the Sonate dintavolatura di leuto is one of the last sources of music for solo lute, written in Italian tablatures. The works contained within show the confusion between the two accepted sonata styles; those for the church (da chiesa) and those for domestic use (da camera). Many of Zamboni's lute sonatas are written in four-part sets, containing mainly dance movements. This makes the number 11 typically distinctive, as its Currante, Sarabanda and Minuet signaling a da camera purpose contrast with its opening movement, a Grave, much more characteristic of the seriousness of the da chiesa style. Bulgarian-born Yavor Ganov studied classical guitar at Sofia University, where he developed an interest in medieval, Renaissance and baroque music. He has given recitals throughout Bulgaria, as well as in the Netherlands and Sweden, and has performed with the European Union Baroque Orchestra. He previously recorded the works of Giovanni Kapsberger for Brilliant Classics (2012).