Various Composers

In music, the term folia refers to a melodic pattern derived from a very old Carnevale dance, very likely originated in Portugal. Leaving its Lusitanian origins, the so called Follia di Spagna became particularly successful thanks to its the melody and the naive simplicity of its harmony, as can be clearly heard in the many anonymous folia taken from collections dating to the early 1700's by the 
Biblioteca Nacional in Madrid. Organists and harpsichordists of various nationalities have been inspired by the Folia, but this CD focuses on its use in Italian music, in particular, from the Rome and Naples: Girolamo Frescobaldi (Ferrara, September 13th, 1583 - Roma, March 1st,  1643): PARTITE SOPRA FOLLIA and PARTITE SOPRA PASSACAGLI; Bernardo Storace (around 1637 – 1707): FOLLIA and CIACCONA, two pages of rare beauty and rarely performed; Giovanni Maria Trabaci (Montepeloso, 1575 - Naples, December 31st 1647): CONSONANZE STRAVAGANTI and PARTITE SOPRA FIDELE; Alessandro Scarlatti (Palermo, 1660 - Naples, 1725): TOCCATA PER CEMBALO D'OTTAVA  STESA (1723), VARIAZIONI SULLA FOLLIA DI SPAGNA; Bernardo Pasquini (Massa and Cozzile, December 7th 1637 – Rome, November 22nd 1710): PARTITE SOPRA LA ARIA DELLA FOLIA DE ESPAGNA, PARTITE DIVERSI DI FOLLIA and Ascanio Majone (around 1565 – 1627), Neapolitan composer and harpist: PARTITE SOPRA FIDELE. The CD includes a few exempla of anonymous works from Spain (FOLIAS, OTRAS FOLIAS, etc.) and England (THE SPANISH FOLLYE, 1685) in order to make the comparison of different cultures and times more meaningful, as well as to highlight the diversity of stylistic approaches.
The performer and composer, Ruggero Laganà,  relives the theme of madness – a splendid obsession throughout the ages of music from the West – giving a passionate, richly creative and inventive interpretation in the best Baroque tradition.

Iconography: Francisco Goya y Lucientes, Otras Leyes por el Pueblo

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