Massonneau: 3 Duos Concertante, Op. 9 Demian Baraldi & Dylan Baraldi

• Louis Massonneau (1766 - 1848): Duet No. 1, Op. 9:
• 1 Massonneau: Duet No. 1, Op. 9: I. Allegro Vivace 08:26
• 2 Massonneau: Duet No. 1, Op. 9: II. Andante con Espressione 06:10
• 3 Massonneau: Duet No. 1, Op. 9: III. Rondo allegro Vivace 04:21
• Duet No. 2, Op. 9:
• 4 Massonneau: Duet No. 2, Op. 9: I. Allegro Moderato 08:50
• 5 Massonneau: Duet No. 2, Op. 9: II. Adagio Sostenuto 04:49
• 6 Massonneau: Duet No. 2, Op. 9: III. Andante con Variazioni 07:19
• Duet No. 3, Op. 9:
• 7 Massonneau: Duet No. 3, Op. 9: I. Allegro Moderato 08:21
• 8 Massonneau: Duet No. 3, Op. 9: II. Andante con Variazioni 05:06
• 9 Massonneau: Duet No. 3, Op. 9: III. Allegretto 02:42
• Total Runtime 56:04

Info for Massonneau: 3 Duos Concertante, Op. 9

Attractive Classical-era duets for violin and cello in world-premiere recordings by a young Italian pair of brothers.

Despite his French name, Louis Massonneau was a German composer, born in Kassel in 1766 and dying at the venerable age of 82 in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in 1848. His father was chef to the Landgrave Friedrich II of Hessen-Kassel, and Louis received his musical training at the hands of the court musicians in Kassel, soon becoming a violinist in the court orchestra. The Landgrave died when Massonneau was 19, and the orchestra disbanded, requiring him to seek his fortune elsewhere. This he did in a series of posts, as a concertmaster of court and theatre orchestras in Göttingen, Frankfurt, Altona, Dessau, Hamburg and finally Mecklenburg, where he settled for good and retired in 1837.

Composing all the while, Massonneau left behind a fairly substantial catalogue. Almost completely unknown apart from a trio of oboe quartets, it includes three symphonies, twelve symphonies and six violin concertos, doubtless written with his own talents in mind. These three Duos Concertante probably date from Massonneau’s time in Altona, when he came to know the cellist Martin Calmus. Required to perform duets for the entertainment of those attending ‘Musical Academies’, Massonneau doubtless found a dearth of such repertoire, and wrote it afresh. Calmus himself must have been an accomplished cellist, because both parts demonstrate a virtuosity and experimental spirit shared with the better-known music of their contemporary Boccherini. Each duo is cast in three movements, skilfully varied in form from the others, in which lyrical expression is tempered by a touch of irony. Haydnesque touches of major-minor ambiguity lend dramatic tension to the first duo, while a more balletic spirit and Mozartian melodic charm brings a quasi-operatic character to the second. No.3 is the most innovative in its rapid conversational interplay between violin and cello and unconventional range of timbre. Demian and Dylan Baraldi have made this recording with the cooperation of the Edition Massonneau, and authoritative booklet notes from the Edition illuminate the composer’s life and work.

Demian Baraldi, violin
Dylan Baraldi, cello

Duo Baraldi
The Baraldi brothers, Demian on violin and Dylan on cello, are building a reputation in the Italian national music scene. Winners of numerous awards and recognitions, they have been playing together since they were children. United in their musical research, they face always different repertoires with an attentive eye turned to the search for little frequented music. They recently debuted together at the Ravenna festival and have numerous concerts on international stages (Austria, Germany, China, Norway, USA, …).

Their common experience in China, their country of origin, has marked their musical research, leading them to increasingly frequent repertoire that has its roots in popular tradition. Their concerts therefore want to be a bridge and dialogue between diversity, temporal, cultural and artistic, united by the universal language, which is music.

Demian Baraldi
made his debut as a soloist with the Orchestra delle Venezie playing together with Giovanni Angeleri, with the Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto, and as a chamber musician together with Michel Dalberto at the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Chamber Hall. He also made his solo debut at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, on the occasion of the ballet school concert of the Academy of the same theater.

He graduated with Juan Carlos Rybin from the Conservatorio “Dall’Abaco” in Verona, perfecting himself at the Conservatorio “Verdi” in Milan under the guidance of Fulvio Luciani.

His solo and chamber formation is completed with his love for orchestral repertoire thanks to collaborations with prestigious youth orchestras such as the Orchestra Cherubini and the Italian Youth Orchestra. He was an Italian representative of EUYO, selected by Claudio Abbado, and has played in halls such as Royal Albert Hall, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, NCPO in Beijing, conducted by Manfred Honeck, Christoph Escenbach, Vassilij Petrenko and Vladimir Ashkenazy.

He held the role of spalla at the Accademia del Teatro alla Scala in Milan, and collaborated with orchestras such as RAI, orchestra laVerdi, Filarmonica della Scala, orchestra dell’Arena di Verona, Teatro La Fenice and Maggio Musicale Fiorentino.

His passion for contemporary music sees him participating in the Milano Musica festival and as a member of the Campus della Grafenegg Academy. His numerous chamber collaborations lead him to perform in seasons such as Festival MiTo, Festival As.Li.Co di Como, Milano Musica and Milano Classica.

He often plays in duo with his brother Dylan Baraldi, with whom he recorded an upcoming album for Brilliant Classics dedicated to French composer Louis Massonneau.

Demian Baraldi plays a 1920 Emilio Guerra violin on loan from a private collection

Also, defined by Enrico Bronzi as “a very talented instrumentalist with a spontaneous musical nature,” Dylan Baraldi (cello) graduated with Mario Finotti from the Conservatorio “Pollini” in Padua, and then perfected himself with Enrico Bronzi at the Mozarteum in Salzburg and with Marc Coppey at the Conservatoire National de Paris.

His solo concert debut took place at the age of 17 with Dvořák’s Concerto, and in his various chamber and symphonic experiences he has performed in halls such as the Philharmonie in Paris, the Teatro Filarmonico in Verona, and the Grosses Festspielhaus in Salzburg.

He has played in chamber formations with renowned soloists such as Alexander Gadjiev, Giovanni Zanon, Keigo Mukawa, Giovanni Gnocchi, Marc Coppey, and Lorenzo Pone. In 2019 he was one of two cellists selected for the EUYO Chamber Academy.

His orchestral activity has seen him collaborate with Ensemble Intercontemporain and Matthias Pintscher, Philharmonie Salzburg and Orchestra del Teatro Goldoni. In 2022 he was ranked first eligible for cello audition at Fondazione Arena di Verona and third eligible at Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI.

He taught cello in China at the FCAEC school in Dalian, twinned with the Conservatorio “Verdi” in Milan.

Dylan Baraldi plays a 1938 Arnaldo Morano cello, kindly loaned to him from a private collection.

Booklet for Massonneau: 3 Duos Concertante, Op. 9