KOCHI: There was hardly anyone who wasn’t tapping their feet, patting thair hands or nodding their heads rhythmically at Museum of Kerala History on Sunday evening. The Italian duo comprising Carlo Aonzo on the mandolin and Lorenzo Bernardi on classical guitar strummed their instruments taking the audience on a mesmerising journey across Italy’s classical musical traditions, its masters and regions. The intimate concert held in association with Italian Institute of Culture was part of the Madhavan Nayar Foundation’s initiative to introduce world music to Kochiites under the banner ‘Beyond Kochi Sounds’.
The duo who collaborated for the first time about a year ago at Los Angeles, US is on its maiden tour of India with shows in Delhi, Bengaluru, Goa and Kolkata.Considered Italy’s foremost mandolinist and a tutor, Carlo started learning the instrument when he was just nine years old from his father. “My father used to play the mandolin whenever there were guests at home. He taught me and my sister. As soon as we learnt a tune, we would teach other kids in the neighbourhood so my house would be packed in the afternoons,” says the 53-year-old who worked as a firefighter for 25 years in his native port city of Savona before taking up music full-time.
Lorenzo, 26, started learning guitar as part of music classes when he was in secondary school. Fascinated by the music bands in his village near Trento in northern Italy, Lorenzo joined a rock band as an electric guitarist. “One day my music teacher brought the classical guitar which has nylon strings and played a composition. The mellow and intimate notes captivated me and I decided to switch to the classical version,” says Lorenzo who is on his second trip to India, after performing in the northeast last time.
The hour-long performance titled ‘A Trip to Italy’, saw Carlo taking the lead on the mandolin, introducing the little known instrument to the audience and elucidating its prominence as a symbol of Italian music tradition. Hypnotic, breezy, passionate, sombre and melodic, the various renditions spanned musical styles starting with the Baroque era of the early 1800s and concluding with popular contemporary pieces.
While one segment included a serenade of a young lover from the classical tradition, the other is a passionate opera recital composed by the legendary Pietro Mascagni. “Mandolin is a versatile instrument. It was a part of classical orchestra performances attended by aristocrats and at the same time was played in piazzas (public square or marketplace) and cafes. While a guitar has six single strings, a mandolin has four double strings. A mandolinist uses a pick to strum as the strings are made of iron. Also, the range of the mandolin is higher than the classical guitar,” adds Carlo.