Some years ago I have found the website of the Japanese mandolin player Atsushi Fukuya and wrote about it in my blog. Yesterday again I landed on the website of Atsushi Fukuya and I have listened again to some of his recordings. On this occasion I searched for more information and I have found several videos with Atsushi Fukuya and the Quartetto Cantarella.
On the website you find the link Listen! which leads you to the recordings, including mandolin solos, mandolin and guitar and also recordings with a plucked strings quartet – the Quartetto Cantarella. The list includes well known works like the Csardasz by V. Monti, the Capriccio Spagnuolo by Carlo Munier, the Marche des Mandolinistes by Edouardo Mezzacapo, two mandolin solos by Giuseppe Pettine and a piece by Sivio Ranieri.
Since my last visit of the website new recordings have been added. Now you can find works by Claude Debussy and Reinhold Gliere and recordings with the Quartetto Cantarella. Those are very interesting recordings and I can recomment to download them.
On youtube several videos of the Quartetto Cantarella can be found.
Quartetto Cantarella
The quartet is composed of 1st mandolin, 2nd mandolin, mandola tenore and mandocello, which produces a very interesting sound. The mandocello has a full, sonorous sound which is very different to the sound of the guitar that is typically used in European mandolin quartets.
- Fukuya Atsushi – 1st mandolin
- Gotoh Yuta – 2nd mandolin
- Mine Kazuaki – mandola tenore
- Shikada Kei – mandocello
The quartet plays arrangements of compositions by Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy and modern compositions of Japanese composers.
This is the Petite Suite by Claude Debussy arranged for mandolin quartet by Atsushi Fukukya:
C. Debussy – Petite suite (カルテット・カンタレッラ)
Claude Debussy – Petite suite (Arr. Atsushi Fukuya)
played by Quartetto CantarellaQuartetto Cantarella 公式ウェブサイト
http://cantarella.fukuya-mandolin.com/
Playlist Quartetto Cantarella mit Atsushi Fukuya
The playlist starts with a set of recordings from a recent concert, these are the first works
- Maurice Ravel – Pavane pour une Infante Défunte
- Serenade von Ando Mayuko
- OBORODUKIYO for Mandolin Quartet by Toshiyuki Koseki
- Four Leaf Clover for Mandolin Quartet by Toshiyuki Koseki – four movements:
1.) Hope – Antique Sonata
2.) Honesty – Twilight Waltz
3.) Love – Madrigal
4.) Fortune – Rondo
Enjoy the Quartetto Cantarella!
Additional Information
youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/MANDOJIN/videos
Homepage Atsushi Fukuya: http://fukuya-mandolin.com/index.htm
Homepage Quartetto Cantarella: http://cantarella.fukuya-mandolin.com/
Ando Mayuko official website: http://mashroomlady.music-tbox.com/info.html)
Toshiyuki Koseki – Web Site http://music.geocities.jp/t_koseki_juraundmusik/