La Passione

Recording information: Angel Studios, London.

Alfie Boe, Alfred Giovanni Roncalli Boe, is not Italian or Scandinavian, but an English crossover tenor. He has made numerous appearances in English opera and musical theater, and released various mostly pop albums. The field of recordings of Neapolitan song is crowded, and there was no real reason for him to enter it except that he does them superbly; for those in search of an introduction to this repertory, which was most popular in Italy and America but had international reach, you can hardly do better. Boe's voice has the perfect dimensions for the music, with a big top that feels organic rather than artificial. In the more operatic pieces such as Lucio Dalla's Caruso (an imagining of Caruso's last days), earlier recorded by Luciano Pavarotti and even by Joan Baez, he has plenty of power, but he transitions easily to jokey fare like Funiculì, Funiculà (for which Richard Strauss, and presumably his estate, had to pay royalties at each performance of Aus Italien), and to an almost crooned sound in some of the quieter pieces. The variety in itself is another of the album's strengths; Neapolitan songs require a good interpreter and a coherent program to come alive, and there are too many recordings that fall into the sameness trap. Not here; this album is lively, beautifully executed, and in every way evocative of what these semipopular artifacts of southern Italy are all about. Translations of the texts in the booklet (especially for a song like Caruso, which has a very specific narration) might have been helpful. But Boe's career took off after the 2007 release of this album, and it will give you a very good idea of what the fuss is about. ~James Manheim

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Works Details

Dalla, Lucio : Caruso

Performers: Stephanie Gonley (Violin); John Parricelli (Mandolin); Mauro Domenico (Guitar); Matteo Saggese (Piano); Alfie Bo; Mauro Domenico (Bouzouki); Nigel Hopkins (Accordion); Alfonso Deidda
Conductor: Valeriano Chiaravalle
Running Time: 4 min. 18 sec.
Period Time: Contemporary
Form: Vocal
Written: 1989

Curtis, Ernesto de : Torna a Surriento

Performers: Alfie Bo; Nigel Hopkins (Accordion); Alfonso Deidda; John Parricelli (Mandolin); Mauro Domenico (Bouzouki); Chris Cameron (Piano); Stephanie Gonley (Violin); Mauro Domenico (Guitar)
Conductor: Valeriano Chiaravalle
Running Time: 3 min. 35 sec.
Period Time: Post Romantic
Written: 1902

Denza, Luigi : Funiculì Funiculà, for voice & orchestra (& chorus ad lib)

Performers: Alfie Bo; Nigel Hopkins (Accordion); Mauro Domenico (Bouzouki); Mauro Domenico (Guitar); Alfonso Deidda; Stephanie Gonley (Violin); John Parricelli (Mandolin)
Conductor: Valeriano Chiaravalle
Running Time: 2 min. 42 sec.
Period Time: Post Romantic
Written: 1880

Tosti, Francesco Paolo : 'A vucchella

Performers: Mauro Domenico (Bouzouki); Mauro Domenico (Guitar); Nigel Hopkins (Accordion); Alfonso Deidda; Stephanie Gonley (Violin); John Parricelli (Mandolin); Alfie Bo
Conductor: Valeriano Chiaravalle
Running Time: 2 min. 45 sec.
Period Time: Romantic
Written: 1907

Capua, Eduardo di : O sole mio

Performers: Mauro Domenico (Bouzouki); Mauro Domenico (Guitar); Nigel Hopkins (Accordion); Stephanie Gonley (Violin); John Parricelli (Mandolin); Alfonso Deidda; Alfie Bo
Conductor: Valeriano Chiaravalle
Running Time: 3 min. 11 sec.
Period Time: Post Romantic
Form: Vocal
Written: circa 1900

Valente, Vincenzo : Passione for voice & orchestra

Performers: Alfie Bo; Nigel Hopkins (Accordion); Stephanie Gonley (Violin); John Parricelli (Mandolin); Alfonso Deidda; Mauro Domenico (Guitar); Mauro Domenico (Bouzouki)
Conductor: Valeriano Chiaravalle
Running Time: 3 min. 41 sec.
Period Time: Post Romantic

Lara, Agustín : Granada

Performers: Mauro Domenico (Bouzouki); Mauro Domenico (Guitar); John Parricelli (Mandolin); Stephanie Gonley (Violin); Alfonso Deidda; Nigel Hopkins (Accordion); Alfie Bo
Conductor: Valeriano Chiaravalle
Running Time: 3 min. 33 sec.
Period Time: Modern
Form: Vocal
Written: 1932

Bixio, Cesare Andrea : Parlami d'amore, Mariù for voice & orchestra

Performers: Nigel Hopkins (Accordion); Alfonso Deidda; John Parricelli (Mandolin); Stephanie Gonley (Violin); Mauro Domenico (Guitar); Mauro Domenico (Bouzouki); Alfie Bo
Conductor: Valeriano Chiaravalle
Running Time: 2 min. 53 sec.
Period Time: Post Romantic
Form: Vocal
Written: 1932

Tosti, Francesco Paolo : A Marechiare

Performers: Alfie Bo; Alfonso Deidda; John Parricelli (Mandolin); Stephanie Gonley (Violin); Nigel Hopkins (Accordion); Mauro Domenico (Bouzouki); Mauro Domenico (Guitar)
Conductor: Valeriano Chiaravalle
Running Time: 3 min. 16 sec.
Period Time: Romantic
Form: Vocal
Written: circa 1870-1915

Cottrau, Teodoro : Santa Lucia

Performers: Mauro Domenico (Guitar); Matteo Saggese (Piano); Mauro Domenico (Bouzouki); Alfie Bo; Nigel Hopkins (Accordion); Stephanie Gonley (Violin); Alfonso Deidda; John Parricelli (Mandolin)
Conductor: Valeriano Chiaravalle
Running Time: 4 min. 21 sec.
Period Time: Romantic
Written: circa 1860

Lazzaro, Eldo di : Chitarra romana, song for voice & orchestra

Performers: Mauro Domenico (Guitar); Mauro Domenico (Bouzouki); Nigel Hopkins (Accordion); Alfonso Deidda; Alfie Bo; John Parricelli (Mandolin); Stephanie Gonley (Violin)
Conductor: Valeriano Chiaravalle
Running Time: 2 min. 24 sec.
Period Time: Modern
Form: Vocal
Written: circa 1920-1950

Capua, Eduardo di : Ah! Maria, Marì, song for voice & piano (or orchestra)

Performers: Alfie Bo; Stephanie Gonley (Violin); John Parricelli (Mandolin); Mauro Domenico (Guitar); Mauro Domenico (Bouzouki); Alfonso Deidda; Nigel Hopkins (Accordion)
Conductor: Valeriano Chiaravalle
Running Time: 3 min. 9 sec.
Period Time: Post Romantic
Form: Vocal
Written: circa 1890

Barberis, Alberto : Munasterio 'e Santa-Chiara (The Monastery at Santa Chiara), song

Performers: Alfie Bo; Nigel Hopkins (Accordion); Mauro Domenico (Guitar); John Parricelli (Mandolin); Stephanie Gonley (Violin); Alfonso Deidda; Mauro Domenico (Bouzouki)
Conductor: Valeriano Chiaravalle
Running Time: 4 min. 13 sec.
Period Time: Romantic

Leoncavallo, Ruggero : Mattinata

Performers: Mauro Domenico (Guitar); Stephanie Gonley (Violin); Nigel Hopkins (Accordion); Alfonso Deidda; John Parricelli (Mandolin); Alfie Bo; Mauro Domenico (Bouzouki)
Conductor: Valeriano Chiaravalle
Running Time: 2 min. 10 sec.
Period Time: Post Romantic
Form: Vocal
Written: 1904

Traditional, Italian : Fenesta che (ca) lucive

Performers: John Parricelli (Mandolin); Alfonso Deidda; Stephanie Gonley (Violin); Alfie Bo; Matteo Saggese (Piano); Mauro Domenico (Bouzouki); Mauro Domenico (Guitar); Nigel Hopkins (Accordion)
Conductor: Valeriano Chiaravalle
Running Time: 2 min. 51 sec.
Period Time: Romantic
Form: Vocal
Written: by 1835

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