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| THE INSTRUMENTS restored by Bernhard Kresse in Cologne, Germany: The prude with eight strings (built inVienna by Nikolaus Georg Ries, ca. 1840) Apart from its sometimes capricious strings, this guitar is more robust in tone. Of the recordings on this CD, it was used for the opera-like pieces of Coste. As a forerunner of the folk Viennese Schrammelgitarre – also known as a contra-guitar – it is of course also ideal for Mertz’s arrangement of Johann Strauss‘ Annenpolka. The soulful singer (Paris, ca. 1830) This sensitive instrument, full of nuances, lends itself to enraptured or elegiac pieces such as ”Love Song” and ”To Malvina” by Kaspar Joseph Mertz. Its builder, Francois Roudhloff, came from Alsace, and following his education with Breton, went to Paris where he worked together with Mauchand. He built some outstanding Amati violins and celli, but especially, beautifully ornamented guitars. The brilliant virtuoso (Lyon, ca. 1840) Lively pieces like ”Scherzo” and ”Tarantelle” by Kaspar Joseph Mertz and the guitar of Blaise Le Jeune result in an irresistible combination. Following his apprenticeship, Jule Blaise worked with Sylvestre in Lyon, and later as an independent master in Geneva. His almost excessive predilection for trout fishing was responsible for so few instruments being built. |
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