When Ralph Paulsen Bahnsen wrote Jugoslavija in 1975, Yugoslavia was still a country and the European resurgence of interest in music for mandolin ensembles was just beginning. This lively suite in four movements is based on folk themes and rhythms from the Balkans.
The first movement alternates between lively dance tunes in Eastern European meters and soaring adagios.
L’Esperance Mandolin Ensemble was founded in 1990 to continue the tradition of mandolin in America represented by the great American mandolinists Giuseppe Pettine, William Place, Jr. and Hibbard Perry. From Folk to Baroque, our program presented at the First Unitarian Church of Providence on May 14, 2016 celebrates the marriage of folk and classical music from Baroque composer Antonio Vivaldi to Beethoven and including contemporary composers Jim Dalton and Michael Mayerfeld Bell.
Mandolin: Michael Cappelli, Virginia Child, Jack Cook, Yvette Cote, Julia Doyle-Kingsbury, Duane Golomb, Keith Higginson, Chang Lee, Viki Merrick, Ron Parker, Terry Smith
Mandola: Vincent Bucci, David Burt, Harvey Marcotte, Will Melton, Joanne Taddei, Frederick Work
Mandocello: Jess Dettmann, Alex Hatzberger, Michael Scott, Matt Snyder
Guitar: Christopher Sanzo
Mandobass: Hiatt Knapp
Percussion: Kyle Forsthoff
Musical Direction: Joshua Bell