FRANCO DONATONI (1927-2000): Algo IV for Guitar and 12 Instruments, Poll for 13 Players, Refrain IV for Mandolin, Guitar, Harp, Celesta, Piano, Vibraphone and Marimba, About for Violin, Viola and Guitar, Al for Mandolin, Mandola and Guitar, Small II for Flute, Viola and Harp, Algo for Guitar.

Description: These chamber works from the last two decades of Donatoni's career exhibit the restless inventiveness characteristic of his later works. Based on small cells of material in constant transformation, the works achieve a sense of continuity and continuously evolving argument. Algo IV and Refrain IV, both late works, share a remarkably youthful playfulness in the almost frantically active manner in which material (in the case of Refrain IV, largely scalar gestures) is flung around between different groupings of the characteristically unusual instrumental ensembles. These pieces mostly center around the guitar, which became an important feature of Donatoni's late chamber music; the interchange of plucked string sounds between this and other instruments provides another dimension for the kind of playful invention which these pieces display in abundance. Freon Ensemble; Stefano Cardi (guitar).