Maria Cristina Pantaleoni, Federico Longhi - Hahn, Gounod, Fauré, Massenet, Franck, Chaminade, Debussy, Tosti: Vie (2021)

The artistic cooperation of Federico Longhi (an internationally famous baritone) and Cristina Pantaleoni (a refined pianist and teacher of score analysis) has lasted for more than thirty years and originated, for both, in their first years as Conservatory students.
Vocal chamber music is a passion of many years for Federico Longhi, who is frequently engaged on stage in Verdi’s operas. Perhaps, his interest in chamber music is an innate consequence of his studies, under the guidance of such a master of the “scenic word” as was Giuseppe Valdengo. From him, Longhi learnt the indefatigable art of expressive research, applied with equal clarity of diction to both the Italian and the French language, thanks to Longhi’s bilingualism (he was born in Val d’Aosta).
Voice alone does not suffice for this music. The constant dialogue between singing and piano must translate into a union of intentions, which declines itself under the inspiring wing of a game of breaths, of continuous references to melody’s flow, and of a vocal itinerary born out of the common denominator of singing as a poetic intonation. This applies to the expression of feelings, of interior emotions, or of sensations elicited by the contemplation of nature.
Tracklist
01. À Chloris in E Major
02. Chanson grises: No. 5, L'heure exquise
03. Le Vallon
04. Où voulez-vous aller? in F Major
05. 2 Songs, Op. 1: No. 2, Mai
06. Trois mélodies, Op. 18: No. 3, Automne
07. Nuit d'Espagne
08. Nocturne in F-Sharp Minor
09. Sombrero
10. Deux Romances: No. 1, L'âme évaporée et souffrante
11. Beau soir
12. Ideale in A Major
13. Aprile
14. Non t'amo più
15. Sogno
16. Malìa in E-Flat Major
17. La serenata
18. Chanson de l'adieu
19. L'ultima canzone in D Minor
20. 'A Vucchella
21. Tristezza
22. Chitarrata abruzzese