Mertz: Tarantelle

The young French guitarist Gabriel Bianco adds First Prize in the 2008 GFA International Solo Competition to an impressive list of previous awards from international competitions.

He started playing guitar at the age of five, and graduated at the age of twenty with first prize from the Conservatoire National de Région de Paris. The same year, he received the highest mark and ranking in the entrance competition to the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris.

Gabriel Bianco gave his first concert in Paris when he was fifteen, and is now invited to play throughout the world. His teachers have included Ramon de Herrera, Oliver Chassain and Judicaël Perroy.

This delightful double-album features two historic “Terz” guitars, from the first half of the 19-th century. The “Terz” guitar (read everything about it in the informative booklet) is smaller, with an intimate sound, and a higher register. It was much in use in the romantic era, and the repertoire features popular music from that time: Fantaisies and Divertissements of Fernando Sor, Rondo and Grand Pot-Pourri of Giuliani and works of Pettoletti and Caspar Joseph Mertz: all very pleasing, charming music, played with taste and delicacy by the Belgian Duo.