Margutti & Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Works for Choir and Guitar (Dynamic, 2024) is the album that marks the first artistic outcome of a larger project aimed at expanding the repertoire for choir and guitar. This project was conceived by guitarist Nicolò Spera and Giovanni Cestino, artistic director of the ITER Research Ensemble, with the support of the University of Colorado Boulder. The program pairs two complementary works: Rivers, a new composition written specifically for the performers by Corrado Margutti—currently the largest-scale piece ever written for this ensemble—and Romancero Gitano by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, the first modern work for choir and guitar. This performance is based on a new critical edition prepared by two ITER members, Stefano Colombo and Lorenzo Giustozzi.

Accompanying the recording, this companion booklet offers a collection of essays that explore both the featured works and various aspects of the album’s production. Special attention is given to philological aspects, the genesis of the pieces, and the technical strategies used during the recording process. Through these insights, the album becomes an opportunity to spark a broader conversation about music and music-making, in line with the dual mission of the ITER Research Ensemble, a group that brings together choral practice and musicological research.

You can find the album here.

Table of Contents

Foreword – Mila De Santis and Giovanni Cestino
The “Romancero Gitano” by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco after Federico Garcìa Lorca – Angelo Gilardino, edited and translated by Giovanni Cestino
A New Edition of “Romancero Gitano” by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco – Stefano Colombo and Lorenzo Giustozzi
Thoughts on a Strange Marriage: a Conversation with Nicolò Spera, Corrado Margutti, and Giovanni Cestino – edited by Rebecca Favale
Recording Music for Choir and Guitar: Technical Issues and Aesthetic Choices – Marco Taio
Reading the Notes / Notes on a Reading – Giovanni Cestino