Mandolinistica Capodistriana - Mandolinistica Capodistriana (2022)

ZKP RTV Slovenia in cooperation with the Regional Center of RTV Koper - Capodistria and the Community of Italians Santorio Santorio Koper releases the album Mandolinistica Capodistriana performed by the mandolin orchestra Mandolinistica Capodistriana. The selection of songs offers an overview of the orchestra's musical path over the years and meaningfully reflects the band's repertoire from its revival in 2011 to the present day. Years ago, the program was carefully selected and prepared for concerts and later recording by maestro Marino Orlando (1949–2018). Given that the orchestra met again after many years of dormancy and initially counted on members of the old core of the ensemble, he considered it appropriate to start the orchestral cycle with a steady repertoire such as that of maestro Matteo Scocir (1906-1). 1983). He enriched it with original compositions for string orchestra, transcriptions of popular compositions and a series from Andalusian and South American music culture, to which he was particularly fond. The first category includes Canzoni popolari venete, Dolce notte, Rimpianto and Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticane. Among the favorites are Nennella, Shostakovich's Valzer and the arrangement of the famous blockbuster film La vita è bella. Original compositions for string orchestra are Che ridere, Ricordo di un ballo and Rapsodia Spagnola, while Coimbra and Morenita do Brazil are transcriptions of compositions from Andalusian and South American folklore. Andando is an original composition by the guitarist of the band Nevi Miklavčič, written just for this orchestra in 2011, when he revived his work. Rêverie de poet, Santa Lucia and Marinaresca are the songs that last entered the program, but perfectly match the musical atmosphere of the group.

Mandolinistica Capodistriana

The history of the original mandolin orchestra dates back to the first years of the Italian Folk Culture Circle Antonio Gramsci in Koper. The ensemble, which came to life in the first post-war years, brought music and playing the percussion closer to many generations, and worked within the amateur music section of the Italian Community in Koper.

After the forced lull during the Second World War, Koper's cultural life revived and tried to restore abandoned habits, albeit in a completely different political and social atmosphere. Thus, in the early 1950s, a mandolin orchestra was established within the Italian Cultural Circle in Koper, as evidenced by collaborations in the first two cultural journals of the Italian Union of the Istrian District, which took place in Izola (1950) and Piran (1951). Under the direction of conductor Antonio Pesar, the original mandolin ensemble of twelve instrumentalists soon matured and began to give concerts, first in Koper, but later at various cultural and artistic events organized by local Circles of Italian Culture, he also performed in Istria.

The exodus of a large part of the population, which followed the final transition to the Yugoslav administration of the former Zone B of the Free Territory of Trieste after the signing of the London Memorandum, greatly diluted the original orchestra members, soon jeopardizing its activities. At that time, Matteo Scocir (1906–1983), a member of the group who had meanwhile established himself as a distinguished conductor in the Koper cultural circle, undertook personnel renewal and rejuvenated the mandolin orchestra with primary and secondary school students who remained here. The new ensemble initially operated under the name Orchestra giovanile Euterpe (Orchestra giovanile Euterpe), later renamed the Koper Orchestra a plettro capodistriana, and over time it took on the popular name of the Koper mandolin. Under the careful and patient direction of maestro Scocir, who paid special attention to young talents, the orchestra matured and operated successfully through generational changes until the early 1980s.

After the death of conductor Matteo Scocir in 1983, the orchestra ceased to function and came to life again in the 1930s: Scocir's former students, who worked in the original ensemble, were joined by many new members. The artistic director Marino Orlando gave a new musical impetus to the orchestra under the auspices of the Santorio Santorio Italian Community of Koper. In addition to the musical refinement of instrumentalists, Orlando collected and edited a rich repertoire that relied heavily on the legacy of Maestro Scocir, while refreshing the program and adapting it to contemporary tastes. The orchestra has performed more and more at numerous concerts, television shows and music competitions, and has collaborated with similar orchestras at home and abroad.