Pentatone releases Sogno: Tosti Songs, together with tenor Javier Camarena and pianist Ángel Rodríguez, in January 2024.
A Rediscovery of Tosti’s Enchanting Music
On his second Pentatone album Sogno, tenor Javier Camarena pays tribute to Francesco Paolo Tosti, together with pianist Ángel Rodríguez. Camarena and Rodríguez have curated a collection of Tosti’s songs that not only include some of his greatest hits but also highlight lesser-known works, including songs in French and English.
The songs selected for this album give us an overview of the different facets of Tosti’s style. Some are deeply sentimental, exemplified by ‘Vorrei morire!’ — one of the composer’s most famous pieces — while others, such as ‘Marechiare’, draw inspiration from folk traditions. Although Tosti is not often remembered in the history of nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century music, Javier Camarena is inviting us to rediscover the enchanting world of his songs.
Javier Camarena stands as one of the preeminent tenors of our time, and Sogno marks his second album following the successful Signor Gaetano (2022). Pianist Ángel Rodríguez makes his Pentatone debut.
“I had all the intentions of starting this statement by evoking the memory of the first Francesco Paolo Tosti song that I ever sang, but no matter how hard I forced my memory, I can’t remember which song it was. However, I clearly remember the first time I heard “Vorrei morire!” and “L’ultima canzone” in the voice of José Carreras, “A’ vucchella” in the voice of the great Luciano, “Marechiare” sung by di Steffano, “Addio” by Kraus, “Sogno” with the great Bergonzi, or “Ideale” in the voice of my compatriot Ramón Vargas. I remember the great and deep emotions that these melodies triggered in me and I remember listening to them laughing, crying, or both at the same time and, above all, I remember the fervent desire to at some point be the interpreter of these beautiful songs.
This album, like “Signor Gaetano” by Pentatone, is a personal dream that I have cherished for a long time. This dream today is a reality and I have the honor of sharing it with my dear Ángel Rodríguez, a great stage partner, a great friend and with whom since 2011 I didn’t stop growing as an artist. Today, in absolute synchronicity and complicity, Ángel completes this very personal interpretative vision of Tosti’s music.
In many songs we have followed the score like a gourmet cooking recipe because, as I have said before, Tosti knew perfectly what he was doing, the atmospheres and emotions that he wanted to evoke; and in some others, we have given freedom to our creativity and we have truly treated them as popular songs, much more flexible and open to variations and interpretative contributions.
We share this dream with you and we sincerely hope that it invites you to dream together with
Javier Camarena
us and the music of the great Francesco Paolo Tosti.“
Digital Release Date: 19 JANUARY 2024
Physical Release: JANUARY 2024
Released as 1 standard CD and in digital formats for streaming and high-resolution downloads
