Franco Vassallo – Arcano

An invitation to the magical world of Tosti’s Salon Music

High-ceilinged rooms with elaborate chandeliers and exquisite furniture, lavish meals and delicate wines, civilized conversation with the most interesting people of the day, and of course, music. These were the late 19th and early 20th centuries’ pleasures the Salons had to offer, and music was not a minor component of this most sophisticated social tradition which thrived in western societies up until 1914.

Francesco Paolo Tosti was no stranger to this world. By putting music to the words of exquisite poets, his fame grew so widely that in 1880 he was appointed the singing master to the British Royal Family, and even Verdi allegedly said that Tosti was the best singing teacher of his time.

On this new recital album, the majestic and accurate baritone of Franco Vassallo along with the accomplished piano playing of Giulio Zappa will take us to that magical time where poetry, beauty, and pleasure were part and parcel of the artistic experience.