Organ Works

This CD is aimed at rediscovering Gaetano Amadeo, original organist and composer from Porto Maurizio (today city of Imperia).
Born in the early nineteenth century, he was immediately noted for his great predisposition to music, so much that he was sent to the famous opera composer Giovanni Pacini, who, recognizing the value of the boy, will send him to the Bologna Philharmonic Lyceum; soon afterwards Gioachino Rossini himself will introduce him to the prestigious Philharmonic Academy of the same city. With the precious qualifications achieved, Amadeo returns to his hometown starting his career as organist and organ tester (working with the organ makers Lingiardi) until 1848, when he moved to France, a country that will become his second homeland.
In France he works in Cannes, Marseille and Nice; he meets the great French organ makers Cavaillé-Coll and start developing the French music style, understanding far in advance (as several of his letters testify to us) that the Italian organ world linked to the theatrical/opera style would soon go down.
For the performance of his works, Maestro Fabio Merlini uses the massive Lingiardi / Vegezzi Bossi / Bonizzi instrument of the Basilica of St. Giovanni in Imperia, whose richness of tonal resources is well suited to represent the nuances of Amadeo’s music including his Ave Maria with Gabrielle Mouhlen’s voice.