Inspired by a concert by Italian pianist Stefano Bollani, "Pepito" is a witty and fresh duo born from his encounter with the great French mandolinist Vincent Beer-Demander, to whom Claudio Mandonico dedicated his Concertino for Mandola and Orchestra.
In 2023, the latter was a guest at the Mandol'in Marseille Festival conducted by Vincent Beer-Demander, alongside Hamilton de Holanda and Ricardo Sandoval. This historic encounter materialized in this astonishing duo for mandolin and guitar, halfway between ragtime, choro, and ballad, and reflecting the post-concert evening where the three mandolinists surrounded the Italian maestro, to the delight of those present. Jazz colors, refined melodies, marked accentuations, constitute the essential elements of this duo, solidly structured on the structural level and with beautiful harmonic inventiveness.
