Franco Margola (1908–1992) was an Italian composer who was active throughout the 20th century. During his lifetime, he dedicated himself to composing pieces for musicians in the academic sector, where he found fertile ground and was widely commissioned for both pedagogical and non-educational purposes. His career included various teaching and leadership posts at several Italian conservatoires, not least the Conservatorio di Musica ‘Arrigo Boito’ in Parma, where he taught composition from 1963 to 1975. Here, thanks to a collaboration with the guitar teacher Renzo Cabassi, he began to compose numerous works for guitar (approximately 250 opus numbers).

Margola maintained a close relationship with the historic roots of his art form, and although he experimented with the avant-garde in his youth, he abandoned such tendencies in his more mature compositions. His works are characterised by a ‘rhythmic vitality, a “classical” phrase structure, clear diatonicism, and a frequent use of fourths and fifths that recall the elements of his early compositions.’

The aim of this recording is to offer listeners a selection of colourful soundscapes that vary according to the different ensembles. The guitar is the star of this album and takes on new colours in combination with the flute and violin, as well as in guitar duos and trios. Margola’s sonatas often provide opening movements that are diatonic and atonal, followed by lyrical cantabile second movements that culminate in sparkling third movements evoking a medieval or baroque feel.

The guitar trio configuration features some of the composer’s lesser-known works: Sonata (dC281), the Sonata (dC228) and Sonata II for three guitars (dC234). The violin and guitar duo performs the Sonatina (dC259) and Sonata (dC754) (first recording). The one-movement Sonata’s affinities with the Sonatina indicate that it was probably a preliminary sketch for the latter piece, with which it shares tonalities and several melodic ideas. To the flute and guitar duo are devoted Sonata IV (dC191) and Sonata II (dC197). Finally, the last two sonatas on this disc (dC661 and dC662) are for guitar duo. The unpublished Sonata (dC661) was transcribed from an old copy of a manuscript with several parts that were almost illegible, making the transcribers’ work a musical challenge that involved balancing notational accuracy with interpretive freedom, guided by a profound understanding of the composer’s musical language.