Nearly Unknown Bologna's Renaissance music - heard by GIUSEPPE PENNISI '... an efficient and effective local ensemble ...'

Bologna's Renaissance music is nearly unknown. Italian music lovers are quite well acquainted with the Renaissance music of Naples, Rome, Ferrara and Venice, but seem to ignore the musical development of the town where more than nine centuries ago, the oldest European university was founded. Even though Bologna is on the main highway and on the rail track between Florence and Venice -- two of the most cherished tourist spots, foreigners seldom stop there to visit not only very significant churches and towers and a good gallery of paintings, but mostly one of the best preserved European historical city centers.

A small Bolognese record company (Tactus -- www.tactus.it) is finally making an effort to open this unknown treasure box to an international audience; its CDs are marketed through Amazon.com . This review focuses on two of them: the first is a musical fresco of twenty-one tracks(TC 450002); the second features Ippolito Ghezzi, a composer from Siena but active in Bologna (TC 653201)...

BOLOGNA

ITALY

EARLY