Francesco Molino (1768-1847) was born in Ivrea, near Turin, to a family of violinists. There, and for a time in Genoa, he made a career for himself as a violin virtuoso until he moved permanently to Paris at the age of 50.

Once in the French capital, Molino embarked on a new phase of his musical career, which was accompanied by a significant increase in the number of works he published - almost all of which were dedicated to the guitar, both as a solo instrument and as part of chamber formations. Molino had a significant influence on the Parisian music world, as demonstrated by the great success of the first edition of his Nouvelle Méthode pour la Guitare, which had around 400 subscribers both in France and in other European countries (Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Italy). Over the years, Molino revised and supplemented the method, and various editions of it were published in several languages, with a Spanish version even reaching Mexico and Havana.

The works presented in this recording were all published as "sonatas" by Molino, who explicitly stated that they were intended for performance by solo guitar. He uses three main structural types for these sonatas.

The first has a romance as the first movement, followed by a rondo (Sonatas Op. 1 No. 1, Op. 15 No. 2 and Op. 51). The second begins with a short maestoso introduction characterized by successive opening chords and octaves, reminiscent of the orchestral color of certain operatic overtures. This movement ends with an interrupted cadenza and is followed by a theme with variations before a concluding rondo (Sonatas Op. 1 No. 2, Op. 15 No. 1 and No. 3). The third type begins with an Allegro first movement in sonata form (in the two-part style of the 18th century, with two different themes in a tonic-dominant relationship), which is immediately followed by a concluding rondo (Sonatas Op. 1 No. 3, Op. 6 No. 1 and No. 2).

All of the sonatas reflect Molino's obvious mastery of the art of composition as well as a certain freedom in his handling of musical form. These elements, combined with a refined use of harmony and a deep understanding of the instrument, give the composer a very personal stylistic language and make Molino one of the most interesting figures in the 19th century guitar repertoire.

Further information:
Recorded in June and October, Rome, Italy The booklet in English contains liner notes by the artist and his biography. Claudio Giuliani plays a guitar by Antonio Marín Montero (Granada, 1995), strung with D'Addario Pro Arte EJ46 strings.

Francesco Molino (1768-1847) was an Italian guitarist, composer and violinist, born in Ivrea near Turin, Italy. At the age of fifteen, in 1783, he joined the band of the Piedmont Regiment as an oboist, a post he gave up in 1793. He devoted himself to the guitar and built up an impressive international career. He later settled in Paris, where he became a famous teacher.

This new recording presents the complete sonatas for guitar, characterized by their classical elegance and intricate melodic lines, reflecting the stylistic influences of his contemporaries such as Mauro Giuliani and Fernando Sor.

Molano's sonatas often have a balanced structure and typically adhere to the classical sonata form with several movements, including allegro, adagio and rondo sections. The extremely successful composition is characterized by fast arpeggios, delicate harmonies and dynamic contrasts. They represent a challenge for the performer, but are a joy for the audience.

Brilliantly played by Claudio Giuliani, whose previous recordings for Brilliant Classics include works by Diabelli and Cimarosa.