Dr. Wendell Dobbs and Dr. Júlio Ribeiro Alves are back for another year of performances as the Violauta Duo, but their performance at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 7, is slated to be particularly special as it will mark the first in Smith Music Hall since the building was renovated over the summer.
Room 143, in which the duo will perform, was formerly the band rehearsal room. It was revamped with new carpet and paint, as well as the addition of acoustical treatment to improve the sound bleed between rooms. It will serve as an alternative performance space for smaller events, Dobbs said.
The first part of the “Rossiniana” recital will feature three transcriptions for flute and guitar, which resulted from the collaboration between flutist Jean-Louis Tulou (1786-1865) and guitarist Ferdinand Carulli (1770-1841), of operatic works by Italian composer Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868). The transcriptions include the overture from the opera Edoardo e Cristina, followed by the arias “Ecco ridente il Cielo,” and “Come dolce all’alma mia” (a cavatina from the opera Tancrede). The duo will perform these transcriptions, edited by Salvatore Lombardi and Piero Viti, on period instruments.
The second part of the program will be performed on modern instruments. The duo will perform works originally written for flute and guitar by Ernesto Cordero (“Fantasia Mulata”), Rafaelle Bellafronte (“The Way of My Senses”) and Máximo Diego Pujol (“Dos Aires Candomberos”).
The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Alves at alves@marshall.edu or Dobbs at dobbs@marshall.edu.