Mandolin Maestros pay tribute to Pink Floyd in UK Premiere

November 20, 2019

Three maestros of the Neapolitan mandolin are to pay tribute to Pink Floyd’s legendary album The Dark Side of the Moon in a concert to be held in Cambridge on Saturday 7 December.

Mauro Squillante, Gaio Ariani and Valerio Fusillo will be performing The Dark Side of the Mandolin, their unique homage to Pink Floyd’s 1973 classic, on just three instruments: a mandolin, an octave mandolin, and a liuto cantabile. Their instrumental version reproduces the 45-minute prog rock milestone in its totality.

Sharing the bill at St Andrew’s Street Baptist Church will be Cambridge’s own Moonlight Mandolin Orchestra, the Histon-based fretted instrument ensemble which is now celebrating its 18th year.

Musical Director Hugh Boyde comments: “Anyone who has been to our concerts in and around Cambridge over the years will know that the mandolin is capable of performing an extremely varied repertoire – from Classical and Baroque through world music to contemporary pop and rock. That versatility is taken to an entirely new level by The Dark Side of the Mandolin, which presents Pink Floyd’s iconic recording with unforgettable verve and intimacy.”

The Moonlight Mandolin Orchestra will be opening the concert with a programme that ranges from Russian folk music through classic film scores to a recent new suite from contemporary Belgian composer Bart Verstraeten. Their half of the programme will conclude with a rendition of Charles Avison’s 1744 Concerto Grosso no. 3 in D minor after Domenico Scarlatti, in which the Orchestra’s Neapolitan guests will perform the solo parts. The second part of the concert will be devoted to The Dark Side of the Mandolin.

Mauro Squillante is President of the Neapolitan Academy of the Mandolin, and a specialist in early music for the instrument. “It’s an enormous honour to be sharing a stage with Mauro and his colleagues,” observes Hugh, “and we are so pleased be bringing this unique musical experience to the city where Pink Floyd had their origins. We hope that many people will come to enjoy this very special musical experience.”

Tickets for the concert are available on Eventbrite (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dark-side-of-the-mandolin-tickets-67288970121). Full price £12; concessions (available on the door only) £10. Tickets are also available on the door. The concert starts at 8:00 p.m. and doors open at 7:30 p.m.

Mauro Squillante, Gaio Ariani and Valerio Fusillo will also be giving masterclasses in the afternoon prior to the concert. For further information, please visit www.moonlightmandolins.com.