An introduction to the violoncello piccolo: Mario Brunello

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Filmed in the chilly surrounding of Mount Etna National Park, Mario Brunello presents an introduction to the violoncello piccolo - a four-stringed cello tuned an octave lower than the violin: E-A-D-G. The instrument enjoyed popularity in the 17th and 18th centuries, with Bach using it many times in his cantatas.

Brunello won the 1986 Tchaikovsky Competition, the first Italian winner in the competition’s history. He specialises in performing on the violoncello piccolo in the form of his Brunello Bach Series, exploring violin masterworks under the new dimension of this distinct instrument.

For Arcana/Outhere, Brunello has recorded Sonatas and Partitas (2019) and the Sei Suonate à cembalo certato è violoncello piccolo solo (2021), and plans to conclude the trilogy with Bach Transcriptions, a recording of concertos with the  Accademia dell’Annunciata.