Rocco Greco:
Sinfonia viggesima terza a due viole - I. Grave - Allegro - Corrente
Sinfonia settima a due viole - I. Allegro
Sinfonia viggesima quarta a due viole - - [Corrente]
Sinfonia decima sesta a due viole - I. Largo - Presto - Corrente
Sinfonia viggesima seconda a due viole - - [Corrente]
Sinfonia terza a due viole - I. Grave - Allegro - Corrente
Sinfonia decima ottava a due viole - - [Corrente]
Sinfonia quarta a due viole - I. Allegro - Balletto - Corrente
Sinfonia quinta a due viole - (La prima viola suona li numeri) – I. Allegro

Gaetano Greco:
Toccata settima for Harpsichord
Passagaglio for Archlute
Partimento for Harpsichord
Tarantella
Sinfonia
Partimento for Archlute

Francesco Mancini:
Toccata sesta (partimento)

Anonymous:
Balletto Francese for Harpsichord
Ballo della torcia

This recording takes the listener deep into the heart of late-seventeenth-century Naples, where brothers Rocco and Gaetano Greco were central figures in the city’s thriving musical life. Their works, grounded in the practice of partimento an improvisational method built around a given bass line showcase the cello’s emancipation from a purely accompanying role into a fully expressive solo voice. Through vivid dialogues between lower string instruments and harpsichord, I Mastricelli revives a forgotten musical language in which virtuosity, counterpoint, and improvisation converge. The result is a rare glimpse into the creative processes that shaped the Neapolitan cello school and its lasting influence across Europe. The second part of the programme focuses on Gaetano Greco’s pedagogical legacy, presenting short dances, toccatas, and improvisations drawn from early-eighteenth-century student notebooks, alongside music by Francesco Mancini. I Mastricelli highlights the diversity of Neapolitan musical culture from the earthy energy of the tarantella to the refined contrapuntal art of the keyboard. The ensemble’s instrumentation including cellos, bass viols, bass violins, theorbo, lute, guitar, and harpsichord evokes the rich timbral world of Baroque Naples. Combining scholarly research with living performance, this debut album offers both an artistic rediscovery and a celebration of the improvisatory freedom at the core of the partimento tradition.