Cuerdas Trio – Gentile (Visage Music, 2025)
Cuerdas Trio introduces Gentile, a 2025 release that reflects the group’s cross-cultural identity and its commitment to dialogue through music. The ensemble formed in 2024 when Mario Cardona, David Beltrán, and Giorgio Scarano discovered a shared interest in weaving academic training with influences rooted in Latin American traditions and other forms of world music. Their union developed through friendship and artistic curiosity, shaping a collaborative sound created with charango, classical guitar, electric guitar, Iranian setar, tiple, and related strings.
The album is the ensemble’s first full statement and centers on original works, reimagined traditional melodies, and arrangements tied to major Latin American composers. Each track highlights interaction between contrasting styles and cultural backgrounds, with the title piece functioning as a quiet emblem of the group’s belief that gentleness can serve as a cultural counterweight in a polarized world.
Track Overview
- Danza
Composed by Horacio Salinas
Cuerdas Trio reshapes this well-known, delightful piece by the Chilean composer and longtime Inti Illimani director. The arrangement honors the original score and places the charango and classical guitar at the forefront. - Suite IV
Composed by David Beltrán Soto Chero
This inventive three-movement work, Prélude, Migajas de luna, and Reso, presents a reflective narrative developed around charango, charangon, classical guitar, electric guitar, and voice. The suite examines themes of loss, responsibility, and renewal while maintaining a clear structural arc. - Pascua Linda
Anonymous (Peru)
Drawn from the Andean tradition of the Puno region, the joyful track follows the huayno rhythm. The trio shapes a clean, melodic setting in which the charango moves against supporting lines on chillador, tiple, and classical guitar. - Medicharango Suite
Composed by Mario Cardona
El amor perdido, El tiempo y las olas, and De viaje y contrapunto form an emotive, virtuosic suite that broadens the charango’s role beyond customary contexts. The music reflects Mediterranean themes of migration and cultural interchange while balancing setar, electric guitar, and classical guitar. - Danza Paraguaya
Composed by Agustín Barrios
The trio presents a lively interpretation of this celebrated piece, emphasizing interplay between charango and classical guitars to highlight the dance’s buoyant character. - Gentile
Composed by David Beltrán Soto Chero
The closing lullaby supplies the album’s name and message. Its modern, dreamy arrangement supports the trio’s view that empathy and care remain essential in a world marked by conflict.
Cuerdas Trio began in early 2024 with a clear intention to explore string-based languages from a flexible, contemporary perspective. Their repertoire includes folk traditions, western classical influences, and original compositions, often guided by the musical heritage of Spanish-speaking Latin America. A varied instrumental lineup, including charango, setar, tiple, classical guitar, and electric guitar, supports this approach.
The ensemble launched its concert activity immediately, performing across Italy as well as in Germany and France, including an appearance at the international guitar festival Guitares en Cévennes. They also presented their work on major radio programs, among them an interview on RAI Radio 3’s Zazà, linked to the release of Gentile.
Musicians: Mario Cardona on charango, charangón, chillador; David Beltran on classical guitar, tiple; and
Giorgio Scarano on classical guitar, electric guitar, Iranian setar.
Recorded, mixed, and mastered at Il Terzo Mondo Recording Studio (BL, Italy)
Photography: Viviana Silotto, Giorgia Rorato, Pietro Previti
Artwork: Viviana Silotto @vivianalogico
Author: Madison Quinn
