Papagena (album)

Papagena
Studio album by
Released26 November 2001 (2001-11-26)
Studio
Genre[1]
Length38:48
LabelBaby
ProducerGian Piero Reverberi
Rondò Veneziano chronology
La storia del classico
(2000)
Papagena
(2001)
La Piazza
(2002)
Alternative cover
France release as Vénitienne

Papagena is the twenty-fifth studio album by Italian chamber orchestra Rondò Veneziano, released in 2001 by Baby Records International. In France the album was released as Vénitienne by EMI with a different track list.[2] The album peaked at number 38 in France,[3] 73 in Germany[4] and 91 in Switzerland.[5]

Overview

As detailed in the booklet, the album represents the inspirations behind the tracks, drawn from the emotions of various places visited by Gian Piero Reverberi: "Papagena" reminds him of his first time listening to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's The Magic Flute; "Désirée," the name of a young French woman, evokes his first stay in Paris; "Il Balcone di Giulietta" recalls a visit to Verona; "Puerta del Sol" brings back memories of his first trip to Madrid; "La Grotta Azzurra" reflects a short holiday in Capri; "Dopo il concerto" captures his feelings and emotions after listening to a symphony by Johannes Brahms; "Il battistero" depicts the magic and awe he felt before the stained-glass windows of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin, made radiant by the sunlight; "Rifugio alpino" portrays the enchantment of a summer night spent in the mountains; "Désir d’amour" represents the crescendo of a passionate love story; "Viale Rossini" recalls a stroll along an avenue after an evening spent with friends; and "Alba sul mare" captures the reflections of light dancing on the sea’s surface, playfully and almost indescribably illuminating a room in Gladsax, Sweden.[6]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Gian Piero Reverberi and Ivano Pavesi, except where noted. The track "Siciliana (Suite per armonica e archi)" is taken from Willi Burger's album Harmonica (Baby Records, BR 56110, 1987).[7] In the French version the track "Papagena" is renamed as "Vénitienne" and "Désirée" has a different intro.

Papagena (International)

No.TitleMusicLength
1."Papagena" 3:04
2."Désirée" 3:22
3."Il Balcone di Giulietta" 3:47
4."Puerta del Sol" 3:44
5."La Grotta Azzurra" 3:35
6."Dopo il concerto" 2:53
7."Il battistero" 4:00
8."Rifugio alpino" 4:16
9."Désir d'amour" 2:37
10."Viale Rossini" 2:59
11."Alba sul mare" 3:31
12."Siciliana (Suite per armonica e archi)"Gian Piero Reverberi3:00

Vénitienne (France)

No.TitleLength
1."Palazzo Fortuny" (from the album Honeymoon – Luna di miele)5:19
2."Puerta del Sol"4:44
3."Désir d'amour"2:37
4."I preparativi" (from the album Marco Polo)2:46
5."Vénitienne"3:04
6."Il Balcone di Giulietta"3:47
7."Viale Rossini"2:59
8."Désirée" (different intro)3:22
9."Rifugio alpino"4:16
10."La Grotta Azzurra"3:35
11."Dopo il concerto"2:53
12."Mercatino" (from the album Honeymoon – Luna di miele)3:00
13."Alba sul mare"3:31

Personnel

  • Gian Piero Reverberi – additional sounds, arrangement, conducting, mixing, production
  • Patrizio Guidich a.k.a. Fabrizio Giudice – classical guitar (4)
  • Willi Burger – chromatic harmonica (12)
  • Sinfonie Orchestra Ljubljana – orchestra (12)
  • Nevio Zanardi – conductor (12)
  • Ricky Andreoni – cover art
  • Victor Togliani – cover art
  • Franco Fochesato – mixing, editing, mastering, sound engineer
  • Klaus Strazicky – sound engineer
  • Paolo Vannini – sound engineer
  • Roberto Vigo – sound engineer

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[8][9]

Charts

Chart performance for Papagena
Chart (2001) Peak
position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[4] 73
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[5] 91
Chart performance for Vénitienne
Chart (2001) Peak
position
French Albums (SNEP) 93

References

  1. ^ "Rondò Veneziano Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio &..." AllMusic. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  2. ^ Rondo' Veneziano - Concertissimo (in Italian), 2002, retrieved 2025-11-13
  3. ^ "InfoDisc : Les Chart Runs de chaque Album depuis 1985". infodisc.fr. Retrieved 2025-11-13.
  4. ^ a b "Offiziellecharts.de – Rondo' Veneziano – Papagena" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  5. ^ a b "Swisscharts.com – Rondo' Veneziano – Papagena". Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  6. ^ Rondo' Veneziano - Papagena (in Italian), 2001, retrieved 2026-02-18
  7. ^ Willi Burger - Harmonica (in Italian), 1987, retrieved 2026-02-18
  8. ^ Papagena (Media notes). Rondò Veneziano. Italy: Baby Records International. 2001. BR 25005-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ Willi Burger - Harmonica (in Italian), 1986, retrieved 2026-02-18