Alex! Thank you, thank you, thank you! As I look out the window at a snowy, chilly day in New York, it is such a pleasure to get in touch with my roots!
Please convey my warmest congratulations to Ruth, Pauline, and Tom for their wonderful playing— or, perhaps, I will do so myself in a few weeks!

And thanks to all the other kind listeners. Obviously, this is not music I "composed" but only arranged; I can take no more credit than that. These songs are echoes of my great-great-grandfathers' voices...

Plamen, the term "mandolinata" simply means "music played by mandolins", or "in the style of—". You know what I mean... No, this is not my own neologism; it has been around for a good century-and-a-half. A mandolinata is usually a medley of songs (such as the one posted by ever-generous Alex), played by mandolins and guitars; alternately, the term can also apply to the actual ensemble playing this music.

"My" Ionian Mandolinata contains songs from the Ionian Islands (i.e. Corfu, Zákynthos, et al); lying between Greece and Italy, and ruled by the Venetians since the 14th century, their music is very, very Italianate— as you can hear. The Athenian Mandolinata contains songs from turn-of-the-century Athens; the Aegean one, folk songs/dances from various Aegean Islands. My role has been strictly of a compiler/editor; the intention: to preserve and disseminate this lovely, and, sadly, almost forgotten repertoire for our beloved instrument.

Thanks to people like Alex, this dream of mine is coming true in a truly remarkable, almost magical way. Thanks again, my friend!

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Ars longa, vita brevis.

Taken from mandolincafe.net