Contemporary Classics April 10, 2018 Celebration of Guitar Week with Contemporary Classical Guitar

Sequenza XI for solo guitar (1987–1988) is one of a series of Sequenzas by Luciano Berio. Written for the American guitarist Eliot Fisk, it is an innovative investigation into the dramatic and virtuosic possibilities of musical performance.  The composition is in four large sections, and sets out from the six pitches of the open strings of the guitar. The composer asserted that two intervals are important elements in the work: the perfect fourth (which is the interval found between most neighbouring pairs of the guitar's strings) and the tritone, which leads to a different harmony of Berio's devising

Joaquín Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez

The Concierto de Aranjuez was inspired by the gardens at Palacio Real de Aranjuez.  It is in 3 movements 1. Allegro Con Spirito - features a flamenco-like hemiola rhythm  2. Adagio – most famous work for guitar and orchestra begins softly and as it progresses the then the climactic build-up starts. Following the climatic  guitar refrain it breaks back into the main melody, molto appassionato, voiced by the strings with accompaniment from the woodwinds.   3. Allegro Gentile – a mix of irregular rhythms

George Crumb - Mundus Canis (A Dog's World), for guitar & percussion

Guitarist David Starobin commissioned this work as a small dance piece for solo guitar, one of several such works Starobin was requesting of several composers. While thinking about the piece Crumb pondered the way that cats seem to have been portrayed in music much more often than dogs, and decided to redress the balance. The end result is a five minute guitar piece with percussion, each dedicated to the memory of one of the successive Crumb family dogs, most of which were dachshunds.

Each uses a different percussion instruments in addition to the guitar to depict the wide variety of doggy personalities that the Crumbs' friends had. The five pieces range from a minute and a half to nearly three minutes in duration, totaling a bit under ten minutes not counting pauses. Starobin premiered the suite in Cannes, France, on January 20, 1998, with the composer as percussionist.

Each movement is named after one of the dogs. Frequently there are unusual color effects. The guitar writing is generally directed to setting a mood or making an aural impression rather than generating melodies, conventional rhythms, or harmonies, but not exclusively so, and the percussion seems to add the sparkle that limns the dogs' personalities. The work is subtitled "Five Humoresques for Guitar and Percussion."

The movements, with their tempo markings, are as follows:

1.   "Tammy." Elegantly, somewhat freely.

2.   "Fritzi, Furioso."

3.   "Heidel," Languido, un poco misterioso

4.   "Emma-Jean," Coquettish, poco animato, grazioso.

5.   "Yoda," Prestissimo possible and not very obedient, for one of the players has to call its name often during the piece, and finally chide him, concluding the piece with "Bad dog!"

Lost electric guitar composition by Morton Feldman, The Possibility of a New Work for Electric Guitar. Originally composed for guitarist Christian Wolff, it was reconstructed by guitarist Seth Josel.        

John Cage: Dream (Arr. S. Sorrentino for Electric Guitar)  

Performed on a Fender Stratocaster, Sorrentino’s transcription of Dream by John Cage opens the program. This version demonstrates the pure beauty of the electric guitar’s clean sound with only the addition of light reverb.

Heitor Villa-Lobos: 12 Etudes      

This collection of etudes is the 1928 version that was discovered in 1996.   A previously known 1929 is now questioned as whether it was a revision by the composer or someone else.  The version used is up to the guitarist

The first two are charming and light, while the Third and Fourth are more substantial, with more color and stronger interpretive demands. The Fifth is dreamy and gentle, with the Sixth offering stormy contrast and the Seventh presenting lively, light music. The Eighth is slow while the the Ninth is delightful in its wistful lightness. The Tenth is dark and mysterious while the Eleventh offers the deepest music in the collection.  Without a doubt, the Twelfth offers the most fireworks of any of the etudes here and is the perfect virtuoso showpiece to close the set.

No. 1. Etudes de Arpeges (Prelude): Anime         

No. 2. Des Arpeges: Tres Anime   

No. 3. Des Arpeges: Un Peu Anime 

No. 4. Des Accords Repetes: Un Peu Modere         

No. 5. Andantino       

No. 6. un Peu Anime 

No. 7. Tres Anime

No. 8. Modere        

No. 9. Des Ornaments: Un Peu Anime

No. 10. Anime  

No. 11. Lent

No. 12. un Peu Anime