Program Statement

With my program, I intend to demonstrate several styles and characters, with music by
composers from many different historical periods, featuring arrangements by renowned
guitarists which work, in my opinion, beautifully on the classical guitar.

Firstly, I will begin the performance with 2 preludes by A. Scriabin. This virtuosic Russian
composer wrote a big part of his repertoire for piano, including some major works such as the
2 piano concertos, piano sonatas, and several sets of preludes. Amongst these, I will interpret
pieces from his first Opus (9 and 11) which was the early stage of his life where he was highly
influenced by the harmonic language of F. Chopin, with a rather romantic and intimate
approach. The preludes were masterfully arranged by the French guitarist, Antoine Fougeray.

I will follow with the fantasia 8 for solo violin, by G. Telemann, this time arranged by the Italian
guitarist Carlo Marchione. Telemann wrote 12 fantasias which explore the diverse tonalities
and technical possibilities of the violin, having been himself a self-taught player. In this
arrangement, Marchione is not only able to keep the articulation details and the polyphonic
intentions of the composer, but he also successfully includes some new embellishments, with
added bass lines, fuller harmonies, and tasteful ornamentation.

We then reach the first half of the 18th century, with a simple piece by J. K. Mertz named
Liebeslied, which, literally translated, means “love song”. This work is part of a set of small
pieces called “Bardenklange”, a group of compositions which were composed with intimate
purposes; idiomatic pieces meant to be played in small concert venues. It has a melodic
approach very close to Schubert's lieder, with simple harmonization and clear distinction
between melody and accompaniment.

Later on, I will perform the Rondo by M. Castelnuovo-Tedesco. An Italian composer from the
20th century, Tedesco was a pianist, but he is known mostly for his contribution to the guitar
repertoire. The neo-romantic composer lived most of his life in the US, where he wrote a great
deal of works for film productions. Some of his most famous pieces for classical guitar include
the 2 guitar concerti, the Sonata “Omaggio a Boccherini”, the 24 caprices of Goya, and many
more.

Finally, I will end my program with the “Passacaille” by A. Tansman. Tansman was a 20th
Century Polish composer and pianist who had a significant influence on the guitar scene.
Tansman was highly influenced by some of the traditional dance forms from his country
(Mazurka, Nocturne, etc.), mixing it with some composing features typical from older music,
sometimes almost reminiscent of 18th century music. The Passacaille precisely showcases
those characteristics; a baroque dance which originated around 15th century, structurally
wise, it assumes a theme and variations form, however, harmonically speaking, the piece
provides certain elements which lean towards a more neo-romantic language.