Arnaud Fillion- Concerto pour guitare et orchestre

Arnaud Fillion- Concerto pour guitare et orchestre

Performed by Johan Smith (guitar) and the Budapest Symphony Orchestra conducted by
Gergely Vajda.

The guitar being one of the most popular music instrument in the world, there are
relatively still very few concerti written for it. This paradox can be explained by
two main reasons: the limited sound power of the instrument which must always be
taken into account during the orchestration. Also, because of its very particular
tuning, it is almost impossible for a composer non-guitarist himself to write for
it in an always achievable way. Yet the guitar offers nuances of timbres to express
the most varied emotions. The frame of this concerto for guitar and orchestra was
sketched during a stay in Southeast Asia of the composer, then orchestrated on his
return to France in 201 6. In a very personal aesthetic, incorporating elements
from diverse genres (classical , contemporary, world & film music ...), each
movement has been elaborated as a small journey in itself, inviting the listener to
escape with an overflowing inspiration accessible to everyone.

The first movement "Espiègle" takes us to a fiery 7 beats dance, rising out from of
an undefined foggy sound work. Once discovered, the orchestra and the guitar are
conversing, teasing each other and "playing" in the proper sense of the term,
around an unbreakable rhythmic base evoking the pulsation of certain traditional
Balkan music.

In the second movement "Air", one could easily interpret this air as an element,
alternating from tenderness to austerity and evolving in an unpredictable run. The
melody of the initial adagio flies away, converting itself from a caress to a
joyous whirlwind and finally turning to a breath. This air is shaping on its way
and bringing into his game leaves and other objects from its imaginary world.

The final movement "Hypnotika" develops a gradually drifting atmosphere, leading to

a trance withbewitching rhythm and patterns. The strength of the orchestra is
combined with the eloquence of a guitar part which is crossing and linking
boundaries between classical and various world music.

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"Un ange parmi les soupirs" written by Arnaud Fillion for violin and orchestra,
complete this album. It is performed by Alain Arias (violin) with the BPSO,
conducted by László Kovács.