About the Project ...
I will be heading to England at the end of January to record a new solo CD which will be released later this year, again through Cala Records. This will be my third solo CD and my fifth in total. I will again record with the wonderfully talented producer and engineer John Taylor, with whom I have recorded all my other CDs. I will be recording in the beautiful St. Andrew's Church in Toddington, a venue with a fantastically rich and full acoustic and one that I've not recorded in since 2004 when I recorded my first solo CD (and first ever CD) Stélé, as a young 22 year old.
This new CD will celebrate the most well-loved works for classical guitar. This repertoire, by composers such as Isaac Albéniz, Francisco Tárrega, Augustín Barrios, Astor Piazzolla, Heitor Villa-Lobos (amongst others), is the music I listened to as a child. It's the music I first fell in love with, and the reason I not only started learning guitar, but the reason I pursued classical guitar as a career.
This new CD will celebrate the most well-loved works for classical guitar. This repertoire, by composers such as Isaac Albéniz, Francisco Tárrega, Augustín Barrios, Astor Piazzolla, Heitor Villa-Lobos (amongst others), is the music I listened to as a child. It's the music I first fell in love with, and the reason I not only started learning guitar, but the reason I pursued classical guitar as a career.
It's an incredibly exciting project for me, but one that is also a little intimidating. I spent my childhood listening to this music played by the greatest guitarist of the 20th Century. Now, after more than a decade of experience and having performed over 1000 concerts in over 15 countries across 4 continents, rediscovering this music with this new perspective has been fascinating. Some of these pieces I've been playing for 18 year! Realizing old habits - and breaking them - in order to re-learn and re-think this music as a more mature musician has been quite a process. It's also reignited my passion and love of this music.
In many classical guitar circles, these war-horses are often dismissed as "trite", "simple" or "silly" little pieces. I think this is in part as many of them are able to be played by young or inexperienced players. However, though my journey of rediscovery and approaching this music as if I'm looking at it for the first time, I have realized that this music is in fact fantastic. It's lyrical, beautiful, passionate, evocative and much of it every bit as sophisticated as the music of more 'serious' composers. Their language might be more harmonically simple, but the power to communicate and touch an audience is profound. It is no surprise that these pieces have become 'war-horse' - their melodies are so captivating that one finds themselves singing them again and again and again.
I hope that in recording this new CD I will not only honour the great composers and their wonderful contributions to the cannon, and pay homage to the guitarists who inspired me to play guitar, but will also allow my own unique voice as a musician to inspire generations to come and allow me to leave my mark, however small, on this great selection of classical guitar repertoire.
In many classical guitar circles, these war-horses are often dismissed as "trite", "simple" or "silly" little pieces. I think this is in part as many of them are able to be played by young or inexperienced players. However, though my journey of rediscovery and approaching this music as if I'm looking at it for the first time, I have realized that this music is in fact fantastic. It's lyrical, beautiful, passionate, evocative and much of it every bit as sophisticated as the music of more 'serious' composers. Their language might be more harmonically simple, but the power to communicate and touch an audience is profound. It is no surprise that these pieces have become 'war-horse' - their melodies are so captivating that one finds themselves singing them again and again and again.
I hope that in recording this new CD I will not only honour the great composers and their wonderful contributions to the cannon, and pay homage to the guitarists who inspired me to play guitar, but will also allow my own unique voice as a musician to inspire generations to come and allow me to leave my mark, however small, on this great selection of classical guitar repertoire.
Repertoire
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Prelude No.1
Vals Op.8 No.4 Adios Nonino Cavatina Here, There and Everywhere Sevilla (Sevillanas) from Suite española Op.47 Granada (Serenata) from Suite española Op.47 Asturias (Leyenda) from Chants d´espagne Op.232. Prélude Cancion de Cuna Ojos Brujos Tango En Skaï Caprichio árabe—Serenata Andaluza o Playera 12 Danzas Española Op.37, no. 5 Recuerdos de la Alhambra Tango Op.165 No.2 Georgia on My Mind Summertime |
Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959)
Agustín Barrios Mangoré (1885-1944) Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992) Stanley Meyers (1933-1993) Lennon/McCartney arr. Toru Takemitsu (1930-1996) Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909) Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909) Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909) Leo Brouwer (b.1939) Roland Dyens (b.1955) Francisco Tárrega (1852-1909) Enrique Granados (1867-1916) Francisco Tárrega (1852-1909) Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909) Hoagy Carmichael (1899-1981) arr. Börge Sandquist (b.1945) George Gershwin (1898-1937) arr. Ebe Ken-ichi |
Final Release
I will record between January 31 and February 3, 2016. Between the editing, design and post-production work, I estimate the CD should be released in August 2016. I will be going on a CD release tour in September and October 2016 with concerts in Australia and the Philippines. For more details, visit my TOUR page
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