It’s been a hectic month, so instead of posting something more seasonal, I thought I would polish up a piece from my concert program last month. It’s a beautiful short piece that I really enjoy playing; hope you’ll like it as well. And maybe “The Current” isn’t such a bad theme as we find ourselves drawn toward a fresh year.
Best wishes for a joyful and happy 2010!
Here’s a piece to compliment Lagrima which I posted earlier this year. Hope you enjoy.
I just played this piece at the Minnesota Guitar Society’s OpenStage. October’s theme was spooky, scary, or eerie music. I’m not sure this is any of these, but the title translates to “Witch’s Eyes”. I hope some of the enchantment comes through in my playing.
Brouwer based the music on the melody of a song by fellow Cuban composer, Gonzalo Roig:
OJOS BRUJOS
I´m mad keen to escape
from some eyes I saw yesterday
witch’s eyes [ojos brujos] which looking at me
have wanted to fascinate me
always fixed on me.
That’s why when I look at them
my emotion is so huge
as if a sea made of sapphire
snatched in a whisper
my soul and my heart.
(Translation from the website of the municipal choir of Caspe, Spain)
This is part of a work in progress. Over the course of the next few months, I hope to post all the movements from the suite. I really loved the Sarabande when I first heard a recording of Mstislav Rostropovich playing the full suite on cello. The guitar doesn’t lend itself to the long, slow, sustained notes that the cello can project: part of the challenge performing this transcription is giving it a graceful, stately feel despite the guitar’s limited sustain.
Phew, just under the wire for April! I’ve been working on this piece on-and-off since the holidays. The Pernabuco pieces are great pieces to play at cafes and coffehouses. Everyone seems to connect with this happy dance music, and it’s plenty of fun to play as well!
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