June 15th, 2010
Piece of the Month: June 2010
Preto y Branco by João Pernambuco
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I seem to have fallen off the wagon a little with the whole Piece of the Month thing (i.e. the year’s half over and this is my first audio posting.) However, I have nothing but the best intentions from here on out!
I expect this piece to continue evolving as I play it out a bit more. I’d like to fine tune the contrast between sections: Preto y Branco means black & white in Portugeese. This refers, I think, to the sharp contrast between the dramatic gestures of the opening section and the more melodic middle part.
Hope you enjoy!
Technical Info:
Guitar: Greg Brandt
Recorder: Tascam DR-07
Software: Audacity
Tags: Pernambuco
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December 29th, 2009
Piece of the Month: December 2009
The Current by Andrew York
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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!
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December 1st, 2009
Piece of the Month: November 2009
Adelita by Francisco Tarrega
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Here’s a piece to compliment Lagrima which I posted earlier this year. Hope you enjoy.
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October 31st, 2009
Piece of the Month: October 2009
Ojos Brujos by Leo Brouwer
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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)
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May 31st, 2009
Piece of the Month: May 2009
Sarabande from J.S. Bach’s Third Cello Suite
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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.
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