The International Conservatory of Music presents
The John E. Marlow Guitar Series 2012-2013 Season www.MarlowGuitar.org
International Conservatory of Music/The John E. Marlow Guitar Series is supported in part by funding from the Montgomery County government and the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County.
How The John E. Marlow Guitar Series Began With the unexpected passing of John Marlow in 1992, his friends formed a committee to organize a musical tribute to John and to raise scholarship money for his son, Richard. The tribute was a huge success, bringing in almost $6,000 for Richard Marlow’s first semester at college. The magic, that was felt by all in attendance on that beautiful Sunday afternoon of April 18th, 1993, inspired Tim Healy and Regis Ferruzza to create a guitar series in John’s name.
John E. Marlow
The John E. Marlow Guitar Series is dedicated to our good friend John Marlow: performer, composer, arranger, educator and former Head of the Guitar Department at American University. John inspired and assisted generations of guitarists with his talent, commitment to excellence and generous personality. Few are the guitar professionals in the Washington area whose work was not influenced by John. The International Conservatory of Music has chosen to commemorate this outstanding human being with an annual living memorial: The John E. Marlow Guitar Series.
INTERNATIONAL CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC www.internationalconservatory.org
The International Conservatory of Music (ICM), a 501(c)(3) organization, is the umbrella organization for: • The John E. Marlow Guitar Series • John and Susie Beatty Music Scholarship Competition for Classical Guitar • Embassy Concert Tours ICM was incorporated in the District of Columbia in 1980 and registered in the State of Maryland in 1995. Our mission is to create community through music and to enrich the musical life of the residents of the metropolitan Washington, DC area. In addition to our regular programs, we also present the Visiting Guitarists In The Schools Program and the upcoming Youth Guitar Classes In School Program. In the past 32 years, ICM has presented over 150 events and co-sponsored programs with area universities, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Embassies, Federal Government agencies, public school systems and other community and cultural organizations. ICM Board of Directors Timothy Healy, President; Edwin Butterworth, Jr.; Howard Byron; Chien-Tai Chen, DMA; Joan Collings; Amy Crews Cutts, PhD; Michael DiMattina, MD; Neil Doherty; Cheryl Dragoo; Deborah Drayer; William Herrmann; David Kirstein, Esq.; Art Kosatka; Henry Levin, PhD; Glen McCarthy, Duane Morse, Esq.; Gonzalo Palacios, G. PhD; Shereen Remez, PhD; Lucinda Wilson. Ex. Officio: Susan Healy, Administrative Director; Regis Ferruzza, Executive Director
INTERNATIONAL CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC Thanks to our Invaluable Friends! Vittorio Brod for sharing our vision & providing us with our most generous donation to date John & Susie Beatty for supporting the Beatty Competition Music Scholarship Amy Crews Cutts for her leadership in organizing the Beatty Competition, fundraising & generous donations. The Del Mar Foundation for its continued financial support & friendship David Kirstein for legal advice & hosting Marlow Guitar artists Henry & Susan Levin for hosting ICM Board Meetings Cheryl Dragoo for her accounting assistance & generous donations William Herrmann for Marlow Guitar ushering & lights management, Beatty Competition support & help in fundraising Joan Collings for ICM administration & Marlow Guitar Receptions Jack & Betty O’Connor for hosting Beatty Competition judges Duane Morse for ICM’s Development Committee (Chair) & “Best Of...” CD Project Debbie & Patrick Mezzetta for Marlow Guitar CD & raffle sales
Ronni Chandra Harvith for Marlow Guitar ticket sales at the concerts Julius Rosen & Shirley Wolock for Marlow Guitar ticket taking & cheerful greeting Deborah Drayer for working on Marlow Guitar Receptions, the Beatty Competition, & ICM’s Strategic Planning Committee (Chair) Miyuki & Shuko Yoshikami for general support & Marlow Guitar Receptions Berta Rojas for serving as Artistic Director for the Beatty Competition for its first 3 years Robert Scharf for Marlow Guitar ushering & Receptions Meagan Healy for ICM & Marlow Guitar social networking, design work & Marlow Guitar Receptions Jim Rose & Susannah Hills Rose for Marlow Guitar Receptions Keith Bickel for Beatty Competition website development & support Montgomery County Government & AHCMC for financial support & encouragement Ed Butterworth for ICM’s Board of Director’s Membership Committee (chair)
The International Conservatory of Music
Our List of Supporters
Gran Maestro: $10,000 & Higher John & Susie Beatty Hasani Jaali Arts & Humanities Council of Montgomery County Montgomery County Government
Maestro: $5,000 - $9,999 James and Amy Crews Cutts, PhD Charles DelMar Foundation
Artist: $1,000 - $4,999 Vittorio Brod Cheryl Dragoo, sponsor of the Marcin Dylla concert Carol & Chris Espinosa Duane Morse, Esq., sponsor of the Roland Dyens concert Equifax Foundation, matching Gonzalo Palacios, G. PhD, sponsor of the Joao Figueiroa concert The Reinvestment Fund, matching Shereen Remez, PhD, sponsor of the David Russell concert The DC Scottish Rite Foundation of Washington, DC, sponsor of the Beatty Music Scholarship Competition Composer Prize.
Virtuoso: $500 - $999 Center for the Arts at George Mason University Art Kosatka Loudoun County Music (VA) Middle C Music Michael DiMattina, MD Mike Hemmer, sponsor of the Marco Socias concert Myrna Sislen, sponsor of the Ana Vidovic concert
Patrons of the Beatty Competition George Washington University Music Department The Millennium Stage at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
The International Conservatory of Music
Our List of Supporters cont.
Performer: $250-$499 Edwin Butterworth, Jr. Chevy Chase @ Home Joan Collings Neil Doherty Deborah Drayer William Herrmann David Kirstein, Esq. Henry Levin, PhD Jim & Susannah Hills Rose Anne & Paul Williams Lucinda Wilson Shuko & Miyuki Yoshikami Acoustic Axis Instruments, Alexandria, VA Guitar Gallery, Washington, DC Steve & Linda Spellman from The Guitar Shop Jerry Lynn Guitar, formerly Jerry’s Music Kirkpatrick Guitar Studio, Towson, MD
Player: $50-$249 Frank Bevacqua Donna Boies Philip Branton Cho Family William Coleman, Jr. Vera Connolly David & Margaret Delia LeeAnn Duffy Karl Edler Peter Gray George Hammer Carl Hanson Thomas Haskins Catherine Healy Barb Johnson & Minh Le
Paul Krogh Fredric Margolis William Marple Julius Rosen, in memory of Beatrice Rosen Mary & Michael Rubino Robert G. Scharf Calvin Schnure Michael Shanley & Shirley Street Toivo Tagamets Bruce Weber Tim Wechsler Willner Family Gail Yano
EVENING OF THE CONCERT • Pre-Concert Lecture 7:15 - 7:45 pm - given by Professor Larry Snitzler in the downstairs Reception Hall of the Church • Door Prizes & Our Mailing List When you present your ticket to each performance in the Church, you are entitled to fill out a voucher to qualify for a free door prize. Prizes include CDs of the artist performing that evening or free tickets to upcoming performances. The International Conservatory of Music/ John E. Marlow Guitar Series will use the information you provide to create a mailing list to inform you of future performances. (We do not sell or give away this list.) If you do not wish to be put on the list, write only your name on the voucher. • Guitar Raffle & Rules to the Raffle Each concert, we will raffle off one guitar. Raffle Tickets - $5 each; 5 for $20. This year, six guitar specialty shops have contributed a guitar to use for the raffle, in support of the John E. Marlow Guitar Series. Please support these shops & guitarists: Acoustic Axis: 2405 Mt. Vernon Avenue, Alexandria, VA The Guitar Shop: Please call Steve Spellman at 301-807-7777 Jerry’s Music: Please call Jerry Lynn at 301-318-2317 Kirkpatrick’s Guitar Studio: 4607 Maple Avenue, Baltimore, MD Middle C Music: 4530 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Washington, DC Guitar Gallery: 3400 Connecticut Ave NW Washington DC Rules: 1. You must be present to win. 2. You can only win one guitar per season. 3. If you don’t win in a drawing on a particular night, your unpicked ticket will qualify for the next drawing until the end of the season. • Our Free “Meet The Artist” Reception Following each performance at the Church, the International Conservatory of Music hosts a complimentary reception in the Reception Hall downstairs. This is a great opportunity for you to meet the performer/s and have your CDs autographed and meet other music lovers and friends.
“...yours is one of the most important series in town.� Tim Page, Former Chief Music Critic of The Washington Post by email: January 17th, 2006
Roland Dyens, France Born on October 19, 1955, French interpreter, composer, arranger and improviser Roland Dyens began guitar studies at the age of nine. Four years later, he became a student of Spanish master guitarist Alberto Ponce and, in 1976, was awarded the Licence de Concert de l’Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris. Roland Dyens has a sensitive and colorful approach to the guitar - an unfailing openmindedness which brings together all forms of music to each and every one of his programs. For a long time now, his music has been an integral part of the instrument’s repertoire, placing him at the heart of a select group of contemporary guitarist/ composers who enjoy such a privileged position. His compositions and arrangements provide a new breath of life for the guitar as this player and composer never ceases to challenge the limitations of his instrument. The growing number of participants and auditors in Roland Dyens’ master classes is surely due to his natural ability to communicate with younger generations of guitarists which transforms the formality of a master class into a joyful encounter. Among the most distinguished awards obtained during the early years of his career, Roland Dyens received the special prize at the International Competition Città di Alessandria (Italy) and the Grand Prix du Disque de l’Académie Charles-Cros, both in honor of the major Brasilian composer, Heitor Villa-Lobos.
Roland Dyens, cont. At the age of 25, he became a laureate of the Yehudi Menuhin Foundation. Eight years after this, he was recognized as one of the “Best Living Guitarists” in all styles by the French magazine, Guitarist. On the 30th of September 2006, he was awarded the Chitarra d’Oro 2006 for his body of compositions by the Presidency of the Città di Alessandria International Competition. The following year, in 2007, he was honored by the Guitar Foundation of America (GFA), which chose him to compose the set piece for its prestigious annual competition. Master Class:1:00 pm on Oct. 14, 2012 at de Laski Performing Arts Building, Choral Room (A-323), Fairfax Campus, George Mason University. (Auditors, no charge.) To sign up, contact us: info@marlowguitar.org or (301) 654-6403.
Roland Dyens October 13, 2012
This concert sponsored by Duane Morse, Esq. Dedicated to The Veterans Writing Project
Concert Program Roland Dyens is unique in the classical guitar world, in that he always starts his concerts with an improvised piece. Each of these spontaneous compositions is different from his last concert or his next. You and he will experience this first piece of music together, for the first time. Classical player in his fingers, Jazz player in his mind... In the world of jazz, the notion of a concert program does not exist. Roland Dyens rarely gives prior notice of the pieces that he will play in recital. It is his way of creating the best possible atmosphere, by taking into account his audience, the acoustics of the hall and especially his deep desire to be true to his feelings at the moment that he actually interprets the music. In the same way, the improvisation is a sort of “tuning in” process, a prelude that is as indispensable for this special artist as it was for the lute players in the past, awaiting the “Suite.” In order to create the warm connection with his public that he treasures, Dyens prefers to announce his program from the stage, as the evening unfolds. This creates an interesting link between the world of jazz and those classical lovers who have a taste for musical innovation.
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Roland Dyens
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Marco Socias, Spain The great Spanish composer, Joaquin Rodrigo, said this of Marco Socias’ interpretations of his compositions: “A new recording of my guitar works is always gratifying. But in the case of this young Spanish interpreter, that satisfaction becomes a delight. Socias’ framework provides a deep emotional journey through some of my most emblematic works with genuine musicality and powerful technique.” (January 1998). Born in Malaga to a family of pianists, Marco Socias received his education in his hometown and later at the Musikhochschule of Köln, Germany. Among the teachers who had the most influence in Socias’ development are Carmen Gallardo, Antonio Company, José Tomás, Jose Miquel Moreno and David Russell. Mr. Socias has been awarded top prizes from a number of prestigious international guitar competitions, such as: Le Printemps de la Guitare of Belgium, the “Infanta Cristina” (Warrior Foundation of Madrid) and the International Competition of Gargnano of Italy. Marco has performed in the major cities of Europe, the Middle East and the United States. He is regularly invited to take part in a number of international guitar festivals and besides an extensive recital career, Mr. Socias is frequently invited to perform with various chamber groups and distinguished orchestras. So far, he has recorded 8 CDs, mostly of Spanish music. Currently Marco Socias is Professor at the Center of Music of the Basque Country, Musikene San Sebastian.
Marco Socias
November 10, 2012 This concert sponsored by Mike Hemmer. In Memory of Avis Hemmer, 1925-2012
Junto al General Life
Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999)
Fünf Lieder Aufenhalt Die Post Ständchen Lob der Thränen Das Fischermädchen
Franz Schubert (1797-1828) Arranged by Johann Kaspar Mertz (1806-1856)
Sonata, Omaggio a Boccherini, Op. 77 (1934) Allegro con spirito Andantino, quasi canzone Tempo di minuetto Vivo ed energico
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1885-1968)
Intermission Tres Piezas Españolas Tonadilla Tango Guajira
Emilio Pujol (1886-1980)
Sonata in A Major - dedicated to Andres Segovia (1924) Allegretto Andante Allegro
Federico Moreno Torroba (1891-1982)
Incontro - dedicated to Marco Socias Toccata in Blue
Carlo Domeniconi (1947-)
Marco Socias’ Program Notes Junto al General Life
Joaquín Rodrigo
Rodrigo wrote of his work, Junto al General Life, as being part of an imaginary suite (which includes the pieces of “Bajahdo de la Meseta” and “In Los Trigales”) that describes the Spanish landscape. He goes on to write: “All the world has heard of the marvelous gardens of the General Life, near the Alhambra; one can find the murmur of the perfumed breezes, a faraway sound of bells and flowers adorn the ground under the Myrtle trees. And thereto the guitar lies down and dreams.”
Fünf Lieder
Franz Schubert Arranged by Johann Kaspar Mertz
Although almost all guitarists of the 19th Century experimented in arranging opera arias, overtures, symphony and sonatas for the guitar (both solo and in ensemble), Johann Kasper Mertz was especially productive. Mertz was well acquainted with the original Schubert lieder and also of Franz Liszt’s transcriptions of the Six Lieder that were published 5 years before Mertz’s arrangements. Liszt, being conscious of the commercial value of making his difficult transcriptions accessible to the amateur pianist, wrote additional staves (called ‘ossia staves’) to his transcriptions with less complicated technical demands. Mertz usually refers to these staves in following Liszt’s arrangements as well as Schubert’s original writings for his guitar transcriptions.
Sonata, Omaggio a Boccherini, Op. 77
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco
Andres Segovia was introduced to Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco in 1932 while on a vacation trip to Venice with Manuel De Falla. Their friendship flourished and because of this relationship, Segovia was able to enlarge his repertory as Castelnuovo-Tedesco composed nearly 100 pieces for the guitar over the span of 30 years. This magnificent Sonata is one of Tedesco’s most dazzling and technically challenging virtuoso guitar works. The Omaggio a Boccherini is one of the finest 20th century works for the guitar.
Marco Socias Program Notes cont.
Tres Piezas Españolas
Emilio Pujol
Emilio Pujol was a Catalan guitarist, vihuelist, musicologist and composer. After hearing a performance of Francisco Tarrega, he took up the classical guitar remaining a pupil of Tarrega’s from 1902 till the master’s death in 1909. Pujol went on to become a celebrated guitarist, with concert debuts in London and Madrid in 1912. His tours to South America began in 1919 and he performed in Europe repeatedly from 1921. In contrast to his contemporary, Andres Segovia, who stroked the strings with his finger nails, Pujol always advocated – but never insisted on – Tarrega’s right hand technique, in which the finger tips rather than the finger nails were used. As a composer, Pujol published over 125 highly idiomatic original works for the guitar. The three pieces on tonight’s program are typical examples of his compositional style.
Sonatina in A Major - dedicated to Andres Segovia (1924)
Federico Moreno Torroba
Andres Segovia often spoke of the four purposes of his career: with the fourth purpose being endowing the guitar with a repertory of high quality, made up of works possessing intrinsic musical value from the pen of composers accustomed to writing for orchestra, piano, violin, etc. The first symphonic composer to heed Segovia’s request, offering to collaborate with him, was Federico Moreno Torroba. Torroba was a Spanish composer, conductor and critic. Although not a guitarist himself, his growing friendship with Andres Segovia---from 1920s till his passing--- inspired him to write a large body of works for the guitar. He also established himself as a leading composer of the Zarzuela (similar to our light opera). One of Torroba’s first works for Segovia was one of his finest—the Sonatina, composed in 1924. Torroba once spoke of this work as the first piece written for the guitar by a non-guitarist composer. The Sonatina opens with a sonata form movement that embraces a joyful and spritely theme. The second movement is a beautiful song-like theme that is especially appealing. The third movement ends the work with a playful rondo in which the lovely theme of the second movement is restated.
Marco Socias Program Notes cont.
Incontro - dedicated to Marco Socias Toccata in Blue
Carlo Dominiconi
Owing to his familiarity with Indian, Arabian and Turkish musical forms, rhythmical and tonal systems, Carlo Dominiconi was able to endow his compositions with a highly distinctive idiom which produced a uniquely personal style. As a performer, Dominiconi has played his own music at concerts all over the world. His compositions are primarily for guitar, whether solo, duo, trio, quartet or in conjunction with other instruments or voice. In addition, he has to date, written more than 20 guitar concertos, of which approximately half are for solo guitar and half for groupings of instruments with guitar. Many of Dominiconi’s works are played by renowned musicians such as David Russell, Alvaro Pierri, John Williams, the L.A. Guitar Quartet, Dale Kavanagh and Marco Socias, among others. His most famous piece is the unique Koyunbaba which was first performed in the John E. Marlow Guitar Series by John Williams, when he was presented in the year 2000 after a ten year absence from Washington. The work, Incontro, was written and dedicated to Marco Socias the same night after Mr. Dominiconi first heard Marco Socias perform. The work, Toccatta in Blue, is one of his works that are frequently included in concert programs. - Program notes by Regis Ferruzza
Ana Vidovic, Croatia Ana Vidovic is an extraordinary talent with formidable gifts that enable her to take her place among the elite musicians of the world today. Ana comes from the small town of Karlovak near Zagreb, Croatia and started playing guitar at the age of 5. By 7, Ms. Vidovic had given her first public performance. At the age of 11, she was performing internationally and at 13 became the youngest student to attend the prestigious National Musical Academy in Zagreb where she studied with Professor Istvan Romer. Ms. Vidovic’s reputation in Europe led to an invitation to study with Manuel Barrueco at The Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore where she graduated in 2005. Ms. Vidovic has given well over one thousand public performances since first taking the stage in 1988. Her international career has her performing in many major European, South American, Asian, and American cities to great critical and public acclaim. Ms. Vidovic has won an impressive number of prizes and international competitions including first prizes in the Albert Augustine International Competition of Bath, England, The Fernando Sor Competition of Rome, Italy and the Francisco Tarrega Competition in Benicasim, Spain. Master Class, 1:00 pm on Jan. 27, 2013 in Loudoun County, VA. (Auditors, no charge.) To sign up, contact us: info@ marlowguitar.org or (301) 654-6403.
Ana Vidovic
January 26, 2013 This concert sponsored by Myrna Sislen. In memory of her parents, Lindy and Marty Sislen.
Sonata for Guitar Op. 61 Allegro Andante Allegro vivo
Joaquin Turina (1882-1949)
Introduction and Variations on a Theme by Mozart, Op. 9
Fernando Sor (1778-1839)
Recuerdos de la Alhambra
Francisco Tarrega (1852-1909)
Granada Asturias
Isaac Albeniz (1860-1909)
Intermission Prelude, Fugue and Allegro, BWV 998 Edited for Guitar by Frank Koonce
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
La Catedral Preludio saudade Andante religioso Allegro solemne
Agustin Barrios Mangore (1885-1944)
Five Bagatelles Allegro Lento Alla Cubana Sempre espressivo Con Slancio
William Walton (1902-1983)
Ana Vidovic’s Program Notes Sonata for Guitar Op. 61
Joaquin Turina
Turina was a Spanish composer who studied in Paris, absorbing elements of French style, including French folk-music. He wrote his Guitar Sonata Opus 61 in 1932 and dedicated it to Andres Segovia. There are many themes, one strong and loud; the other, poetic, in a typical Spanish style. The last was composed with a strong flamenco guitar character.
Introduction and Variations on a Theme by Mozart, Op. 9
Fernando Sor
A staple of the serious guitar repertoire, Sor’s Variations On A Theme by Mozart is both beautiful to listen to and rewarding to play. Mozart’s contribution is relatively minor. Sor only made use of the basic melody from the theme of The Magic Flute as the basis of this piece. It is a testament not only to Sor’s groundbreaking mastery of his own instrument, but also to his general musical genius, combining brilliant simplicity and his familiarity with a Mozart melody.
Recuerdos de la Alhambra
Francisco Tárrega
Composed in 1896, the guitar tremolo study Recuerdos de la Alhambra is without a doubt Tárrega’s best-known piece. It evokes memories of the Moorish citadel located on a hill in the Spanish Granada. A haunting melody evocative of moonlight, calm and bittersweet, it builds in A Minor before launching into the key of A Major for the B section.
Granada Asturias
Isaac Albeniz
Originally scored for piano, Asturias garnered worldwide popularity when Andrés Segovia transcribed and performed the work on guitar in the 1920s. Asturias is frequently referred to as Leyenda, which means “legend”. Performers ususally choose one or the other name to represent the piece. Essentially, the title means “The Legend of Asturias” and has since become known by some as the “quintessential” Spanish guitar piece. During his career, Isaac Albeniz established himself as one of Spain’s foremost musicians. Through his activities as a conductor, impresario, performer and composer within Spain, as well as abroad. Albeniz not only contributed to the rebirth of Spanish nationalism but also gained international recognition for Spanish music.
Ana Vidovic’s Program Notes Prelude, Fugue and Allegro, BWV 998 Edited for Guitar by Frank Koonce
J. S. Bach
The Prelude, Fugue and Allegro, BWV 998 is an imposing and virtuosic work that incorporates the principal manners of fingerstyle instrument playing. Bach’s interest in the lute was nurtured by his friend Sylvius Leopold Weiss, a resident musician in the court orchestra at Dresden from 1717 to 1750. Weiss was regarded as the most renowned German lutenist of his day. A modern debate has risen in the twentieth century about whether Bach composed it for the lute or an instrument called the Lautenwerk, a lute-like keyboard apparatus. The indication on the autograph score, however, makes it clear that the music is “For lute or keyboard”.
La Catedral
Agustin Barrios Mangore
Agustin Barrios Mangore was one of the most successful and influential guitarist/composers of the first half of the twentieth century. His compositions range from simple etudes to wildly virtuosic multi-movement works. La Catedral is perhaps Agustin Barrios Mangore’s most famous composition. Composed in 1921, originally it was a two movement piece consisting of the “Andante religioso” and the “Allegro solemne” which are now the 2nd and 3rd movements respectively. It wasn’t until 19 years later that Barrios added the Preludio “Saudade” making La Catedral what we know it to be today.
Five Bagatelles
William Walton
William Walton was born in Oldham, England where his father was working as an organist and choir director. His singing ability was recognized at an early age which allowed him to receive a scholarship at Oxford as a singer in the boys choir. Walton had composed for guitarist Julian Bream. Bream commissioned The Five Bagatelles, which were completed in 1971 and were first performed by Bream on 27th May 1972 in Bath, England. Walton was so pleased with The Five Bagatelles that he later arranged them for orchestra.
João Figueirôa, Brazil Dr. Figueirôa earned his Masters and Doctoral degrees in Music from Florida State University under the instruction of Bruce Holzman. Prior to his studies in the United States, he studied with Mario Ulloa at Universidade Federal da Bahia, Brazil where he earned a Bachelors and pre-college Artists Diploma in Music. João Paulo Figueirôa has been warmly received by audiences in the US, South America and Europe. His performance career has taken him to South America, Europe and the US. He has performed in important venues in the US and Brazil such as John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, DC and Sala do Coro de Teatro Castro Alves in Bahia, Brazil. He has been also featured on television and radio programs across the United States and Brazil. As a soloist and a chamber music player, Dr. Figueirôa has premiered pieces by composers such as Paulo Costa Lima and Leonardo Boccia. He has also been invited as soloist with different orchestras, playing concertos by Ponce, Rodrigo and Vivaldi. Dr. Figueirôa was laureate in more than a dozen guitar competitions and in conjunction to his performing career, he has been in demand as a master class teacher and lecturer. He has held faculty positions in universities and guitar festivals in Brazil and in the United States. Between 1998 and 2002, he served as faculty at Escola de Musica da Universidade Federal da Bahia, in Brazil. Dr. Figueirôa was a graduate teaching assistant at Florida State University and is currently teaching at the Catholic University in Washington, D.C.
João Paulo Figueirôa February 16, 2013
This concert sponsored by Gonzalo Palacios. Dedicated to the Idea: We are all created equal although we do not know how.
Fantasia Brillante Op. 19
Luigi Legnani (1790-1877)
Suite BWV 995
J. S. Bach (1685-1750)
Água e Vinho Loro
Egberto Gismonti (b.1947)
Collectici Íntim
Vicente Asencio (1903 - 1979)
Intermission Aquarelle Divertimento Valsena Preludio e Toccatina
Sérgio Assad (b.1952)
João Paulo Figueirôa Program Notes Fantasia Brillante Op. 19
Luigi Legnani
Luigi Legnani was one of the greatest Italian guitarists of the romantic period. Legnani’s virtuosity was often compared with that of his friend, Paganini. One Spanish critic wrote of Legnani’s “remarkable agility of execution,” of his “tone of infinite depth and rare singing beauty,” and celebrated his cantabile on the bass strings. Nothing less was expected from a concert artist in the days of Chopin and Liszt. On his Fantasia Brillante Op. 19, the composer explores joyfully the instrument. The first part of the piece is a slow and calm introduction that prepares the scene for a brilliant and playful piece of music.
Suite BWV 995
J. S. Bach
The Suite in G Minor BWV 995 was written by Bach between the spring of 1727 and the winter of 1731, it is a transcription of his own Cello Suite No. 5, BWV 1011. It incorporates the ornateness of the French lute tradition, as well as the simplicity and directness of the German style. This suite demonstrates Bach’s ability to create a powerful personal idiom by effectively fusing different national styles.
Água e Vinho Loro
Egberto Gismonti
The Brazilian composer, Egberto Gismonti, began his formal music studies at the age of six on piano. After studying classical music for 15 years, he went to Paris to study orchestration and analysis with Nadia Boulanger and the composer Jean Barraqué. His composition style moves fluidly between classical and jazz, improvised and composed, popular and experimental music. Água e Vinho features a very contemplative melody. It translates from Portuguese as “Water and Wine”. Loro means “Parrot” and is a very lively and outgoing piece based on the brazilian rhythm called Baião.
Collectici Íntim
Vicente Asencio
Vicente Asencio, whose ashes are placed close to the grave of Tárrega in Vilareal, was one of the Catalonian composers who, like Federico Mompou, Roberto Gerhard and Joan Manén, followed in the wake of Manuel de Falla. The element of mysticism and introspection that is in the piano music of Mompou is in the guitar music of Asencio. cont.
João Paulo Figueirôa Program Notes cont.
Collectici Íntim - cont.
Vicente Asencio
Suite Mistica is specifically associated with religious contemplation, but Collectici Intim is more intimately personal and sometimes verges on the sentimental, but without lapsing into sentimentality. The titles of the movements speak for themselves: “La serenor” (Serenity), “La joia” (Joy), “La calma” (Calm), inspired by the Valencian legend La flor del lliri blau (The flower of the blue lily), “La gaubança” (Elation), a happy jotaü and a tribute to Falla, “La frisança” (The Shiver). These are all emotions that each of us has felt in our own lives.
Aquarelle
Sérgio Assad
Sérgio Assad and his brother, Odair Assad, are considered today one of the most important guitar duos in the world. Sérgio Assad’s compositions and arrangements for the guitar are no less significant than his performance skills. He has composed more than forty pieces for guitar and different consorts of instruments, including guitar and clarinet; choir and two guitars; guitar and flute; guitar and orchestra; and many others. This piece was the first piece composed by Assad for solo guitar. Aquarelle was dedicated to the Scottish guitar player David Russell, and it became Assad’s best known work. This composition was made during the same period as the Suite Brasileira and demonstrates how strong this new momentum was in Assad’s compositional style. The music approach where Assad’s writing is treated freely and spontaneously, is replaced by a wide spectrum of compositional devices, including the use of ostinatos with Brazilian rhythms implied and complex counterpoint. The articulation in this piece, as in many others of Assad’s works, is another point of challenge. The first movement is based on the Brazilian Marcha- Rancho rhythm. It is a very difficult piece and requires a high level of virtuosity level from the interpreter. The second movement, “Valseana”, was composed earlier, in 1985. It is a melodic and well-balanced piece. It also gives a contrast between the movements. The third movement contains a brief prelude where Assad inverts the main motif presented in the first movement. The “Toccatina” is a difficult and highly contrapuntal piece.
David Russell, Spain March 16, 2013 Classical guitarist David Russell is world renowned for his superb musicianship and inspired artistry, having earned the highest praise from audiences and critics alike. In recognition of his great talent and his international career, he was named a Fellow of The Royal Academy of Music in London in 1997. In May 2003, he was bestowed the great honor of being made “adopted son” of Es Migjorn, the town in Minorca where he grew up. Later, the town named a street after him, Avinguda David Russell. In November 2003, he was given the Medal of Honor of the Conservatory of the Balearics. He also had the honor of being the GRAMMY award winner in 2005 for his CD AIRE LATINO, in the category of best instrument soloist in classical music. After winning the GRAMMY Award, the town of Nigran, Spain, where he resides, gave him the silver medal of the town in an emotional ceremony. This concert sponsored by Shereen Remez, PhD. In honor of my mother, Estelle Gloria Remez, a World War II vet who served in the Army Air Corps as a First Lieutenant Nurse, and to all America’s veterans. Master Class, 1:00 pm on March 17, 2013 at the Chevy Chase Village Hall, Chevy Chase, MD, 20815. Come as a performer ($75)or auditor ($10 donation). To sign up, contact us: info@ marlowguitar.org or (301) 654-6403.
Photo:© Kirk Rochester
Marcin Dylla, Poland Hailed by the Washington Post, as “among the most gifted guitarists on the planet”, Polish guitarist Marcin Dylla is a rare phenomenon in recent history of the classical guitar. Many music critics, connoisseurs and music lovers certify that Marcin Dylla is among the world’s elite of classical guitar players. He has earned this position, among others, to unparalleled number of awards including 19 first prizes from 1996-2007 at the most prestigious international music competitions around the world. In 2002, at the 7th International Guitar Convention in Alessandria, Marcin Dylla was granted a “gold guitar”, the musical critics’ award for the best rising young guitarist. In 2006, Cecilia Rodrigo, daughter of the legendary Spanish composer, Joaquin Rodrigo, chose Mr. Dylla to perform the world premiere of a lately discovered new guitar work by her father entitled Toccata (1933) at Reina Sofia Museum of Modern Art in Madrid. Marcin Dylla was born in Chorzow in 1976. He received his first guitar lesson at the Ruda Slaska Music Conservatory in his native Poland. From 1995-2000, he studied at the Music Academy of Katowice with Adi Wanda Palacz. He then completed his studies with Professor Oscar Ghiglia, Professor Sonja Prunnbauer and Professor Carlo Marchione at the Music Academies of Basel, Switzerland, Freiburg, Germany and Maastricht, The Netherlands. He is currently a professor at the Music Academy in Krakow and Katowice in Poland.
Marcin Dylla April 13, 2013
This concert sponsored by Cheryl Dragoo. Lieder Lob der Thranen (Praise of Tears) Ständchen (Serenade) Die Post (The Post)
F. Schubert/ arr. J.K. Mertz (1797 - 1828)
Mano a Mano
Magnus Lindberg (1958-)
Intermission Valses Poeticos Introduction: Vivace molto I. Melodico II. Tempo de Vals noble III. Tempo de Vals lento IV. Allegro humoristico V. Allegretto elegante VI. Quasi ad libitum: Sentimental VII. Vivo Coda: Presto. Andante Valse 1 Da Capo. Melodico
Enrique Granados (1867 – 1916)
Sonata I. Con pasión II. Expresivo, casi religioso III. Scherzando IV. Salseado
Roberto Sierra (1953-)
Marcin Dylla’s Program Notes Lieder
F. Schubert/ arr. J.K. Mertz
Marcin Dylla has chosen three of the six Leider written by Franz Schubert and arranged by Johann Kaspar Mertz for tonight’s program. Mertz was familiar with the Schubert originals and the transcriptions of Franz Liszt who included less difficult staves (called ‘ossia staves’) for the amateur pianist. Mertz worked from Schubert’s originals plus Liszt’s transcriptions using the less complicated added staves for his guitar arrangements. The exception, however, “Ständchen”, where Mertz departs from Liszt to include the final section of the song which Liszt omitted in the ossia staves.
Mano a Mano
Magnus Lindberg
Magnus Lindberg (b. June 21, 1958 in Helsinki) is one of the leading composers of his generation. He became the new composer-in-residence at the New York Philharmonic starting with the 2009-2010 season until the end of 2011-2012 season. Best known for his orchestra works, Lindberg has been writing chamber music for the guitar ever since the beginning of his career. Mano a Mano (2004) is Lindberg’s first piece for solo guitar. The work is cast in conventional three-movement concerto form. The work is symphonically constructed, and its harmonic structure works like a chaconne: a sequence of seven chords is repeated throughout the work. Mano a Mano is a powerful tribute to human life and its numerous manifestations, where the traditions of Western music have been harnessed to celebrate a veritable joie de vivre. lt is a rejuvenating and optimistic work. – Timo Korhonen (edited by Regis Ferruzza)
Valses Poeticos
Enrique Granados
Enrique Granados, like Isaac Albéniz, was one of the great Spanish romantic composers. Though neither Granados nor Albéniz wrote directly for the guitar, their art constantly evoked, as Manuel de Falla expressed it, ‘certain guitaristic values’. Valses Poéticos were part of a collection for piano under the title of Valses de Amor from which Granados selected seven pieces and added an introduction, dedicating the work to Joaquín Malats, like himself a distinguished pianist. The composition opens not with a poetic waltz but with a vivace molto introduction in duple time. The succeeding dances create various moods associated with the waltz, such as the melodic, the nostalgic, the humorous, the elegant, and the sentimental. The penultimate movement is a vigorous presto in six-eight time reminiscent of the brillante style of Chopin, and then the first waltz returns to provide a serene coda. - Graham Wade
Marcin Dylla’s Program Notes Sonata
Roberto Sierra
The first movement of the Sonata follows the traditional structure of exposition-development –recapitulation. Although the harmonies are not tonal, a strong sense of E permeates the whole work; each movement clearly ends and gravitates towards this note. The second movement is built on a simple passacaglia motive that builds to a climax, ending in the quiet manner in which it started. A wild scherzo precedes the final movement, based on Caribbean inspired rhythms. -Roberto Sierra
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Watch for Larry Snitzler’s compositions and arrangements to be published by Columbia Music Co., in 2013 www.larrysnitzler.com www.youtube.com/Larry Snitzler Plays “Torija” & “Manzanares” “Extraordinary...sensitive and expressive.” El Correo de Andalucía, Seville
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Nov. 11, 2012- CampSprings, MD Nov. 15, 2012- Gainesville, VA Nov. 17, 2012- Alexandria, VA Spring, 2013- Annapolis, Baltimore, Eastern Shore, MD
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THE BEATTY MUSIC SCHOLARSHIP COMPETITION FOR CLASSICAL GUITAR 7th Annual Beatty Competition March 8-11, 2013 George Washington University Washington, DC
Celebrating the music of Mauro Giuliani with a $1000 scholarship for the best performance of a Giuliani composition. Set pieces to be composed by Frank Wallace, USA Amy Crews Cutts - Executive Director Glenn Caluda - Artistic Director
2012 Winners Katie Cho Youth Division Robbie Belson Junior Division Young Jun Lim Senior Division & Grand Prize Jake Kelsey Composer’s Prize