# Guitar music with substance!



## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

So, NOT Segovia playing Asturias with what sounds like barbed wire strings: 




I'm talkin' more like the good stuff


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## aleazk (Sep 30, 2011)

Babbitt - _Composition for Guitar_; _Soli e Duettini for two guitars_

Babbitt rocks on the guitar!


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

Maurice Ohana - Concerto for guitar (tres graficos)


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## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

Not sure if there's a good link, but I have always loved Catelnuovo-Tedesco's first guitar concerto. And indeed, virtually anything else he wrote.

Not sure if this should be considered substantial, but it doesn't hurt the ears either. Barrios' La Catedral:


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

Barrios is totally substantial stuff when played well 
And the Tedesco first concerto is a good one.....although I wouldn't be so quick to include the Tonadilla on the name Andres Segovia though


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## Alypius (Jan 23, 2013)

A very recent discovery:

Toru Takemitsu, _Toward the Sea_ (1981). I understand that Takemitsu did three different arrangements of the same piece: Flute and guitar; flute and harp; and flute, harp and strings. This is the flute and guitar version. It's a three movement work built around the word "SEA" (Eb = eS, E, A). By the way, as for the Leo Brouwer that you cite in the initial post, he has two homages to Takemitsu and the one you cite ("Hika") is subtitlted "In memoriam Toru Takemitsu." The one you cite and one other is included in a recent Naxos compilation of Takemitsu's guitar music. I've yet to hear more than clips of this record, but it's high on my wishlist though (cover below):


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## Couac Addict (Oct 16, 2013)




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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

I love the Takemitsu. Especially the alto flute playing.


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## Blake (Nov 6, 2013)

Of course, another plug for Kyukee Park and her little angel hands.









Also, Graham Devine plays Brouwer on Naxos Vols. 3 and 4.
















Also again, Enno Voorhorst plays some Barrios for Naxos, as well. Naxos has a good bit of interesting guitar music.


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## Blake (Nov 6, 2013)

Another great disc of Brouwer from Naxos with Elena Papandreou. The cool thing about Brouwer is his admiration for modernist composers like Nono. He had a very progressive nature. You can hear that modern aesthetic coming out in his music.


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## Guest (Aug 8, 2014)

Toward The Sea is about as good as it gets 

Whatever you may say about his overall output (perhaps uneven symphonies, etc), I find Villa-Lobos knows what he's doing with the guitar.

COAG, have you ever listened to Richard Barrett? The new complexity thing may not be everyone's thing, but I enjoy his integration of electric guitar into many of his pieces. Not sure I've heard any other composer pull it off, except for the minor parts in the Penderecki partita.


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## Bruce (Jan 2, 2013)

I've always enjoyed Mertz's works for guitar. And I can certainly add my voice of agreement to those who've already recommended Takemitsu. He's a fascinating composer. I would also recommend looking into Henze's Carillon, Recitatif, Masque. Short little work, and very pleasant.


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## Blake (Nov 6, 2013)




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## Guest (Aug 9, 2014)

I heard the world premiere of this piece in June at the Guitar Foundation of America convention. Wow. It's an homage (in sonata form) to the victims of the Ukraine conflict. I think it's one of the best pieces written in the last few years. (It was recorded from the rear of the hall on a small camera, so the sound isn't too great, but he is recording the piece soon.)


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## Guest (Aug 9, 2014)

Another favorite, "Music of Memory" by Nicholas Maw. If the main melody sounds familiar once it appears--it is! Maw took it from Mendelssohn's String Quartet Op.13.


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## Guest (Aug 9, 2014)

And lastly (for a while!), Magnus Lindberg's "Mano a Mano."


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## dgee (Sep 26, 2013)

Fausto Romitelli for electric guitar - this and Index Metals are fantastic ensemble works with very prominent electric guitar. parts Trash TV Trance is a solo electric guitar piece






Salut fur Caudwell - Lachenmann. It's for two guitarists, which is an important distinction as they do a bit of vocalisation too. Neat to watch!


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## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

Rodrigo composed more than the Concierto de Aranjuez:






I particularly like the second and third of these pieces - the first is, um, insubstantial.


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## Morimur (Jan 23, 2014)

*Hans Reichel*


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## Alypius (Jan 23, 2013)

Lou Harrison, _The Perilous Chapel_ (New Albion, 1993)

Lou Harrison (1917-2003) studied with Henry Cowell and Arnold Schoenberg, was friends with John Cage, worked as a music critic for the _Herald Tribune_, by which he met Charles Ives. Eventually he ended up conducting the premier of Ives' _Symphony no. 3_. When Ives won the Pulitzer Prize for the work, he gave half of the award to Harrison. As Wikipedia notes: "Harrison is particularly noted for incorporating elements of the music of non-Western cultures into his work, with a number of pieces written for Javanese style gamelan instruments, including ensembles constructed and tuned by Harrison and his partner William Colvig. The majority of his works are written in just intonation rather than the more widespread equal temperament. Harrison is one of the most prominent composers to have worked with microtones." The record, _Perilous Journey_, is largely solo guitar (with periodic percussion accompaniment).


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## aleazk (Sep 30, 2011)

Steve Reich - Electric Counterpoint (III - Fast)


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## aleazk (Sep 30, 2011)

Elliott Carter - _Changes_


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

Mauro Giuliani, anyone?










I admit I found it at a used CD shop last year and I didn't have a clue what it was, but it's pretty good. He lived from 1781-1829, so that puts him squarely in the Classical Era.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

brotagonist said:


> Mauro Giuliani, anyone?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Sor as well! He has composed a couple of substantial sonatas, variations and other works for the instrument.


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## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

I am also a fan of both Sor and Giuliani (especially the latter). Perhaps not exactly Mozart or Beethoven, but well crafted and easy on the ear. 

If memory serves, Giuliani was acquainted with Beethoven, and sometimes played cello in orchestras performing works by B. Alas, the guitar was not a noisy enough instrument for Beethoven to want to write anything for it, and Mozart was dead before the instrument really became popular. We had to wait for Mahler to write a guitar concerto (although he called it a symphony, and kept the soloist's part rather small.)


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## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

What I do wonder is how on earth, in the days before amplification, a concerto for guitar and orchestra was possible - those early guitars had a sound less substantial than a lute (which is actually part of their charm).


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## Blancrocher (Jul 6, 2013)

Britten's "Nocturnal after a Theme by John Dowland." I'm posting this in part for those who don't know Paul Galbraith and might be interested in his instrument and style.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Galbraith


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

He's part of the Brazil Guitar Quartet isn't he? They've released an excellent transcription of the Bach orchestral suites for four guitars:


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

Silly me  These were two further victims of my dastardly mass-pawn in the late 1990s. I especially regret the loss of the Piazzolla album. I was just not that attuned to 'Spanish' guitar back then.


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## Guest (Aug 9, 2014)

Two other monumental works: Hans Werner Henze's "The Royal Winter Music" and Nikita Koshkin's Sonata. Koshkin has also completed a set of 24 Preludes and Fugues. I suppose worthy of mention are Manuel Ponce's three Sonatas and his "Variations and Fugue on La Folia."


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

brianvds said:


> What I do wonder is how on earth, in the days before amplification, a concerto for guitar and orchestra was possible - those early guitars had a sound less substantial than a lute (which is actually part of their charm).


That is my main complaint with the Giuliani. The guitar is just not prominent enough. I feel it gets lost in the orchestra. The Romeros, that I mentioned earlier, did a much better job in bringing the guitar to the fore in their transcriptions of Vivaldi:










Here we hear the guitars loudly and clearly. The guitars give these Vivaldi Concerti a charming Spanish flavour that is most enjoyable.


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## Blake (Nov 6, 2013)

Stepping back in time from this time... Riccardo Gallen does a really nice contemporary interpretation of Bach's complete lute works.


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

Following in stride, but not wanting to start a thread hijacking  I can recommend this one of the same music:









In original keys and tunings... this is a HIP counterpart by Lutz Kirchhof.


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## Blancrocher (Jul 6, 2013)

I'm loving the recommendations I'm hearing from this thread. A couple more from me.

First, a an old favorite, a twentieth-century classic: Walton's 5 Bagatelles.






The second, a composition that I've recently become taken with: James Dillon's "Shrouded Mirrors." No youtube videos, I'm afraid, but I see that there are a couple versions on spotify.

Some other interesting pieces on this album as well, including the Elliott Carter piece that's already been mentioned:

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=20904

*p.s.* And for Baroque: in addition to those mentioned, Sanz and Weiss.


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## Alypius (Jan 23, 2013)

Just stumbled upon this. This seems to fit in well with other recommendations on the thread:

*Adam Levin, 21st Century Spanish Guitar (Naxos, 2013)*










Excerpts here:


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## Guest (Aug 9, 2014)

brianvds said:


> Rodrigo composed more than the Concierto de Aranjuez:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I also like Rodrigo's recently discovered Toccata:






Invocacion y Danza:






and Elogia de la Guitarra. I can't find a good video of the entire piece, but here's a pretty good one of the first movement:


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## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

Kontrapunctus said:


> I suppose worthy of mention are Manuel Ponce's three Sonatas and his "Variations and Fugue on La Folia."


Yup, Ponce's always worth a listen. He also composed a very beautiful guitar concerto, as well as suites of pieces that he and Segovia initially pretended to be newly discovered works by Baroque composers like Weiss and Scarlatti. The little deception fooled lots of people for years, to the point where transcriptions of the pieces were being published as pieces by the supposed Baroque composers - the people who did the transcriptions from the records assumed the works were in the public domain!


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## Blancrocher (Jul 6, 2013)

brianvds said:


> Yup, Ponce's always worth a listen. He also composed a very beautiful guitar concerto, as well as suites of pieces that he and Segovia initially pretended to be newly discovered works by Baroque composers like Weiss and Scarlatti. The little deception fooled lots of people for years, to the point where transcriptions of the pieces were being published as pieces by the supposed Baroque composers - the people who did the transcriptions from the records assumed the works were in the public domain!


It's as a result of these notorious shenanigans that we still speak of "Ponzi schemes" today, I believe.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

Current listening 


ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Some seriously good performances of terrific guitar repertoire. Gabriel Bianco is a brilliant French guitars with one of the most beautiful, cleanest and expressive sounds I have heard. The Guitar Laureate Series on Naxos is one of the best sources of serious guitar repertoire with some of the finest performances around.


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## hreichgott (Dec 31, 2012)

brianvds said:


> What I do wonder is how on earth, in the days before amplification, a concerto for guitar and orchestra was possible - those early guitars had a sound less substantial than a lute (which is actually part of their charm).


Smaller rooms and smaller orchestras.
(Mahler used a huge orchestra though so can't help you there.)


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## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

hreichgott said:


> Smaller rooms and smaller orchestras.
> (Mahler used a huge orchestra though so can't help you there.)


By Mahler's time, the guitar had acquired a substantially bigger sound. But those early 19th century guitars! Even a string quartet would drown them out. Perhaps audiences in those days were more polite, and sat very still, and listened very intently. 

I have to say, mind you, that I find the sound of those old guitars very charming...


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

You might want to hear this if you haven't already, brianvds. These are recorded on a 19th century guitar and sound remarkable.



Vesuvius said:


> Stepping back in time from this time... Riccardo Gallen does a really nice contemporary interpretation of Bach's complete lute works.
> 
> View attachment 48302


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

Angelo Gilardino ~ Studi di Virtuosità e di Trascendenza

Studi di Virtuosità e di Trascendenza: 
Serie I No.1 & 12 (1981)





Serie II No.13 & 18 (1983) 





Serie III No. 26 & 27 (1984)





Serie IV No. 45 & *46* (1986)




Serie IV No. *46*; Les Jardins Féeriques





Serie V No. 51 & 60 (1988)





Musica per l'Angelo della Melancholia (1991)





~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alberto Ginastera ~ Sonata for Guitar Op. 47





Peter Maxwell Davies ~ Sonata for Guitar (1987)





ADD: memory served, but slow 
Elisabeth Luytens ~ The Dying Sun


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> You might want to hear this if you haven't already, brianvds. These are recorded on a 19th century guitar and sound remarkable.


Oh, I missed that! Played on a guitar


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## Giordano (Aug 10, 2014)

I see someone has posted a video of Paul Galbraith.

Here are two more:






A promo video with a short interview by NPR, and music:


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## Lukecash12 (Sep 21, 2009)

Alypius said:


> A very recent discovery:
> 
> Toru Takemitsu, _Toward the Sea_ (1981). I understand that Takemitsu did three different arrangements of the same piece: Flute and guitar; flute and harp; and flute, harp and strings. This is the flute and guitar version. It's a three movement work built around the word "SEA" (Eb = eS, E, A). By the way, as for the Leo Brouwer that you cite in the initial post, he has two homages to Takemitsu and the one you cite ("Hika") is subtitlted "In memoriam Toru Takemitsu." The one you cite and one other is included in a recent Naxos compilation of Takemitsu's guitar music. I've yet to hear more than clips of this record, but it's high on my wishlist though (cover below):


Oh god, I have to get my guitar and start learning that tomorrow. For the time being, here is one of my favorite pieces to play by Albeniz:






Tabei studied with Segovia, and while I have no comment on the op's opinion about Segovia further than I think his music did have substance, Tabei is more sensitive, less overly masculine and his playing is wonderfully clear.


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

I'm listening on Spotify to Davide Ficco playing the complete works of Carlo Mosso. I didn't know this composer, but I'm really enjoying the three quaderni. Austere and mysterious music, it reminds me a bit of Ohana but I don't know if it's a proper comparison.


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## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

And let us not forget how much Bach loved the guitar, and just how much music he composed for it...


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