Notes from the 2017 Calcutta international guitar festival 2017. We thank the Indian Guitar Federation & the Calcutta Classical Guitar Society for organizing this wonderful festival. We hope these notes which were taken during the masterclasses, although highly condensed, will help the guitar community. Wherever possible we have provided some references and footnotes. Thanks Serenade for putting this out so quickly.
https://serenademagazine.com/features/high-note
Some notes on Leo Brouwer’s music
by
Kuldeep Barve
It was while watching those beautiful black and white films like ‘Lucia’, ‘Memories of Underdevelopment’, ‘Histoire de Revolucion’ and others in the Film and Television Institute of India and National Film Archives that i heard Leo Brouwer’s music for the first time. I was not aware of his work then or knew that he was a guitarist-composer of great repute. But i do remember that those soundtracks had something special in them. They had made a sonic impression on me which is as fresh today as it was then.
Later on, as me and a few friends became more and more interested in classical guitar repertoire and western classical music in general, his music was always discussed amongst some friends and fellow musicians. The works that attracted me most at the time were the ‘Preludios Epigramaticos‘(1981 – Epigrammatic Preludes). This is a set of short preludes; each prelude has a title which is taken from the ‘Poemas de Amor’ by the great Spanish poet Miguel Hernandez. It is interesting when one looks at some of the elements of form and structure used in these preludes and associate the poetry with the piece. I have come to understand this work now more as an impressionistic sketchbook. The first prelude has the title (loosely translated) ‘Ever since the dawn wanted/wished to be, you are mother’. Is the B and D ‘ostinato’ in Prelude No.1 a design element used to convey the eternal and perennial? Brouwer breaks the ‘ostinato’ with piercing rhythmic motives which provide the contrast and take the narrative forward creating an impressionistic texture.
Miguel Hernández
One of Brouwer’s most famous solo guitar work, the ‘El Decameron Negro‘ (1981) is based on some ethnic African folk tales collected in the 19th century by Leo Frobenius, a german ethnologist and archeologist. If one looks at Brouwer’s range of works, it is evident that Brouwer was taking inspirations from different art forms such as poetry, folk tales etc. It’s important to recognise the strong musical and cultural connections between Africa, Cuba and Latin America which go back to the slave trade and migrations to be able to contextualise and appreciate this music. The deep rooted relations between Africa and Cuba were studied and articulated by the ethnomusicologist and afro-cuban culture scholar Fernando Ortiz in the 1920s. From that period on, there was a school of thought in Cuba which looked to go to the roots of Cuban culture and identity. On the other hand, there was another school of thought which felt the need to look for universality in Cuban music without destroying its essential cuban character. These musical discourses must have influenced the musical climate in Cuba when Brouwer was growing up and does help contextualising some of his musical thought processes.
Brouwer in various phases of his work has drawn heavily on the folk musics of these regions. His music has deep connections with Spanish, Latin American, African and European music. European classical music from the early 20th century and popular music from the 60’s onwards seems to have been a constant influence. It is important to recognise Brouwer as a pivotal figure at the crossroads of all these musical influences and cultures. It is vital to note the proximity of Brouwer to various types of popular music from the Beatles(Brouwer re-harmonised some Beatles songs) to Eddie Van Halen(‘Paisaje cubano con campanas‘ is said to be a tribute to Van Halen). Brouwer seems very interested in creating sonic textures which stretch the guitar’s sonic palette and possibilities. Much of his music seems dramatic and narrative with powerful rhythmic motives which weave together the themes and motifs in a very effective way. He seems very involved with the ‘visual’ aspect in music and this is not only because he has composed a lot of great film, theatre and opera music. The ‘visual’ character in Brouwer’s music is a subject which maybe deserves a detailed study on its own. His musical output is vast; he has written many concertos, chamber works as well as a great number of solo guitar works and it is very difficult to make any easy generalisations about his output. Having said this, his music does have his characteristic sound, sometimes evident through his motifs, sometimes through his angular rhythms and at other times when he paraphrases his own music in a completely different context.His contribution to guitar pedagogy cannot be overstated. The 20 studies for guitar have become standard repertoire for guitar students and concert performers alike. The ‘Etude Simples‘ are great studies and have great musical expression as well.
Leo Brouwer
Rederences –
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Brouwer
The Emergence of Leo Brouwer’s Compositional Periods: The Guitar, Experimental Leanings, and New Simplicity – Kim Nyugen Tran
LEO BROUWER : A Tribute Concert on 6th October 2017 | Mazda Hall, Pune
by The Pune Guitar Society(PGS),
There are less than four weeks to go, and even as the music begins to take shape, so do a plethora of support activities. Preparing for this, for all of us, has been a lot like mobilising ourselves for a revolution, though admittedly one not quite as tectonic as the CubanRevolution which shaped much of Leo Brouwer’s circumstances and his music.The program has evolved organically to include two of the Maestro’s concerti, one movement from a suite, and two solo pieces. It would take an entire week of concerts toput across even a cross-section of Brouwer’s prodigious output and multiplicity of styles. Ina little over an hour of music we hope to introduce audiences to a small fraction of his material. The performers include Kuldeep Barve, Kabir Dabholkar and Jayant S on the guitar and Meghana Dharap, Rose E and Tuhin Rao on the piano.
The two featured concerti – the Elegiaco and the Toronto – are contrasting works. The Elegiaco lives up to its name by being sombre in a very abstract manner, while the Toronto is a complex, bright and largely optimistic work, with its fabric woven through with multiple thematic statements and motifs. For me, preparing for both of these has almost required assuming two different personas.The first movement of Retrats Catalan will be included: with its references to several Catalan folk songs. This is a quiet movement, with the orchestral section expressing some unexpected harmonies.The two solo pieces were the most difficult to choose from the extensive oeuvre of the composer. It would have been tempting to include one of the longer works, such as El Decameron Negro or the Sonata, but we took a conscious decision to have short pieces, essentially to start and punctuate the program.
The concerti and the Catalan will feature piano reductions. This continues the efforts of the PGS to bring other instrumentalists into our programming – and the experience is very rewarding and musically enriching. Formally-trained pianists have a very different, structured approach to the learning of unfamiliar repertoire which is inspirational to watch and participate in. It would have taken me several months to learn music of this complexity, placed in their position. As it is, the role of the piano here has emerged as not that of a mere accompanist: the selected works are sonically closer to being piano-guitar duets and their original orchestral textures have not required more than a fleeting reference at best.
We hope that this forthcoming concert will build some local interest in Leo Brouwer’s work, as one of the foremost modern composers for the guitar, and also incite more musicians to work on collaborative ideas with us. There is a lot of potential in working with Pune-based pianists and this is a format which could yield several more concerts of challenging and engrossing repertoire. Watch this space!
An evening of guitar music from the 19th and 20th century
Venue : Gyaan Adab Centre, Pune
Date : 19th August, 2017
Time : 7 PM
Introduction
The Pune Guitar Society(PGS) presented a concert of guitar and piano music at the Mazda Hall in March 2017. This was the first concert in a series of three concerts planned this year by the PGS and showcased some important solo works from Spain and Latin America written for the guitar and the piano. The second concert, which will be presented at the Gyaan Adab Centre on Aug 19th, 2017, will focus primarily on solo guitar repertoire from early 19th century to late 20th century and will feature music from Italy, Spain, Cuba and Latin America.
The guitar repertoire till the end of the 18th century was not comparable in scale, complexity and structure to the repertoire of other western orchestral instruments such as the piano, violin etc. The period spanning the19th and 20th centuries is undoubtedly the most important period in the development of classical guitar repertoire. It is during this period that we see the guitar truly coming to life in terms of its very sound as well as the music written for it. The August concert program will represent a variety of styles and influences focussing on some of the most important works in this period with more focus on works from the 20th century.
With these three concerts, the Pune Guitar Society would like to underline and highlight the low representation of Spanish and Latin American music in our overall musical consciousness. A lot of great music has come out of these regions and continues to do so. The PGS will continue its efforts to bring this great musical treasure to audiences.
Concert at Gyaan Adab Centre – A brief overview of the concert programme in historical timeline
The 19th century
We start the recital with a great work by the Italian guitar virtuoso Mauro Giuliani, followed by some greatly influential Spanish music by Francisco Tarrega and Isaac Albeniz.
The Grand Overture by Giuliani was written in 1810. Traditionally, an Overture was written as an introductory piece for an opera. It was supposed to create excitement or curiosity for what was to come. But composers started writing overtures which could stand alone as compositions without any necessary connect to a larger work. Giuliani’s work is in that vein and is a masterwork which has stood the test of time and finds numerous concert performers giving it life even today.
We continue with three major works from the late 19th century by two great Spanish composers, Isaac Albeniz and Francisco Tarrega. These works are representative of the so-called ‘nationalistic’ style prevalent in the late 19th century.
Tarrega’s Capriccio Arabe (1892) is one of the most popular pieces in the classical guitar repertoire and is a beautiful mixture of castellan, moorish and european influences.
Albeniz’s Mallorca (1890) was originally written for the piano but lends itself beautifully on the guitar. It is a lament to the island of Mallorca where Albeniz spent some time of his life. Capricho Catalan, again by Albeniz, has a beautiful melody with a dance-like ostinato (a repeating musical motif) pattern throughout the piece.
Early 20th century
We come to the early 20th century with music by some of the most important and prolific guitar composers such as Heitor Villa-Lobos (Brazil), Agustin Barrios Mangore (Paraguay), Federico Moreno Torroba (Spain).
We present two pieces by Villa-Lobos, the Mazurka Choro and the Prelude No.2. Villa-Lobos combines elements from the Mazurka (a Polish dance form) with the Choro music form from Brazil. The Prelude no.2 is a dedication to the traditional Capoeira dance form and is a part of a collection of pieces, each dedicated to a particular type of music which was dear to Villa-Lobos.
Julia Florida is a beautiful Barcarolle (a boat song) dedicated to Julia Martinez, a girl who was a student of Barrios and perhaps Barrios was quite enamoured with her. The piece has a beautiful melody but also has contrasting sections demonstrating Barrios’s total command over the instrument.
Romance de Los Pinos, a short piece by Spanish composer Federico Torroba, is part of a collection of pieces called Castles of Spain. Torroba, a major Spanish operatic composer, was encouraged by Andres Segovia to write for the guitar and thereafter ensued many works by him for the guitar; all of them heavily influenced by Spanish traditional music.
Late 20th century
The late 20th century has been an extremely vibrant period for the classical guitar. In the late 20th century section, we present music by Leo Brouwer (Cuba), Sergio Assad (Brazil) and a lesser known, but nonetheless important guitar composer Jorge Cardoso (Argentina).
Milonga, a composition by Cardoso, is based on a musical form by the same name from Argentina/Uruguay. The traditional Milonga is said to have originated from the Habanera (a Cuban dance) and the Argentinian Tango. The piece has a lilting rhythm and exquisitely constructed.
Sandy’s Portrait by Assad, is dedicated to Sandy Bolton, a great patron and supporter of activities related to the guitar at the University of Arizona. The Toccata, which is the third movement from the piece, is a guitar showpiece, highlighting technical virtuosity as well as traditional Brazilian rhythmic complexity.
Cuban Landscape with Bells by Brouwer is a sombre and sparse composition which draws attention to the unnecessary deaths and strife that have affected Cuba due to economic sanctions. The musical devices employed move seamlessly between poignant melodic fragments and bleak, almost-dissonant arpeggiated chords.
The third concert – A tribute to the Cuban composer Leo Brouwer
The third concert in 2017, planned to take place at the Mazda Hall in Pune on October 6 (with support from the Poona Music Society), is dedicated to the works of Maestro Leo Brouwer and commemorates the Cuban composer’s pre-eminent position in the guitar repertoire. The concert will feature solo pieces as well as concerti by Maestro Brouwer. The concerti are presented as piano reduction accompaniments.
PGS at the Calcutta International Classical Guitar Festival 2016 – Interview with Nandini Sudhir
(This is the transcript of an interview with Nandini Sudhir, a very promising young concert guitarist. This interview was taken at the Calcutta International Classical Guitar festival 2016)
Note – ‘PGS’ is Pune Guitar Society
PGS – Hi Nandini! Tell us about your masterclass with Maestro David Russell
Nandini Sudhir – It was very interesting. I played the Campo from the Preludios Americanos by Abel Carlevaro for him. It was actually Maestro Abel Carlevaro’s 100th birthday that day. David Russell told me a lot of important points to look into and practice. The first thing he told me was that while playing, if you play a note and you are not happy with it, do not go back and play it again right away, but go on. He made a very nice comparison…he told me that human beings are not perfect…when i was playing i went back and played some notes..he instructed me to avoid doing that and to try to establish some security in my playing. Secondly he told me many technical things especially in regards to the piece i was playing […Here Nandini demonstrated a few things which David Russell had talked about in the masterclass…]. In the first section of this piece, the melody is in the bass but in the second part the melody moves to the treble. He asked me to stress on a few notes and make the melody in the higher register louder and try to make it sound more magical. We could only cover half the piece in the masterclass.
PGS – How was the overall experience of the masterclass…
Nandini Sudhir – I could not believe that this legend was sitting in front of me and i got the opportunity to play for him. It was really lovely and is something i was looking forward to since 2012.
PGS – How has been your experience this year at the Calcutta Classical Guitar Festival?
Nandini Sudhir – This is my most favorite festival…in all the festivals that i have been to!
PGS – Which festivals abroad have you been a part of?
Nandini Sudhir – First i went to the Thailand Guitar festival after i won the national competition here. The prize was an opportunity to go to the Thailand festival. There on the jury was the guitar-recorder duo ‘Duo NIHZ’. They invited me to the Nordhorn guitar festival in Germany and since then i have been going to that festival for the last four years. I have won some prizes there. I won the second prize at the Nordhorn festival for three years in a row and last year I placed first at the same festival. I won the first prize at the Twents Guitar Festival in Enschede. Aakash Saha won a prize there as well a few years ago.
PGS – Lets now come to the CCGS festival here in Kolkata. Tell us more about your experience here…
Nandini Sudhir – This is family. This is home! Every december i keep this week free to come back home to my family! Its like a home festival. I can be myself here. Everyone is one big family in spite of the fact that everyone comes from different parts of the country. Its a nice time to share music and other things..
PGS – What are you working on currently?
Nandini Sudhir – I have been working on the Campo by Abel Carlevaro. Then i have been practicing this piece composed for me by my teacher Annette Kruisbrink. She was on the jury at the Nordhorn Guitar festival. We really got along well and she gave me a masterclass and then we got the idea of having Skype lessons to continue our work throughout the year. This year, in May she composed a piece for me called RagaNana. Nana is what my close friends and family call me. This piece is in the Indian Classical style and composed for the western classical guitar, it has three movements – Vilambit, Madhya and Drut laya. It’s a very beautiful piece…[Nandini played a little bit of this piece..]
PGS – How do you look at your journey with classical guitar going forward?
Nandini Sudhir – Definitely i want to pursue music as my career and profession. Currently i am completing my bachelors in Psychology, Economics and Sociology in Bangalore. After this, i hope to join a conservatory in Europe and pursue my music studies there. Maybe do a bachelors degree in music performance…i really want to use music to help people and reach out to people. I might consider music therapy for this..I will be completing my degree in psychology next year…but music performance is my main passion.
PGS – Would you like to share some thoughts for players and students of your age or younger?
Nandini Sudhir – You should never be discouraged by what you might consider ‘failures’…everyone has their share of good and bad performances. But i think its important not to get disheartened if you make mistakes and it’s also important not to get too proud either. Its very important to stay humble…I think every young guitarist should keep in mind that patience and commitment is required.
PGS – Do you spend time listening to music?
Nandini Sudhir – I listen to a lot of classical guitar music. My favorite player is Marcin Dylla and i listen to a lot of his music…and also all the other great classical guitar players. Last October i have also started teaching at the Bangalore School of music. I have three students..they are 9, 10 and 14 years. One of them has composed a piece of his own at the age of nine and i am very proud of him! He is very musical..
PGS – Thank you Nandini and best of luck for your future musical explorations!