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John Duarte Guitar Music (Naxos 8.554554)Many of the works on this recording were composed with particular guitarists in mind. The "English Suite" was written at the suggestion of the great Spanish guitarist Andres Segovia, the "Suite piemontese" was composed for Angelo Gilardino, the "Sonatinette" for the debut Wigmore Hall concert of Alice Artzt, and the "Variations on a Catalan folk song" for John Williams. Written for the guitar by an acknowledged expert, the works on the disc reveal the many subtleties of the instrument, as well as being immediately attractive in their own right.
John Duarte`s musical philosophy has been neatly summed up by the composer himself: "As a composer I have never given much thought to what posterity might think of me - I will not be here to know it! My aim is to write primarily for the living and hopefully to give pleasure. |
A few words from the composer, John Duarte:
It was not I who chose Antigoni Goni for the task of making this recording - I was merely informed of it! However, had I been asked I could not have made a better choice. She and I are, I think, both romantics at heart and she is most happily equipped to express what I thought and felt in writing these works. I am grateful to her and to Naxos for what they have done".
Anecdote stories as narrated by the composer
…on English Suite
"When I had completed the English Suite Segovia told me: "You will be astonished at the success it will have". I thought this was no more than an expression of encouragement, maybe a 'stock' phrase he used at all such times. It has proved that he knew much more than I did, for this work has pursued me all over the planet.
…on Suite Piemontese and Musikones
The success of the English Suite prompted requests to write comparable works based on the music of other countries; two of these are included in this recording: The Suite piemontese, commissioned by Angelo Gilardino, uses folk tunes from the region of Piemonte, that which I first knew in the 1970s - and still know the best. In a radio interview in the 1970s the Greek guitarist Evangelos Assimakopoulos, referring to my first Greek Suite, said it was impossible to believe that I had never been in Greece - in fact it was written in two weeks in 1968 and I first went to Greece in 1984! I believe that the character of a people is encapsulated in its folk music and hope that this is reflected in my later Musikones, commissioned by Eleftheria Kotzia.
…on Homage for Antonio Lauro
"After I had returned from Caracas In late 1979, where I had first met Antonio Lauro, and had had several Venezuelan students in London, it occurred to me to try to write a waltz in the style of Lauro. During a single afternoon one became three! Their dedicatee later wrote: "With these pieces you must be counted as one of the best, if not the best writer of Venezuelan valses". Even allowing for a good measure of amiable exaggeration, it was a rewarding response!
…on Tout en Ronde
The 'seed' from which Tout en ronde grew was the first eight measures of the second movement, written for a sight-reading test in a competition. Ironically, it was best played by the contestant who came last out of the four finalists! Some years later I decided to expand these measures into a full movement. As the style was "French" and the form of the movement was that of a rondo, the final character of the suite virtually selected itself.
…on Birds and Sonatinette
The Italian publishing house of Zanibon commissioned a three-movement work from me - again in the wake of the English Suite but with no suggestion that it might be a sort of "Italian Suite". Why I chose Birds as the subject, I cannot remember! It was first recorded by the American guitarist Alice Artzt. I first knew her in 1967, at the very beginning of her career, and I sensed that she had a successful future in prospect. Some time before then I had decided to write a work for the superb Sudeten-Czech guitarist Barbara Polasek, but when I had merely sketched the beginnings of two movements I heard that, having had her third child, she had decided not to continue touring internationally. So I put the sketches aside. I returned to them in 1967 and completed the work, Sonatinette, for Alice Artzt, who played it in her debut concert. Some time after the work was published, I heard that Barbara Polasek liked the piece and was teaching it to her students - unaware (at that time) that it had originally been intended for her! She knows now!
…on Variations on a Catalan folk-song
John Williams, still in his teens, played incidental music for a London staging of Garcia Lorca's "Yerma". After one performance I met him and he suggested that one of the pieces he was using would make a good subject for variations. Within two weeks I completed my response to his idea with the Variations on a Catalan folk-song, my first large-scale work in variation form".
How to contact John Duarte
Postal address: 25 Brunwswick Grove, London N11 1HN, ENGLAND.
Telephone/Fax: xx44. (0) 20.8361.2731
E-mail: duartejohn.music@ukgateway.net
Anecdote stories as narrated by the composer
…on English Suite
"When I had completed the English Suite Segovia told me: "You will be astonished at the success it will have". I thought this was no more than an expression of encouragement, maybe a 'stock' phrase he used at all such times. It has proved that he knew much more than I did, for this work has pursued me all over the planet.
…on Suite Piemontese and Musikones
The success of the English Suite prompted requests to write comparable works based on the music of other countries; two of these are included in this recording: The Suite piemontese, commissioned by Angelo Gilardino, uses folk tunes from the region of Piemonte, that which I first knew in the 1970s - and still know the best. In a radio interview in the 1970s the Greek guitarist Evangelos Assimakopoulos, referring to my first Greek Suite, said it was impossible to believe that I had never been in Greece - in fact it was written in two weeks in 1968 and I first went to Greece in 1984! I believe that the character of a people is encapsulated in its folk music and hope that this is reflected in my later Musikones, commissioned by Eleftheria Kotzia.
…on Homage for Antonio Lauro
"After I had returned from Caracas In late 1979, where I had first met Antonio Lauro, and had had several Venezuelan students in London, it occurred to me to try to write a waltz in the style of Lauro. During a single afternoon one became three! Their dedicatee later wrote: "With these pieces you must be counted as one of the best, if not the best writer of Venezuelan valses". Even allowing for a good measure of amiable exaggeration, it was a rewarding response!
…on Tout en Ronde
The 'seed' from which Tout en ronde grew was the first eight measures of the second movement, written for a sight-reading test in a competition. Ironically, it was best played by the contestant who came last out of the four finalists! Some years later I decided to expand these measures into a full movement. As the style was "French" and the form of the movement was that of a rondo, the final character of the suite virtually selected itself.
…on Birds and Sonatinette
The Italian publishing house of Zanibon commissioned a three-movement work from me - again in the wake of the English Suite but with no suggestion that it might be a sort of "Italian Suite". Why I chose Birds as the subject, I cannot remember! It was first recorded by the American guitarist Alice Artzt. I first knew her in 1967, at the very beginning of her career, and I sensed that she had a successful future in prospect. Some time before then I had decided to write a work for the superb Sudeten-Czech guitarist Barbara Polasek, but when I had merely sketched the beginnings of two movements I heard that, having had her third child, she had decided not to continue touring internationally. So I put the sketches aside. I returned to them in 1967 and completed the work, Sonatinette, for Alice Artzt, who played it in her debut concert. Some time after the work was published, I heard that Barbara Polasek liked the piece and was teaching it to her students - unaware (at that time) that it had originally been intended for her! She knows now!
…on Variations on a Catalan folk-song
John Williams, still in his teens, played incidental music for a London staging of Garcia Lorca's "Yerma". After one performance I met him and he suggested that one of the pieces he was using would make a good subject for variations. Within two weeks I completed my response to his idea with the Variations on a Catalan folk-song, my first large-scale work in variation form".
How to contact John Duarte
Postal address: 25 Brunwswick Grove, London N11 1HN, ENGLAND.
Telephone/Fax: xx44. (0) 20.8361.2731
E-mail: duartejohn.music@ukgateway.net