Carsten Grøndahl
"GUITAR"
GVM - CD - 9201
Contents:
JOHN DOWLAND (1563 - 1625)
1 The most Sacred Queen Elisabeth, Her Galliard................................time 1:10
2 Lachrimae Pavane............................................................................time 4:08
John Dowland. English Lutenist who by his contemporaries was recognized as the foremost performer on his instrument. However, he never obtained the post as lutenist at the court of Queen Elizabeth. Dowland had to seek employment abroad and for eight years he was employed at the court of the generous King Christian IV of Denmark. Dowland, himself, erroneously belived that he was rejected for the coveted position in England because of his Catholic faith and was overwhelmed with melancholy. Evidence of his appears, for instance, in the lute solo Lachtimae Pavane (Pavan of Tears). This piece of music was "the hit" of its day - a hit which has lasted for 400 years.
J.S. BACH (1685 - 1750) BWV 1006 a:
3 Preludium.........................................................................................time 5:10
4 Loure...............................................................................................time 3:59
5 Gavotte en Rondeau.........................................................................time 3:22
6 Menuet I/II.......................................................................................time 4:19
7 Bourre..............................................................................................time 2:04
8 Gigue................................................................................................time 2:10
J.S. Bach. This suite is Bach`s own arrengment of this partita no. 3 BWV 1006 for solo violin. Bach furnished the partita for violin with several bassnotes, some harmonic embellishments and some ornamentation in the Loure. The result was this wonderful piece of music which bears no title or indication of which instrument it was written for. I play Bach`s arrengement on an alto guitar in E flat Major.
HEITER VILLA-LOBOS (1887 - 1959)
9 Preludium no. 1..................................................................................time 4:50
10 Preludium no. 5................................................................................time 4:01
As a child Villa-Lobos taught himself to play the gutitar. He supported himself as a guitarplaying street-musican in his native country, Brazil. His most prominent musical ideal was J.S. Bach. In 1923 he travelled to Paris, where he met Segovia. Their meeting resulted in Many compositions for the guitar, among others the "Cinq PrČludes" of whitch I have shosen No. 1 and No. 5. Music which is a conglomerate of European tradtion and the tradition in which Villa-Lobos has his roots - the Brazilian folk music.
ANTONIO LAURO (1917 - 1986) Valse Venezolano
11 Criollo.............................................................................................time 1:47
12 Vals no. 2........................................................................................time 1:15
13 El Marabino.....................................................................................time 1:16
Venzeulan guitarist, composer and teacher. Lauro first studied the piano. However, having heard a gutar recital, given by Augustin Barrios MangorČ, he changed instrument and began studying the guitar. His music is stongly influenced by Venezuelan folk music. The walzes with their characteristic 3/4 - 6/8 syncopation are small musical gems.
LEO BROUWER (b. 1939)
14 Elogio De La Danza..........................................................................time 6:12
Cuban guitarist an composer. Brouwer belongs to the leading personalities of present day musical life in Cuba. He has experimented with dodecaphonic, folk, seriel, aleatoric and electonic music, and is an extremely productive composer. His music for the guitar rank among the foremost pieces written for his instrument in modernistic style.
STANLEY MYERS (b. 1933)
15 Cavatina............................................................................................time 3:31
Myers wrote this piece of music for the film "The Deer Hunter" Thourgh this media it reached a large audience. Constanly I am asked to play this piece of filmmusic - so here it is again. In the arrengement of John Wiliams it is the encore of the album.
Recorded at GREEN VALLEY MUSIC Studio, Malm– in april 1992.
Photo and layout: Torsten Sverenius.
Engineer: Cristin Lindqvist.
Intruments: The works by Dowland and Bach are performed on an 11-stringed alto guitar manufactured by George Bolin, Stockholm 1975. The works by Villa-Lobos, Lauto,Brouwer and Myers are performed on a 6-stringed guitar manufactured by Manuel Reyes, Cordoba 1990.
Carsten Grøndahl
"SPANISH MUSIC"
GWMCD 9302
Contents:
ISAAC ALBŠNIZ (1860 - 1909)
1 Zambra Granadina (Danza Oriental).................................................time 3:56
2 Mallorca..........................................................................................time 6:57
3 Asturias - Leyenda...........................................................................time 6:40
AlbČniz commenced his career as an infant prodigy on the piano. Later in life he started composing, and, like Granados, he was inspired by Spanish nationalist musical idiom. The Flamenco guitar is manifest in Asturias' opening, contrasting with a Mooric middle part. Zambra Granadina with the subtitle Danza Oriental evokes associations to gipsy dances. Mallorca is a Barcarole in the manner of Chopin. I like the idea that AlbČniz in this composition pays tribute ta Chopin's stay in Mallorca. Llobel and Segovia were the first to transscribe AlbČniz' and Granados' piano music for the guitar.Concurrently with the development of my technique towards finer expressiveness their eminent transscriptions have been altered by me, and shortly before the recording took place were "finally" revised.
ENRIQUE GRANADOS (1867- 1916) Danza Espanolas
4 Menueto no. 1..................................................................................time 3:34
5 Villanesca no. 4................................................................................time 6:13
6 Andaluza (playera) no. 5...................................................................time 4:36
Granados, like AlbČniz, was a pianist, and neither ever wrote a single note for the guitar. They mainly composed for their own instrument, the piano. Was that because the guitar at that time was not accepted as a concert instrument? Or was the guitar more complicated to compose for than the piano and thus an obstacle to their musical imagination? Or was it simply practical for them as pianists to be able to present their own works? Anyway, a major part of their repertoire sounds excellent on the guitar. The spirit of their music craves for a guitar interpretation. From Granados' opus 37 called Danzos Espanolas I have chosen Nos. l, 4 and 5. These three movements shore the simple, but very dramatic alternation between major and minor.
FRANCISCO TˇRREGA (1852 - 1909)
7 Lagrima.............................................................................................time 1:47
8 Alborada...........................................................................................time 1:51
9 Capricio Arabe (Serenata para Guitarra)............................................time 5:08
T·rrega is considered the founder of modern guitar technique. Among his pupils were Miguel Llobet and Emilio Pujol, who entered an almost religious "sect' around T·rrega and the guitar. Segovia was not a member of the "congregation". In contrast to T·rrega he played with his nails. Segovia is often said to be self-taught, but the inspiration from T·rrega via Llobet is evident. T·rrega considered the guitar as the instrument closest to the human soul. This is obvious in Lagrima (tears), which to me represents man's inner tears - be they of joy or grief. Capricio Arabe with the Mooric air of a ride on a Camel`s back was one of Segovia's star turns already around 1908. Alborada (music box) makes me think of a child's big eyes when the lid opens and the triads work their magic.
FREDERICO MORENO TORROBA (1891 -1982) Sonatina
10 Allegretto........................................................................................time 3:34
11 Andante..........................................................................................time 4:26
12 Allegro............................................................................................time 3:53
Torroba's music contains Spanish rhythms and colours expressed with lyrical gaiety. He was the first all-round composer to write for the guitar at Segovia's request. Torroba knew, without being a gvitarist, how to use the guitar effectively, naturally, and with an admirable sense of economy in his administration of the music material. The Allegretto is in the classical sonata form. The Andante is like a beautiful lullaby and the final movement contains typically Spanish rhythms mixed with lyrical elements and mirth.
ANONYMOUS
13 Romance d`Amour...........................................................................time 3:51
"Romance d'Amour", "Du ”r den ende", "Jeux interdits" or simply "Romance" is an old Spanish tune.
Recorded at GREEN VALLEY MUSIC Studio, Malm– May/June 1993.
Dolby SR specttal recording. AAD.
Transcriptions of Albeniz and Granados: Carsten Gr–ndahl.
Photo, illustration and layout: Torsten Sverenius.
Recording and sound engineer: Carsten Gr–ndahl.
Intruments: Manuel Reyes, Spain Cordoba 1990.
Notes: Carsten Gr–ndahl.
Produced by Carsten Gr–ndahl.
Special thanks to Lars Trier.
Carsten Grøndahl
"BAROQUE MUSIC"
GVMCD 9703
Contents:
JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH (1685 - 1750) BMW 998
1 Prelude..........................................................................................time 3:04
2 Fugue.............................................................................................time 6:21
3 Allegro...........................................................................................time 3:30
The mature compositions of Bach belong to the most supreme arts in our entire European cultural history. Prelude, Fugue and allegro orignially entitled "Prelude pour la Luth. Ű CČmbal. par J.S. Bach" was not, as indicated in the original title, written entirely for lute. Bach himself probably played the composition on a keyboard instrument, either lautenwerk, harpsichord or clavichord. I believe, however, that playing the composition on a plucked string instrument, comes closest to Bach`s intentions.
GEORG PHILIPP TELEMANN (1681 - 1767) "3 Klavierstucke in suitform" Aus dem klavierbuchlein fur W.Friedemann Bach (1720). Trans. C. Gr–ndahl.
4 Allemande......................................................................................time 4:08
5 Courante........................................................................................time 4:41
6 Gigue..............................................................................................time 3:47
GEORG PHILIPP TELEMANN (1681 - 1767). Trans. P-O Johnsson
7 Fantasie no.3. Adagio, Presto, Grave, Viviace.................................time 4:14
8 Fantasie no. 6. Grave, Presto, Siciliana, Allegro...............................time 7:25
Telemann was a contemporary of the most famous musicians. The quality which popularized TelemannĄs music was the fact that it is "lighter" and less enriched than for example that of J.S. Bach.Telemann has written more compositions than H”ndel and Bach combined, among many others 12 fantasies for solo violin. J.S Bach instructed several of his sons in music, and in Klavierbuchlein fur Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (1720) J.S Bach utilizes Allemande, Courante and Gigue, among others, composed by Telemann. Here I play this three movements in transcription for six-stringed guitar.
ERNST GOTTLIEB BARON (1696 - 1760)
9 Aria................................................................................................time 3:14
Ernst Gottlieb Barron studied under the greatest lute players at that time Sylvius Leopold Weiss. His career began with Collegium Elisabethanum in Breslau. Later he worked as lute virtuoso at the courts in Gotha, Eisenach and Rheinsberg. Unfortunately, little of his music has been preserved.
GEORG FRIEDRICH HźNDEL (1685 - 1759). Trans. C. Gr–ndahl.
10 Lascia chĄio pianga.......................................................................time 3:19
Apart from instrumental works H”ndel has composed many oratories and operas. The aria that I am playing here is taken from the opera Rinaldo which was performed for the first time i London in 1711. I usually play the piece at concerts with a soprano, but I found out that it was fine to realise the piece solo on the alto guitar. Besides, this was common practice during the baroque period: The instrumentalist or the composer himself rewrote a piece and played it on another instrument.
Recorded at GREEN VALLEY MUSIC Studio, Malm– May 1997.
Dolby SR specttal recording. AAD. 2 AKG 414 ULS mikrophones.
Transcriptions of Telemann Fantasias for violin solo: Professor emertius Per-Olof Johnson. Transkription of H”ndel Lascia ch`io pianga and Telemann 3 Klvierstucke in Suitform: Carsten Gr–ndahl.
Photo and layout: Torsten Sverenius.
Interior: Museum of Sketches, Lund. Sculpture by Carl Frisndahl.
Notes: Carsten Gr–ndahl.
Recording and sound engineer: Jörgen Tånnander and Carsten Gr–ndahl.
Intruments: On tracks 1-3 and 7-10 Carstn Gr–ndahl plays an 11-stringed alto guitar built by George Bolin 1975. The upper 6 strings are tuned G-c-f-bb-d`- g` and the 5 bass stringes are tuned Bb`-C-D-Eb-F. Variations in the tuning occur. On tracks 4-6 he plays a 6-stringed classical guitar built by Antonio Marin Montero 1994.
Produced by Carsten Grøndahl.
Special thanks to professor in pianoplaying Hans Pålsson, professor emeritus in guitarplaying Per-Olof Johnson and organist at the Cathedral of Aalborg Niels-Aage Bundgaard.