Hey!

We do try to give each issue a leitmotif. Today, however, is the first time that we’ve taken a monothematic approach to this newsletter. The self-imposed restriction of “young artists only” has delivered a rather diverse array of music, though.

Before we get started, we would like to thank you so much for the fact that, in addition to the newsletter, our "New Classical Guitar" playlist on Spotify is constantly growing. You are welcome to follow the playlist, send us suggestions and of course recommend it to others – just like this newsletter! 

Click here for the playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3ZwxJRAsW9Zs2JiS2eLy6a?si=qbfCVxFITQ2lG99KJI70Eg&pi=e-LuegGVi5Tsmc

Thank you all!

Alright, now let’s get going!
Stefan & Willi

YOUTUBE FIND OF THE WEEK
Margaret Caltabiano plays Hika by Leo Brouwer

Oops, is that Tōru Takemitsu or Leo Brower? Assuming you were hearing this piece for the first time. There would be a few passages at the beginning where you would have to keep changing your mind as to which composer has written it. Takemitsu? Brouwer?

After all, it’s an homage by the latter (Brouwer) to the musical language of the former (Takemitsu). But it quickly becomes clear that this is the handwriting of Leo Brouwer. 

"Hika" should certainly be familiar to many. A wonderful tribute by the Cuban composer, written after Takemitsu's death.

What we really like about this video – regardless of the compositional fusions – is the location. A modern art gallery. But: without the location/piece selection being imposed on us. The focus of the video remains calmly on the performer, Margaret.

We were particularly pleased with how much depth and yet playful aplomb Margaret performs here, and would like to recommend the video to you for many reasons. Video, performer, composition, choice of location.

And since Margaret is still quite young (14 years), we asked her a few more questions in this week’s interview to change the perspective and put ourselves in the shoes of the younger generation of guitarrer@s. What drives them? What kind of music do they listen to when they're not playing guitar, and what are their goals? So let's turn the tables, because we can certainly learn a thing or two from the younger artists!

Read more further down below. 

SHEET MUSIC
Fabian Zeller – Ondas nas furnas

German-Portuguese guitarist and composer Fabian Zeller describes himself as a crossover artist between worlds. His path to date has been paved by master class studies, a DAAD scholarship in Brazil, CD releases, including his world music solo program "NovoMundo", and concerts across half the planet.

He describes his artistic identity as a fusion of the southern joy of playing and the emotional intensity of fado with the well-founded structure of popular and classical music traditions. In any case, he has a seemingly inexhaustible source of creativity that he regularly taps into.

As a co-founder and artistic director of the "Gitarrenfestival Dresden", as well as an educator, he is obviously also intensively dedicated to the well-being of the guitar community. 

The piece in today's edition is entitled "Ondas nas Furnas" (Waves at Furnas Beach), and is part of a whole series of easy to moderately difficult guitar pieces called Klangszenen. This composition is dedicated to Furnas Beach which is known for its many caverns. When playing or listening to “Ondas nas Furnas”, do you also feel the waves undulate and occasionally crash into the caves?

We are attaching the link to the full book with a clear conscience, because we are really impressed by the contemporary, short and lovingly composed character pieces! And they are arranged according to musical focal points such as articulation, sound or balance in polyphony.

According to Fabian: "The focus is on imagination and musicality, as well as the perception of form and structure in music." A splendid idea, splendidly implemented!

Have fun checking it out –  and discovering what you can actually do with power chords… ;)

Here’s the link to the complete edition of Klangszenen…
https://www.fabian-zeller.de/produkt/klangszenen/

…and here you’ll find videos for all of the pieces:
https://www.fingerprint-download.de/fp8199/

ALBUM OF THE WEEK
Davisson Duo - La Vida Breve

Regardless of the fact that Elle Davisson won the International Youth Competition of the GFA (Guitar Foundation of America) in California a few days ago, she has been on the radar for some time as a duo with her brother Jack.

And last year, the two young musicians released a fantastic album. La vida breve – the short life. And it seems like they really don’t want to take their time. And why should they? Equipped as they are with so much enthusiasm and talent.

The album comes with a whole palette of colors and sounds light and playful. But the recordings also have a good dose of virtuosity. This may come as no surprise: from Manuel de Falla to Joaquín Rodrigo, Manuel Castelnuovo-Tedesco and Astor Piazzolla, there's a lot in there that your heart desires at this time of year. 

What really blew us away, however, was the duet’s interpretation of "Jorbo" from the Suite del Recuerdo by José Luis Merlin. Very eloquently played, maintaining maximum joie de vivre. The percussive elements fuel this impression. The short, wonderful life.

Have a listen and get carried away. 

Album link: https://lnkfi.re/Davissio_duo

KNOW-HOW 
with Margaret Caltabiano

How cool that Margaret, at the young age of 14, took the time to answer our questions. In the YouTube Find of the Week further above, we already said that we are quite interested in her view on things. Read for yourself what came out of it :) 

Hi Margaret, what fascinates you most about the guitar?

What fascinates me most about the classical guitar is that you can produce so many different timbres – if you just listen carefully. I didn't realize that at first. I'm also constantly discovering new pieces that I've never heard before or didn't even know could be played on the classical guitar. In addition to classical music, there are many other styles that rely on the guitar – including electric guitar – that I would like to learn!

Do you remember how you first got into playing the instrument?

I actually started with the electric guitar. My parents once gave me one and then my father showed me a thing or two. I think I was seven years old back then. Sometime after that I had classical lessons and was really happy that I could already play a few chords and rhythms and didn't just have to play boring melodies... One teacher then really motivated me and from then on I just practiced more and more. I haven't really played the electric guitar for a long time though. I should do that again...

How do you prepare for performances or competitions, and are you nervous?

Of course I get excited before performing, but I also notice that it gets a little easier to stay calm each time. I prepare myself in different ways: When practicing, I first try to play only the parts that don't work yet, at different speeds and rhythms. 

But reading the question, I noticed that I could actually get better at this and that in many parts I should not just learn the fingering patterns, but actually the notes or chords in order to be really confident. To really understand the composition, you know. Fortunately, it usually works out ;)

When I have a concert coming up, I often play to other people or friends or make recordings to listen to myself playing. Some things you don't even notice when you play. What also helps me is to sing the pieces completely "in my head" to see whether I can really remember everything or whether my fingers just move automatically in some parts... That's when you usually mess up. On the day of the concert, I like to sleep in and try not to practice too much and not to put myself under pressure.

What goals do you have for yourself and the guitar? What do you want for your future?

There are so many goals! I would like to travel and play my guitar in many different places. At the moment I'm interested in competitions and concerts. I think I can learn a lot of new things there and develop myself. Also, there is so much more than classical music which I think is important for modern guitarists. I just want to be able to play more different kinds of music and not just one style. Later on, I could also imagine teaching, preferably at a university.

What are the first 3 songs on your (Spotify) playlist?

That’s a tough one! I have several playlists. Here are two of them:

Playlist 1:
(1) NUNC - Goffredo Petrassi
(2) Piano Concerto No.2 in C Minor, Op.18 - Sergei Rachmaninoff
(3) Solare - Fausto Romitelli 

Playlist 2:
(1) SKINNY - Billie Eilish
(2) Radiohead - No Suprises 
(3) The Smiths - This Charming Man

Imagine you could print one sentence for other young guitarists on a poster to be hung up at every music festival in the world. What would it be?

Music can change the world.
(Ludwig van Beethoven)

GUITAR AND…
SONUS Guitar Trio plays Marco de Biasi

A dynamic big bang in under 3 minutes. To bring this issue to a fulminant close, we have selected this young trio with an excerpt from Marco de Biasi's Eud Eires for you. Energetic, precise, sonorous, colorful, deeply immersed in the musical material… These are the characteristics that could be used to describe the musical content of the video.

The concert-like atmosphere leaves the creation of scenes and images up to the inner eye – which gets rather busy indeed! Apart from that, it's just great to watch Julia Żarnowska, Jakub Moroziński and Przemysław Religa at work. The three of them have worked out so many details! We would love to hear a complete recording of this piece by the SONUS Guitar Trio…

If you’d like to listen to the full piece and read along:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8GXbrgO9SY

OUTRO

We hope you enjoyed this issue. In two weeks' time, we will continue with an issue on the subject of female composers in the guitar world, inspired by a very exciting conversation with a female guitarist we met recently. Just this much: there will be a lot to discover.

See you in two weeks.

All the best,
Stefan & Willi

New Classical Guitar is a newsletter by Willi Leinen and Stefan Degel from TMBM. You can find our music and more information about our journey at http://t-m-b-m.com/.

On Spotify, we curate a playlist with our favorite pieces. Feel free to follow our New Classical Guitar Playlist at https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3ZwxJRAsW9Zs2JiS2eLy6a?si=9b2a737f01c043a4 and recommend new additions.