Research

The solo classical guitar concerto : a soloist’s preparatory guide to selected works

The study addresses the preparatory information needs of potential performers of solo classical guitar concerti. Identifying a range of specific decisions that play an important part in the pre-performance planning of an anticipated concerto performance provides performance considerations for each selected concerto. The content of six solo classical guitar concerti spanning almost 180 years by six composers from four countries was analysed for the purpose of this study. Two early guitar concerti by guitarist composers Mauro Giuliani (1781-1829) and Ferdinando Carulli (1770-1841), two modern concerti by non-guitarist composers Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895-1968) and Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999) and two modern concerti by guitarist composers Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959) and Leo Brouwer (b.1939) were investigated. The study examines specific compositional and performance aspects of each concerto to serve as a guideline for professional performers, students and teachers. Each concerto was analysed according to similar themes: the historical significance of the investigated concerti, pre-performance considerations, the level of difficulty of selected concerti, technical observations, performance recommendations and observations regarding balance between the soloist and orchestra. As an addendum the study provides a comprehensive list of published concerti for solo classical guitar.


“Practice Makes Perfect” and other Fairytales: Presentation for the 2020 South African String Convention

“PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT” and other Fairytales in an informative presentation that includes a discussion and demonstration on traditional as well as new practice strategies, using computer science and manufacturing industries as well as principles from Western and Eastern philosophy such as Stoicism and Kaizen as inspiration. This talk was presented at the 2020 South African String Convention and includes a virtual question and answers session with guitar students from Stellenbosch Konservatorium.

Presentation for the 2020 South African String Convention

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