Concerto Métis (pour Guitare et Piano) by Roland Dyens, Performed by Austin Keller and Mark Neiwirth

Описание: Concerto Métis (Hommage à Ida Presti) by Roland Dyens, performed by Austin Keller (guitar) and Prof. Mark Neiwirth (piano) at Idaho State University during Austin's Sr. guitar recital. This version is the "Réduction de l'orchestre" for guitar and piano.

The underrated Concerto Métis, is a beautiful guitar concerto written for solo guitar and string orchestra which has been adapted to guitar and piano. Although harmonies are influenced by jazz, the concerto is written in the classical form. In the first movement “Allegro rubato” the first chord that the pianist plays is an E7#9, which is also known as the Jimi Hendrix chord. The second movement, “Andante” is highly evocative and mysterious. This movement is also meditative and includes the evocative guitar cadenza. During an intimate guitar solo in the last movement of the frivolous and fiery “Allegro giacoso”, Dyens incorporates an excerpt from one of Ida Presti’s etudes to pay homage.

“This, my first concerto, and the work I hold dearest even today, nevertheless cost me not only three months of composition but also several years of doubt and revision. It was first performed in Cannes in the year of its composition (in April 1990, with the P.A.C.A. regional orchestra), and for many years I alone took the solo part with various orchestras in numerous countries. Finally, the release of the recording (which took place in Armenia) and the appearance of the indispensable piano reduction have made it possible for the Concerto Métis to lead an independent life of its own, both for soloists and within music conservatoires. This concerto for guitar and string orchestra, written in homage to the divine Ida Presti, is in classical form (fast-slow-fast + cadenza), is marked by its "racial" variety which permeates the whole, and which unambiguously explains the word "métis," a racial mixture.” -R.D.

Roland Dyens (1955-2016) was a French classical guitarist, composer and arranger born in Tunisia, although he spent most his life in Paris and taught at the Conservatorie National Supérieur de Musique. He started playing guitar at the age of nine and by the age of 13, enrolled in the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris, under the instruction of the Spanish master Alberto Ponce. During his studies, Dyens became interested in composition and studied with Désiré Dondeyne, which eventually led him to winning first prize in composition. Dyens became one of the most prolific guitar composers of his generation. He made mass contributions to the guitar literature which are performed often today by guitarists globally. Heavily inspired by jazz, folk music and the rhythms of Latin America, Dyens has also released several volumes and arrangements ranging from jazz standards to Brazilian folk music. As a performer, Dyens was known for improvisations. Sometimes he opened his concerts with an improvised piece, and he might improvise the whole program itself. He was once told by a journalist that he had the hands of a classical musician but the mind of a jazz musician.