Oberlin Fall Guitar Ensemble II

This week we staged the second of our two Fall recitals featuring chamber music the students have prepared this semester. Atypically, they studied several works for multiple guitars along with some mixed chamber music, including a composition of my own for guitar trio, which just saw its premiere.

The concert was played brilliantly, and the crowd was loud and enthusiastic in return. Our program was typically eclectic, with something for everyone:

A quartet of guitarists, Philip Lutz, Rebecca Kline, Zhuoru Lin and Brian King, played two of Gilbert Biberian's wonderful

Valses

:

Rebecca Kline returned to the stage for a performance of Émile Desportes' charming three

Pastorales

with Greg Gennaro, violin:

A guitar trio comprised of Jacob Blizard, Stephen Fazio and Leonard Renallo played two de Falla arrangements, 

Danse du Corregido

and 

Danse du Jeu D'amour

:

Next, our one-man chamber ensemble, Crispin Swank, both singing and accompanying himself on guitar, serenaded the audience with Dowland's

Come Again

, and two of the Britten songs,

Autumn Wind

and

Sailor Boy

, in a preview of his full voice/guitar recital scheduled for a later date this month:

The trio returned to the stage for the premiere of my two movement work,

Chimera

for three guitars. The piece merges two dissimilar styles (jazz/blues and Baroque counterpoint) in a lengthy Andante and a funky, virtuoso Fugue. They played it beautifully:

Finally, guitarist Max Lyman, with alto flutist Anita Zheng, wound up our evening with a gorgeous rendering of Toru Takemitsu's

Toward The Sea

:

Many thanks to the students who contributed to this performance, especially our two non-guitarist guests (who didn't get credit); it was a high point of the semester.