Deb and I have been enjoying a good stretch of time on the enchanted Greek Island of Hydra on the Saronic Gulf. We are staying at “YaYa’s” House, a small villa on top of a cliff which looks over the port below. The house is a 15-minute walk from the port, with over 240 steps to climb (we’ve counted them), but the view is worth it.

Every morning I have been working on new repertoire while Debbie works on her drawing project based on various flowers of Hydra. On a recent evening on the porch, I recorded a run through of a piece by Carlo Domeniconi titled, “Rose in the Garden.”

This piece is the 9th movement from Carlo Domeniconi’s Hommage à A. de Saint-Exupéry – a set of sonic depictions of scenes from Saint-Exupéry’s children’s book, “The Little Prince.”  The Cicadas provide a shrill chorus in the background. I understand that the Cicadas in Greece are the largest in Europe!

 
 

 

Mauro Giuliani (1781–1829), a contemporary of Beethoven and Schubert, was a musician with a mission: to raise the recently invented (but rather quiet) six-string guitar to a level of musical prominence in a world inclined to favor ever-louder operatic, pianistic, and symphonic music.

During the years 1806–1819, while he lived in Vienna, Giuliani’s dazzling performances made him the darling of that city, whose press and public hailed him as the greatest guitarist of his generation. His guitar works, rich in chamber music, were published by the foremost Viennese publishers and widely acclaimed. Against all odds, this poor guitarist of modest south-Italian origin made a place in history for himself. He was decisive in launching the classical guitar in central Europe as a versatile instrument capable of moving and enchanting audiences when played with skill and musicianship.

This video performance of “Le Rose” is taken from Choix de Mes Fleurs Cheries, “My chosen and dear flowers,” a cycle of ten short pieces written by well-known Italian composer and guitar virtuoso Mauro Giuliani (1781-1829).

I performed this piece during a student concert at the recent Classical Guitar Corner Academy Summer School held at Endicot College in Beverly Massachusetts. I hope to post a video soon of the live performance in addition to this “studio performance.” Playing for others in a live setting is more exciting for sure!

The origins of “Shenandoah,” perhaps one of America’s most recognizable folk tunes, are not easily determined. It is generally agreed that it was composed no later than the Civil War and become very popular both on land and sea.

There are a number of distinctive versions and texts that have incorporated this beautiful melody. Some believe that the song refers to the river of the same name. Others suggest that it is of African-American origin, for it tells the tale of Sally, the daughter of the Indian Chief Shenandoah, who is courted for seven years by a white Missouri river trader. No matter what text you prefer this song will remain an American classic.

The wonderful teacher/guitarist/arranger Gary Ryan who is on the academic staff of the Royal College of Music in London, has arranged a number of traditional folks songs for the classical guitar. I recently came across his arrangement of “Shenandoah” and decided to perform it for a recent workshop of the Classical Guitar Corner Academy

For those who like the technical stuff, here is the gear involved in making this video:

Cedar Double Top by Michael Thames (2022)
Augustine Imperial Red Strings
Recorded with 2 Line Audio CM4’s
Earthworks 1022 Preamp
Audient ID44
Audio edited in Reaper
Video and Audio edited in DaVinci Resolve
Filmed with Canon 90D with Sigma 18-35 Lens