Danza - Robin Hill & Peter Wiltschinsky

I was absolutely delighted when 'Danza' by The Hill/Wiltschinsky Guitar duo, became available for us to re-release.
Initially recorded and distributed by ASV back in 1995, it had however never been digitally available, so now was our chance to rectify this.

I was also very pleased because this CD happens to be one that means a lot to me.
At the time of its release I was frequently travelling with the duo, as Robin and I were yet to have children... and therefore have seen and heard most of these tracks performed in concert venues around the world.

Before I add a contemporary review of 'Danza' from 'Classical Guitar Magazine' and the eloquent and detailed sleeve notes from the original release, written by Graham Wade, I wanted to add a little inside information.

For example, Tracks 20 is the fabulous, 'Corta Jaca' by Radames Gnattali, taken from the Retratos Suite, this is a stunning piece based on the samba rhythm.
At the time the music was unavailable but the duo were desperate to play it. So, determined as ever, Robin listened to the only recording available and took down the notes one at a time.
As you hear the piece you will realise just what an undertaking this was!
But, worth all the effort as they gave many fabulous performances along with this recording.

I also wanted to mention the, 'Suite Italiana' by Mario Gangi.
Gangi had heard a recording of the duo playing another of his pieces, 'Suite Spagnola' and was so pleased with their interpretation that he composed the 'Suite Italiana' especially for them.
One review at the time of an important concert by the Duo at Rome's Sistine Theatre, in homage to Andres Segovia, mentions that the journalist involved happened to be seated next to Maestro Gangi and that Gangi was, "hardly able to hide his satisfaction for the lovely performance."

'Espagne', composed by the brilliant French guitarist Ida Presti, is the world premiere recording of this piece. The duo, having heard a tape recording of an old radio performance by the Presti and Lagoya Duo, were keen to record and perform this neglected masterpiece. It provides a spectacular demonstration of guitar virtuosity and compositional inventiveness.

The final piece I would like to mention is Robin's own composition, 'Tre Esercizi' (dedicated to Mario Gangi in reciprocity for the Suite Italiana) comprises three movements, Tarantella in E minor (track 8), Canzone in F (track 9) and Giga in A minor (track 10).
The review below, from 'Classical Guitar' states that 'Canzone' contains, "one of those compulsive melodic lines we all wish we'd written ourselves," but it's the, Giga in A minor that I want to highlight.
The main reason being that when performing this in concert Peter Wiltschinsky always introduced this as being, "One of the most difficult pieces we play," which always induced a little laughter from the audience and a sense of trepidation as the music began.
I recall the tension I felt as I played every note in my head alongside the duo, willing them to get through the difficult passages!
They always did.

You can find 'Danza' on iTunes, Amazon, CD Baby and many other digital outlets.

Below are the original review and sleeve notes.



DANZA - REVIEW - 'CLASSICAL GUITAR MAGAZINE'

A new release from the Hill-Wiltschinsky Duo is always a cause for celebration, and DANZA is no exception. From the opening bars of the Giuliani to the triumphant conclusion of Gnattali's brilliant Corta Jaca, this world class team remain on their very best form. Even the modest lute duets are despatched with a sense of style and grandeur which belies their relatively humble stature.
It is, however, the premiere recording of Presti's Espagne which makes this release such a major event. A momentous discovery by any standards, it will remain forever a mystery why this seven minute Fallaesque fantasia was never taken into the studio by its creator and has languished in obscurity since her death in 1967. Rich in texture and strong in thematic material, it is surely fitting that this neglected masterpiece has finally been adopted by one of the present generation's finest pair. Needless to say, the performance leaves nothing to the imagination - Espagne is typical of the colourful and energetic repertoire in which the Hill-Wiltschinsky Duo always excel.
Elsewhere, the situation remains equally impressive. Robin Hill's recently published Tre Esercizi are marvellously sophisticated miniatures, the central Canzone containing one of those compulsive melodic lines we all wish we'd written ourselves. More introspective is Peter Wiltschinsky's gently seductive Nocturne - a strategically placed moment of contemplation before the boisterous jota-based Danza.
All these delights together with the old favourites from Gangi and Vivaldi make this a CD of which no collection should be deprived.

By Paul Fowles


SLEEVE NOTES BY GRAHAM WADE:


MAURO GIULIANI (1781-1828)

TRE POLONESI CONCERTANTI, Op.137

Giuliani was one of the most celebrated guitarists of the early nineteenth century and his achievement in the realm of composition for the instrument ranks with that of Fernando Sor. Giuliani was a prolific composer and wrote a wide variety of works for guitar including concertos, sets of variations, studies, songs, exercises, chamber music, as well as some pieces for duo. A significant part of his career was spent in Vienna where he was well acquainted with Beethoven, Moscheles, Hummel and other leading musicians. In Italy he knew both Paganini and Rossini and may have performed concerts in their company.
The polonaise appeared in the Renaissance under the title of 'polacca' or 'polnischer tanz'. In the seventeenth century the French term 'polonaise' was used for pieces of Polish style or origin and over some decades this evolved into a professional dance faster than a sarabande but slower than a minuet. As an expressive musical form the polonaise was transformed for ever by Chopin whose genius enriched and elevated the concept in eleven spectacular works for pianoforte between 1817 and 1830.
The three polonaises for two guitars Op.137 were published seven years after Giuliani's death by Ricordi of Milan. The Italian composer's approach to the polonaise is concise and energetic, each of the three allegretto pieces having a contrasting Trio section. Rather than the extended polonaise-fantaisie concept of Chopin, Giuliani offers an integrated group of short polonaises, exploring the rhythmic and lyrical implications of this dance through the medium of the guitar duo.

FOUR ELIZABETHAN LUTE DUETS

One special aspect of music during the reign of Elizabeth I was the variety of ensemble music. The lute duet was especially popular and John Johnson was one of the first to compose for two lutes in an integrated way, both parts being of equal importance in melodic and harmonic material. Johnson became court lutenist to Queen Elizabeth, and was one of the earliest of the great lute composers of the 'golden age'.
The pavan (also known as pavane, pavana, paduana, and pavin) was the slowest, most stately dance of the Renaissance. It was customary after 1550 to pair the dignified pavan with the more lively galliard, a dance of Italian origin, in fast triple time, involving the dancer in energetic leaping steps. In The Flat Pavan, 'flat' indicates not that the music is out of tune but hat it is in a minor key.
The Fancy or Fantasy, was a form which displayed a composer's contrapuntal skills. Thomas Morley said that, 'in this may more art be shown than in any other music because the composer is tied to nothing but that he may add, diminish, and alter at his pleasure'.
Finally A Merry Mood is a moment of exuberance, a very different mood from the melancholy seriousness often associated with the English lutenists.

ROBIN HILL

TRE ESERCIZI

These 'Three Exercises', dedicated to Mario Gangi, evoke the moods and colours of Italian music through the eyes and ears of an English composer.
Tarantella in E minor pays homage to the lively dance from southern Italy where the port of Taranto has given its name to a spider found in the surrounding countryside, the tarantula. The bite of this spider was believed for centuries to be poisonous, causing an ailment known as Tarantism, an illness which could only be dispelled by the antidote of a lively dance, the tarantella.
The Canzone, originally a poem of the troubadour era, later became the title for a musical setting of a poem or an instrumental piece with a distinct melody.
Finally Giga concludes the triptych with a dance, the Jig, believed to have originated in the British Isles before becoming popular throughout Europe.

PETER WILTSCHINSKY

TWO PIECES

These two pieces are dedicated to the memory of the great Paraguayan guitarist and composer, Agustin Barrios Mangore. The first, Nocturne (written 1993), conjures up the shades of night with a reflective and lyrical atmosphere. It is in the key of G minor with a contrasting middle section in G major.
Danza (Jota), in the key of A major, is a virtuosic movement with its energetic variations based on the jota dance of the regions of Aragon and Navarre in northern Spain. The jota has been called the 'father of Spanish dances' and its origins may stretch into antiquity. It is in triple time, and the dance itself is characterised by swift leaps into the air demanding great physical strength and facility.

ANTONIO VIVALDI (1678-1741)

PRELUDIO & CORRENTE

Vivaldi was a much neglected composer until the twentieth century was well advanced when considerable research and catalogue of his works, along with a gradual recording of most of his output, established him as one of the greatest of all Baroque composers. He composed 46 operas (of which 21 are extant), 344 solo concertos, 81 concertos for two or more solo instruments, 61 sinfonias, 93 sonatas and trios, as well as many motets, liturgical works, oratorios, etc.
Preludio & Corrente were arranged for two guitars by Len Williams in the mid 1950s. The two contrasting pieces soon became very popular among guitarists and have remained so ever since. The movements are taken from Sonata in D minor, Op.1 No 8, (RV64, P1/8, M. 389) for two violins and cello (or harpsichord).

MARIO GANGI (1918-2010)

SUITE ITALIANA

Mario Gangi, Professor of guitar at the Rome Conservatoire, is known internationally as a prolific editor and arranger of music for guitar. Suite Italiana was written especially for the Hill-Wiltschinsky Duo in 1988. The Saltarello is a very lively dance in triple time, deriving its name from the Italian word 'saltare', to jump, and according to a note by the composer, inspired by an anonymous saltarello of Rome. The other movements are Melodia, evoking the warmth of a Mediterranean song from the area of Abruzzi, while Tarantella makes reference to a theme from the opera La festa di Piedigrotta (composed 1852) by the Neapolitan, Luigi Ricci (1805-1859), who wrote some 30 operas.

IDA PRESTI (1924-1967)

ESPAGNE

Ida Presti was a remarkable child prodigy of the guitar, who gave her first public recital at the age of eight. In 1955 she formed a guitar duo with her husband, Alexandre Lagoya, and their work together founded new traditions of excellence in this kind of ensemble which continue to inspire later generations of players. Presti was also an accomplished composer, though her works are not widely known.
Espagne has never been recorded previously and its inclusion here offer new insights into her remarkable creativity.

RADAMES GNATTALI (1906-1988)

TWO PIECES

Radames Gnattali was one of the great figures of Brazilian music in this century, composing both popular and classical music, and teaching many of the leading musicians of his country including Jobim, Bonfa, Gilberto, etc. His suite Retratos (Portraits), from which these two pieces were taken, was composed in 1957. The Schottisch is a kind of round dance or slow polka while Corta Jaca is based on the rhythms of the samba.

By Graham Wade

Super Mario, Shame Nose Flute, Guitar Strings Revisited

It has been quiet on the blog front since Robin's return from the Amazon but be assured there has been plenty going on.
The majority of time has been spent in practice, and lots of it, for concerts that are coming up and also working on new pieces.

However, there also seems to have been a stream of guitars arriving at the house, three in total, all to be tried, tested, and enjoyed.
Although all three are lovely instruments, none have passed the Hill test and will be returned in the next few days.
I shall not only be breathing a sigh of relief, but also very pleased to reclaim the downstairs of the house.
Three guitars in large flight cases, plus three huge boxes and the accompanying packaging, all take up rather a lot of space.

While all this has been going on I have rounded up another couple of unusual Google searches for you.
They are always popular and also serve to remind me about some of the strange things I have written about over the years.

1) How to play Mario on the guitar?

As we have two young sons I am fully aware that the person making this search was far more interested in Mario and Luigi than the Mario I was discussing..., but I hope they enjoyed it anyway. Here is where they landed:
'Hill/Wiltschinsky Guitar Duo Play Mario Gangi'

2) Polynesian nose flute national instrument

The post I wrote in 2007, 'Shame (Flute) about the African Nose Trumpet', has been a surprise hit for me. This post gets so many hits, mainly from America, and I have yet to figure out why???

3) Opera tea cosy

This search landed on the post, 'Opera House Odessa, Snails and a Tea-Cosy', one you may well remember from earlier Google searches due to the tea-cosy element.

4) Recorder notes to old house

One of the more unusual requests but none the less, they found their way to, 'Notes on a Recorder to Notes on a Scandal'.

5) Bird paintings by Robin Hill

This final search left me a little baffled as the unsuspecting researcher landed on five different blog posts, none of which I can really figure out. So if any of you can offer up a theory then feel free to leave a comment!

i) 'Classical Guitar Sound Waves...'

ii) 'Monet for Nothing...'

iii) 'An Eerie Quiet in Hillhouse'

iv) 'Domenico Scarlatti and the Honky Tonk Piano - Revisited'

v) 'The Many and Varied Uses of Savarez Guitar Strings...'

The Stories Behind the Music - Robin Hill on Reverbnation

Many, but not all, of the pieces featured in the new player, found in the sidebar, have been discussed here before on this blog.
But I thought it might be nice for new readers and followers to access the background information to these pieces, and have the opportunity to listen whilst they learn about some of the history of Robin and his music.

So to make life easy for you I have put all the links together in this post today.
So here goes.

Track 1: Eternal Dance.

Eternal Dance has been discussed many times here as it is a powerful piece of music. To learn more about the concerto version, as found on 'Virtuoso', visit. 'Arrival on iTunes and Eternal Dance - Robin Hill'.

For the quartet version, found on, 'Eklectica', then try this page, 'Robin Hill and Eklectica Play 'Eternal Dance'.

Track 2: Hispanic Dance.

One of the posts relating to 'Hispanic Dance' gives details of the composer, Claude Bolling, and more information about the four members of 'Eklectica', alongside details of the seven movements featured in the concerto, of which Hispanic Dance is the first. 'Robin Hill Plays Claude Bolling's 'Concerto for Classic Guitar and Jazz Piano Trio'.

Track 3: Bach Invention No 8.

Bach invention was first mentioned, very briefly, here, and in a bit more detail with this post, 'Robin Hill and Peter Wiltschinsky 'Arrival'.
I must say, that the Bach, along with track 8 on Arrival, Felix Mendelssohn's 'Song Without Words No1 Op62', are two of my duo favourites.

Track 4: Fiesta de Xabia.

I should point out that no bulls were hurt during the inspiration for this piece. To understand how Fiesta de Xabia was conceived then read, 'Fiesta de Xabia' by Robin Hill - Guitar'.
As yet, this piece is not available to buy, but one of the advantages of reading a blog such as this one is that you get little taster of things to come!

Track 5: Tarantella - Suite Italiana.

Suite Italiana was composed especially for the Hill/Wiltschinsky Guitar Duo, which you can read about here.
This honour came about after Mario Gangi heard the duo performing one of his pieces, 'Suite Spagnola', which you can read about on the post, 'Track 4 - 'Arrival' - Mario Gangi'.

Track 6: Wheatfield Under Troubled Skies.

This is an orchestral composition by Robin and you may be surprised to hear there isn't a guitar in it!
It's a beautiful piece of music and there are more details on the post, 'World Premiere - 'Wheatfield under Troubled Skies' - Robin Hill'.

Track 7: Palace of the King.

Now for something completely different, and one that really does highlight the unusual twists and turns that a career in music can take.
This is true Rock 'n' Roll with some of the world's best. Read this, 'Deep Purple Haze Days'.

Track 8: Wizard of Waukesha.

This is one of Robin's bands, Hooper, and yes, the man in the picture with very long hair, and playing a Les Paul guitar, is Robin....take a look here.

Track 9: Fast Forward.

This song has been around for many years, and is another example of Robin on electric guitar, playing one of his own compositions. To find out more about Robin's band, 'Hooper', (which, incidentally, includes two BBC Philharmonic Orchestra players!) read, 'Robin Hill and Travis Bean...Rewind to Fast Forward.'

Track 10: Caprice No 7 - Legnani.

Another example of a track not yet available to buy, but our gift to you. Learn more about Legnani here.

Finally,

Track 11: Celebration.

'Celebration' is a song performed by another band Robin has been involved in. They made an incredible sound and had a phenomenal brass section. Check them out at, 'Force Ten To Be Reckoned With'.

So there we are.
A little bit of history attached to all the tracks currently in the player.
I can, and will, be adding new pieces from time to time, so be sure to keep checking!
Just follow the link and then 'click' on the desired track in the player.

Track 4 - 'Arrival' - Mario Gangi

Track 4 on 'Arrival' was composed by the Italian Mario Gangi.

'Suite Spagnola' was composed in 1948 and is in three movements.
1. Andalusa
11. Fandango
111. Sevillana

This is a fantastic piece of music which I have heard performed by Hill/Wiltschinsky many times.
The opening, with it's precision playing by both performers, is perfectly synchronised and always impresses.
As the piece develops it's flamenco roots become ever more apparent and it becomes increasingly difficult to keep one's feet still!
In this recording Robin made slight adjustments to the original score to ensure both players had equally important roles, he also duplicated certain passages in octaves to strengthen the impact.

After hearing this recording of Hill/Wiltschinsky playing 'Suite Spagnola' Mario Gangi was inspired to compose one of his best known works for guitar duo, with Hill/Wiltschinsky as the dedicatees, the 'Suite Italiana'. You can read more about that here.

However, only the first part of the first movement of 'Suite Spagnola' can be heard, unless of course you buy it!
A few years ago I was lucky enough to meet Maestro Gangi, whilst in Bari, Italy, with the Hill/Wiltschinsky Duo.
We spent a very pleasant evening together and he took great delight in teaching me how to eat spaghetti like an Italian!
So have a listen to 'Suite Spagnola' and enjoy.

Track 4: Canzone - Robin Hill

The fourth track on the CD 'Virtuoso' is 'Canzone', an original Hill composition.
This piece was initially composed for two guitars, the central movement from 'Tre Esercizi', which has been performed many times.
Tre Esercizi is a formidable piece, especially the final movement, which Peter Wiltschinsky always introduced as, 'One of the most difficult pieces the duo plays!'
Robin certainly didn't make life easy for them.

Canzone was therfore the 'calm before the storm' of the final movement...

In fact the piece was inspired by the movement of waves, which is easily visualised with the ebb and flow of the opening phrases of the piece, and, is dedicated to Robin's friend, the Italian guitarist, composer and teacher, Mario Gangi.

Robin later arranged 'Canzone' for solo guitar and it has been very popular with audiences around the world ever since.

The original idea for Canzone was composed whilst on honeymoon in Antigua, sitting on the white sand beach, enjoying the peace and tranquility, as the warm water lapped at our feet.
Those were the days.....

Hill/Wiltschinsky Guitar Duo Play Mario Gangi

Back in July I showed you a review the duo received after a concert in the Sistine Theatre, Rome, to pay homage to the legendary guitarist Andres Segovia.
Towards the end of the article it mentions the duo playing, 'La Tarantella' from the 'Suite Italiana', which was composed especially for Hill/Wiltschinsky by Mario Gangi.
The reporter also mentioned that Gangi was seated next to him and was "hardly able to hide his satisfaction for the lovely performance."

Today I've decided to let you hear it for yourself.
This is the final movement, 'La Tarantella' from the 'Suite Italiana' by Mario Gangi, performed by the Hill/Wiltschinsky Guitar Duo.

Whilst I repair a problem you can hear the piece from the player in the sidebar.