DESCRIPTION:
Angelo Gilardino (1941)
DUE RITRATTI ITALIANI
II - "Cavaliere di Malta"

from "Angelo Gilardino Complete Music for Solo Guitar 1965-2013"
(C)2015 BRILLIANT CLASSICS

Cristiano Porqueddu, guitarist

Italian composer and guitarist Angelo Gilardino has been at the forefront of contemporary classical guitar music for over 40 years. His legacy is fittingly recognised by Cristiano Porqueddu, himself already firmly established as one of Italy’s leading guitarists, who pays tribute to the composer with this integral release of Gilardino’s works.

Recorded in chronological order, starting with compositions from the mid 1960s and ending with works written just a few years ago, Porqueddu delves in to the astonishing variety of music Gilardino has produced. From the ‘dreamy’ works of his early period – including Estrellas para Estarellas, Abreuana and Trepidazione per Thebit – a more formal style began to take hold from the 1980s, with the composer writing his first series of 12 studies (Studi di virtuosità e di trascendenza) in 1981. He followed up this success by adding another 48 to the collection, and since the 2000s the 60 Studies have become a central part of Gilardino’s oeuvre, having entered the concert programmes of several prominent guitarists.

Constantly striving to create a new type of dialogue between the guitar and accompanying instruments, Gilardino composed his first concerto for guitar and orchestra in 1996, sealing his reputation as an accomplished orchestral composer with an additional 16 concertos thereafter. During the 2000s, Gilardino returned to writing for the solo guitar, skilfully bridging the divide between atonal chromatic and diatonic modal music.

Gilardino’s compositions are inspired by music from all areas and epochs; from Mozart, Ravel and Messiaen to Scottish folk tunes and the beauty of the Mediterranean, there are few elements that are not represented in some shape or form in the composer’s works. Porqueddu studied under Gilardino at the ‘Lorenzo Perosi’ Academy in Biella, and under the composer’s guidance his compositions have won him international plaudits in his own right.

Angelo Gilardino is one of the most important guitar composers of the last half century. His unique style is a blend of the old and new, folk art and contemporary music, from Mozart to Messiaen, all his works are illuminated by a warm and mediterranean glow, a feeling of humanity and love for life.
Included are all the works he wrote for guitar solo & guitar and orchestra. Included are his famous 60 Trancendental Studies.
The set includes many world premieres.
No better advocate and interpreter could be wished than guitarist Cristiano Porqueddu, a lifelong pupil and friend of the composer, sharing the same musical passions.

Info and full tracklist:
http://www.brilliantclassics.com/articles/g/gilardino-complete-music-for-solo-guitar-1965-2013/