Move Records Australian classical & art music, est. 1968
Front cover art for Guitar Concerto

Guitar Concerto

This recording looks toward a twenty-first-century classical aesthetic, deliberately crossing the line between concert music and popular song so that new work can again speak plainly to listeners and performers.

Andrew Blythvirtual orchestra Owen Thomsonguitar
  • CatalogueMCD 296
  • Released2005
  • Playing time37 minutes 23 seconds

Listen & tracks

2 works · 37:23

  1. Guitar ConcertoAndrew Blyth 3 movements26:40
    1. 1 i. Allegro 8:22
    2. 2 ii. Andante 10:23
    3. 3 iii. Allegro Vivo 7:55
  2. Three SongsAndrew Blyth 3 movements10:43
    1. 4 A heart 3:51
    2. 5 Autumn Walk 3:20
    3. 6 Trudyanne's song 3:32

Recognisable forms supply the model. The three songs, scored for orchestra with guitar soloist, take popular song shapes and treat them as abstract pieces whose first duty is a good tune, holding that all music begins with song and melody.

That language is stretched in the Guitar Concerto, where traditional concerto form balances melodic and rhythmic interest inside a familiar harmonic frame. Owen Thomson is the soloist against Andrew Blyth’s virtual orchestra. The disc is dedicated to the composer’s wife, Trudyanne.

In the artist’s words

The music on this CD looks forward to the twenty-first century and the possibility of a new aesthetic for classical music. At the end of the twentieth century, classical music suffered from an apparent paradox: new additions to the repertoire were desperately needed but composers seemed unable to write music that could appeal to listeners and performers. As a result, classical music ceased to have cultural significance and now appears to us as the relic of a distant past. Only composers can remedy this situation. By writing music that aims to engender and appeal to audiences, I am hoping to revive the role of the composer-as-entertainer.

The music presented here intentionally crosses the boundaries between classical music and popular music. It looks to recognisable forms as a model for new music. The three songs arranged for orchestra with guitar soloist are modelled on popular song forms. They are abstract pieces that are simply meant to be good tunes but they also recognise that all music begins with the song and with melody. In this respect, these songs aim to encapsulate the most essential elements of good music.

The musical language which I have used in the songs is developed in a more extended way in the concerto. The traditional concerto form is used to organise musical ideas which balance melodic and rhythmic interest within an essentially familiar harmonic framework. The music is again abstract but aims to appeal to the average classical music radio listener. As with the songs, the goal of the music is melodic memorability, rhythmic vitality and entertainment.

— Andrew Blyth

Reviews

Owen Thomson plays the music with obvious affection and virtuosity and is accompanied in the Concerto by a "Virtual Orchestra" which intriguingly manages to sound quite authentic, albeit perhaps too perfect.

— John Barns, 3MBS FM Libretto

Artists

Photograph of Andrew Blyth

Andrew Blyth

virtual orchestra

Andrew Blyth (1958–2010) was an Australian composer whose music deliberately crossed classical and popular styles, with strong melodies, clear harmonies and rhythmic vitality realised through digital technology.

 Photograph of Owen Thomson

Owen Thomson

guitar

Guitarist Owen Thomson has received numerous awards, among them the G.E. Morris Music Prize and the Gwen Nisbet Memorial Award, and recently won the Adelaide Guitar Competition.

Digital booklet

Digital booklet Notes, texts and credits — read online or download the PDF Download the PDF

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$20.00 AUD

Compact disc

Buywell Music Australian Music Centre

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Also available to download from the iTunes Store.

Performers

Details

List price
$20.00 AUD
Total playing time
37 minutes 23 seconds
Release date
Categories
Australian, Classical
Genres
Contemporary Classical, Orchestral & Concerto
Musical work copyright
© 2005 Andrew Blyth
Sound recording copyright
℗ 2004 Move Records
Catalogue
MCD 296
EAN
9314574029628

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