Guitar Canon – 50 masterpieces for the classical guitar

In 2007, the GitaarSalon began filming many of its concerts. It was a way of sharing the very intimacy of a small, friendly venue in provincial Holland… with a larger audience. In fledgling BravaTV, we soon found the perfect media partner. As well as several hundred GitaarSalon films now online.

50 masterpieces for solo classical guitar

Nr.	Composer	Born-died	Composition	Time	(to be ) recorded by
1	Luys de Narváez	1510-1555	Canción del Emperador	3’20”
2	Luis Milán	1500-1561	6 Pavane	8’45”
3	Alonso Mudarra	1508–1580	Fantasia	2’00”
4	John Dowland	1562-1626	The Frog Galliard	2’15”	Matthew McAllister
5	Gaspar Sanz	1640-1710	Canarios	2’45”	Rick Doornbos
6	Robert de Visée	1655 -1732	Suite in d minor	11’00”	Lex Eisenhardt
7	Johann Sebastian Bach	1685-1750	Chaconne	13’30”	Raphaella Smits
8	Silvius Leopold Weiss	1687-1750	Fantasia	3’00”
9	Domenico Scarlatti	1685–1757	Sonata K 208	4’15”	Alberto Mesirca
10	Mauro Giuliani	1781-1829	Grande Ouverture op. 61	8’00”	Rolf van Meurs
11	Fernando Sor	1778-1839	Variations on a theme of Mozart, op.9	8’55”
12	Niccolò Paganini	1782-1840	Capricci no.24	6’56”
13	Dionisio Aguado	1784-1849	3 rondo brilliants pour Guitare seule Op.2	8’55”	Kristina O. Varlid
14	Johann Kaspar Mertz	1806-1856	Elegie	9’00”
15	Anonymous	–	Romance Anónimo	2’30”	Goran Krivokapic
16	Francisco Tárrega	1852-1909	Recuerdos de la Alhambra	3’33”	Xuefei Yang
17	Isaac Albéniz	1860–1909	Asturias (Leyenda)	6’00”	Gabriel Bianco
18	Joaquím Malats	1872–1912	Serenata Española	3’51”
19	Enrique Granados	1867–1916	Danza Espagnola op.35 No. 5	5’05”
20	Antonio José	1902-1936	Sonata para Guitarra	18’30”
21	Miguel Llobet	1878-1938	Diez Canciones Populares Catalanas	10’30”
22	Julio Salvador Sagreras	1879-1942	El Colibri	1’30”
23	Augustín Barrios Mangoré	1885-1944	La Catedral	6’57”
24	Manuel de Falla	1876-1946	Homenaje pour le Tombeau de Debussy	3’30”	Alejandro Aparicio
25	João Pernambuco	1883-1947	Sons de Carrilhões	2’30”	Rogerio Bicudo
26	Manuel María Ponce	1882-1948	Sonatina Meridional	8’58”
27	Joaquín Turina	1882-1949	Sonata Op.61	11’15”	Fabian Freesen
28	Heitor Villa-Lobos	1887-1959	5 Preludes	17’00”	Peter Constant
29	Francis Poulenc	1899-1963	Sarabande	2’53”	Jorrit Douwes
30	Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco	1895-1968	Capriccio Diabolico	9’47”
31	Frank Martin	1890-1974	Quatre Pièces Brèves	9’30”	Martin van Hees
32	Frederico Moreno Torroba	1891-1982	Suite Castellana	10’00”	Enno Voorhorst
33	Alexander Tansman	1897-1986	Cavatina	11’30
34	William Walton	1902-1983	Five Bagatelles	14’15”
35	Joaquín Rodrigo	1901-1999	Invocacion y Danza	7’30”
36	Benjamin Britten	1913-1976	Nocturnal	20’00”
37	Maurice Ohana	1913-1992	Tiento	5’20”
38	Alberto Ginastera	1916-1983	Sonata op.47	12’18”	Sabrina Vlaskalic
39	Antonio Lauro	1917-1986	Valses Venezolanos	11’30”	Frank Lamm
40	Astor Piazzolla	1921-1992	Cinco Piezas	21’00”
41	Hans Werner Henze	1926-2012	Royal Winter Music	8’16”	Otto Tolonen
42	Toru Takemitsu	1930-1996	All in Twilight	11’25”
43	Leo Brouwer	Born 1939	El Decameron Negro	16’00”
44	Carlo Domeniconi	Born 1947	Koyunbaba	9’16”
45	Jorge Cardoso	Born 1949	Milonga	4’24”
46	Francis Kleynjans	Born 1951	A l’aube du dernier jour	7’21”
47	Sergio Assad	Born 1952	Aquarelle	13’00”
48	Dušan Bogdanović	Born 1955	Balkan Miniatures	8’05”
49	Roland Dyens	1955 – 2016	Libra Sonatine	14’22”
50	Nikita Koshkin	Born 1956	Usher Waltz	5’46”	Marion Schaap
+1	Joaquín Rodrigo	1901-1999	Concierto d’Aranjuez	22’20”

Board

Pieter Nanne Groot

As president, programmer and guardian of the objective of Foundation Gitaarsalon Pieter Nanne is directly involved in the development and content of this Platform for the guitar. A guitarist at heart who by its versatility knows how to combine the different style attributes to a beautiful language that’s his own.

A finished Bachelor at the Amsterdam Conservatory, for two years at the Hilversum Conservatory department jazz and improvisation, two years private Flamenco lessons with Eric Vaarzon Morel, one year tango guitar with Kay Sleking and supplemented with various master classes which has made him a guitarist who let the instrument speak for him. (www.pieternanne.nl; www.gitaarsalon.nl)
In addition to his organizational tasks and administrative activities, he is still active as a guitar teacher and performer in different combinations to which recently The Guitar Road show is added.

Z.o.o. guitar duo (Marion Schaap en Peter Constant)

… has been described in Classical Guitar magazine as “premiere league quality”. Comprising the virtuoso talents of Peter Constant (Australian) and Marion Schaap (Dutch), both ‘Master of Music’ graduates of Yale University, the duo has built an international reputation over the past 20 years. Peter and Marion ran the guitar faculties of Melbourne University from 1992-1998, before moving to Holland where they are currently based (Almere). They have performed at countless podia and festivals in Europe, America en Asia, and appear on some 15 CD releases on various labels including Move Records, ABC Classics en Naxos.

The duo ‘Z.o.o.’ are prolific arrangers, from the music of Bach, Scarlatti, Vivaldi through to guiding and encouraging the many composers who have written especially for them. Z.o.o. guitar duo have long been leading exponents of ‘new generation’ guitars, such as luthiers Greg Smallman, Paul Sheridan, Jeroen Hilhorst, Graham Caldersmith. These include a unique collection of ‘guitar family’ instruments, which add new, rich tonal possibilities to the duo’s musical palette.

Peter and Marion are widely known as inspirational work in the field of guitar ensembles. They are the artistic directors of Stichting Gitaarorkest Nederland, and have led both the Netherlands and European Youth Guitar Orchestras with soloists including guitar ‘legend’ Pepe Romero. They have appeared as soloists with JGO Baden-Württenburg (Helmut Oesterreich), the Swiss Guitar Ensemble and various other leading guitar ensembles. Peter en Marion recently led an ensemble of 1,000 guitarists in the Olympic Stadium, Berlin, during the World Culture Festival 2011. Their annual ‘gitaarspektakel’ concerts are an established highlight on the Dutch guitar calendar.

website: zooguitarduo.com

Frank Lamm

As young as 11, Frank started his musical career at the Waalwijkse Muziekschool. His passion: the guitar. After finishing highschool, Frank can finally focus on music fulltime. He continues his studies at the Brabants conservatorium, under the auspices of Hein Sanderink. In 1996, Frank graduates with distinction as a Teacher of Music, a degree that enables him to teach in Drunen’s Music School Aleph today.

In the aftermath of his studies, Frank attends several masterclasses, both in the Netherlands and abroad. Amongst others, he studies with Raphaella Smits (Belgium), David Russell (Scotland), Roberto Aussel (Argentinia) and Laura Young (Canada). In 1998, Frank completed his Master studies. In 1995, Duolisme is born, when Frank and Peter Thissen start their collaboration, travelling across the globe to England, Belgium, Germany, Turkey, Switzerland, Netherlands Antilles, Malaysia and Scotland, where they taught a masterclass at the Music Academy in Glasgow in 2008. Duolisme also performed during the 18th edition of Iserlohn Guitar Symposium in Germany. During this time, Duolisme has recorded four CD’s, each in a distinct and individual style: La Guitarra Poética (2000), Ornamenten (2004), Retratos (2004) Dreams, Rest and Motion (2008), an album containing Latin American music and a Gary Ryan composition, written specifically for this album.

Unfortunately, after fifteen years of fruitful collaboration, health problems have forced Peter Thissen to put an end to his career as a performing guitarist. Consequently, Frank Lamm now performs as a solo artist. Frank recorded two CD ’s Garoeda (2011) symbolizes his transition from a duo-player to a solo performer and PÄRT II (2014). Recently Frank is also member of The Guitar Road show (2014).

Website: franklamm.nl

Definition Guitar Canon

Guitar Canon gives us the overview in literature for solo guitar. The canon consists of the 50 most influential and iconic works composed for guitar, original, or transcriptions that have proven themselves over time as being standard works for the classic solo repertoire for guitar.

Obviously, this canon is a snapshot from the perspective of the five promoters who have wanted to lay down a basis only for the discussion. Guitar music develops in such a way that the canon can be updated every 5 years. And what about the inevitable (and interesting) polemic. The choice of the following 50 Frames will inspire a heated debate in the guitar scene and that’s where we are looking for, so hope you do not feel shy to be part of that discussion. Come and join!

Mission Guitar Canon

Gitaarsalon and Brava developed Guitar Canon to start a debate to highlight the classical repertoire for guitar solo at both active and passive lover of this particular instrument. In that way, the current version is just a prototype to kick-of this project. A dynamic top 50 of the repertoire written for solo guitar in classical music.

Guitar Canon will derive its dynamic from the input of professional guitarists, amateur guitarists, stages and passive lovers. An active discussion at international level which will give an annual vote as to which piece and/or performer will lose his or her place for a newcomer of allure. The aim is in addition to the discussion also a better contact between and respect for performer and audience. Do they use the same criteria or walk the interests further and further apart. Guitar Canon aims a brotherhood in which the synergy will prove the added value of this project.

Through the discussion, of course ‘at the table’, but according this project especially on Facebook, we strive for a leading role for Guitar Canon that as a reference point should be apply to concerts, competitions and educational trainees.

By stimulating the communication on Facebook it will become much more easy to exchange new footage or make notice of a newcomer. Also Guitar festivals will participate in our mission in organizing symposiums and master classes according the Guitar Canon.

Partners and Funds who support Guitar Canon

Special thanks to:
– Petronella Andriessen Fonds
– Nora Baart Fonds.