Modern Art in Classical Guitar Solo WoW

[Duckoos]

I am new to the modern art of classical guitar solo.
Have you heard the following pieces, played in concerts ?
Why do they play and hit the guitar aggressively?
What do you think ?

Such guitar solo as follows

- Elogio de la Danza (1964) - (Leo Brouwer)
- Drang (1998) - (Jukka Tiensuu)
- Hautnah (2010) - (Heinz-Juhani Hofmann)
- Extase pour un Guitaristenop. 143 (1999) - Erik Bergman

[Gitfiddlemann]

Other than the Brouwer piece, I couldn't find any performances of the last three solo guitar works you mentioned. And since I'm not familiar with any of them, it's not possible to offer any comments.
Do you have any links to this music you can share?
Regarding the Brouwer:
There are some percussive elements in that piece, but not overly so, and when played well, they fit in seamlessly into the music imo, and with a purpose.
This fellow does a great job with it I think: (It's "modern" classical music though. Not everyone's cup of tea.)


The guitar has a lot of potential for use as a rhythmic, percussive instrument, as long as it's done well and is part of the music, which happens a lot in the hands of highly talented composers and players. Across many styles, not just classical.
But it's a fine line of course. Just banging on the thing with no musical purpose is a turn-off for sure, just as much as tapping on it rhythmically can enhance the musical experience.
Your ears will help you tell the difference!

[Bax Burgess]

Thanks for that, Andre, even though I am not a head-over-heels fan of the style. If there are versions of the piece with Nina Hagen and/or Yoko Ono singing over it, I'm almost tearfully grateful that you excluded those.

[Gitfiddlemann]

Thanks for that, Andre, even though I am not a head-over-heels fan of the style. If there are versions of the piece with Nina Hagen and/or Yoko Ono singing over it, I'm almost tearfully grateful that you excluded those.

I didn't look, but I bet there is something like that available right now on the www!

[Duckoos]

Hi Andre,

Thank you for your reply. I greatly appreciated them.

Just attend http://www.tgf.fi/home and sat and talk with Leo Brouwer (80 years old, Cuban, Havana) over lunch table.
I do not know how to post picture over this forum. In this event, He orchestrated with 30 guitarist..fantastic and
ran the master class for about 8 young European players.

I was amazed about his love and passion over how classical guitar has evolved over century.
But I still did not understand the rationale behind for the loud bang and knocks aggressively knocks; kind of harsh over my ears.
Perhaps these players are depressed, angry or after a fight with their wife and ran their frustration on the guitars?
Yet for the benefit of doubt there are some who likes them; different folks, different strokes.

I want to play is because I enjoyed the 60s Jazz (Antonio Carlos Jobim); the colour, nostalgia and romance over time, place and events in our life.
I prefer nylon over steel strings guitar; nylon string is warm not too jarring IMO.

I ask Leo about Spanish and he recommend Paco Santiago Marin (Leo owns one);
having travelled over Spain many times. Leo favourite phrase in conversation "Bravo, Bravo"
this is one of the best guitar he ever played and strongly recommended today.

I thought it was Montero Marin or Bernabe..Smallman. perhaps it just a matter of taste.
Based on my calculations, Leo could be right about PSM; with over many years and surely he knows Spanish sounds more than me.
I am contemplating to buy PSM; it is costly but it inspires us to play.

[Duckoos]

Hi Andre,

Thank you for your reply. I greatly appreciated them.

Just attend http://www.tgf.fi/home and sat and talk with Leo Brouwer (80 years old, Cuban, Havana) over lunch table. I do not know how to post a picture over this forum. In this event, he orchestrated with 30 guitarist ..fantastic and master class for young European players.
I was amazed his love and passion over classical guitar and how it has evolved over centuries.

But still did not understand the rationale behind for the loud bang and knocks aggressively; kind of harsh over my ears.
Perhaps these players are depressed, angry or after a fight with their wife and ran their frustration on the guitars?
Yet for the benefit of doubt there are some who likes them; different folks, different strokes.

I want to nylon string is because I enjoyed the 60s Jazz (Antonio Carlos Jobim); the colour, nostalgia and romance over time, places and event in our life.

I plan to buy a classical guitar and Leo recommended Paco Santiago Marin (Leo owns one. At 80, having travelled over Spain many times..this is one of the best guitar he ever played and strongly recommended today.

I thought it was Montero Marin or Bernabe..Smallman. perhaps it just a matter of taste. Based on my calculations, Leo could be right about PSM; over many years, many guitars he played and surely he knows Guitar Music as a composer. So I am contemplating to buy PSM; it is costly but importantly it inspires to better playing.

[Duckoos]

Hi Andre,

Thank you for your reply. I greatly appreciated them.

Just attend http://www.tgf.fi/home and sat and talk with Leo Brouwer (80 years old, Cuban, Havana) over lunch table. I do not know how to a picture over this forum. He orchestrated over 30 players..fantastic and master class for young European players.

I was amazed his love and passion over classical about how classical guitar has evolved over century. But I still did not understand the rationale behind for the loud bang and knocks aggressively knocks; kind of harsh over my ears. Perhaps these players are depressed, angry or after a fight with their wife and ran their frustration on the guitars?
Yet for the benefit of doubt there are some who likes them; different folks, different strokes.

The reason why I want to play is because I enjoyed the 60s Jazz (Antonio Carlos Jobim); the colour, nostalgia and romance. This helps to explain and is rational. I am still learning and I am trying to grip with modern classical guitar.

I intend to buy Spanish guitars..I ask Leo and he recommend Paco Santiago Marin (Leo owns one) and having travelled over Spain many times..this is one of the best guitar he ever played and strongly recommended today. So I am contemplating to buy PSM; it is costly.

I thought it was Montero Marin or Bernabe..Smallman. perhaps it just a matter of taste. Based on my calculations, Leo could be right about PSM; over many years and surely he knows Guitar Music more than me.

[Gitfiddlemann]

Thanks for your info. It must have been very enlightening for you to have had this kind of exchange with Brouwer.
I also have a Brouwer story to share. Many years ago when I was taking classical guitar lessons I attended a CG festival in Toronto, and I had the opportunity to sit in on one of his Master Classes. It lasted only a few hours, but it made a lasting impression on me. He served up so many great insights into playing, and attendees couldn’t get enough of it. He can tap into a deep well of knowledge, being a top flight composer, as well as a player, and he has a great way to get his point across.
An anecdote from that day if I may, which was typical of the way he conducted the class. He was talking about the unequal importance of notes in a piece.
A performer had just played a piece for him, a Bach prelude, and afterwards he commented on how all notes in a piece like this are important of course, but there are always certain notes, sometimes just a few, sometimes many, that are special, have more significance, and need special attention from the performer. And that as players we need to identify those, and phrase them in properly, because they are so crucial in engaging the ear and attention of our listeners. I’ll always remember the analogy he used to make his point to the student:
“You’re invited to a party where all the guests are bringing gifts. And the gifts they bring are all nice and appreciated, but not particularly special. A bottle of wine, a box of chocolates, a bouquet of flowers. But you, you’re bringing a special gift. One that will surely draw all the attention to you as you walk in and deliver it. And the gift you bring with you is…...a lion. Now you have everyone’s attention. And your lion in this case is the G# in this measure. That’s the special note you can’t afford to treat like the others.”
And Brouwer is such a great player. I’ve yet to hear a more musically beautiful rendition of Scarlatti than on the recording he made years ago of 12 selected sonatas. One of the top “classical” records ever made imo. Some of them can be heard on YouTube. I don’t think he made many recordings, most likely focusing on his composing and conducting.
These days there are so many talented players, with fast fingers and great tone, who can play this material seemingly effortlessly, but someone like Brouwer can really raise the music to a much deeper and more gratifying level.
Here is a sampling of that recording: