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Virtuosos Reign at Guitar Festival
05/06/2001 BROOKVILLE -- ON a visit to New York City from Berlin in 1997, Ayse Domeniconi stumbled upon a classical guitar performance by two C. W. Post faculty members at a church in Brooklyn. After the show, she introduced herself to the musicians, Harris Becker and Pasquale Bianculli, mentioning that she was the wife of the guitar composer Carlo Domeniconi. "We had been studying the music of this guitar hero for years," Mr. Bianculli said. "After this meeting, we began contacting him to obtain his compositions that are unavailable in the United States." Several months after that chance meeting, Carlo Domeniconi agreed to make his American debut at Mr. Becker's annual Long Island Guitar Festival on the C. W. Post Campus of Long Island University here. "Carlo called and said he wanted to play a program of entirely his music," said Mr. Becker, a professor of music at C. W. Post. "We were honored to have someone of his stature play at our festival." Mr. Domeniconi, 54, has composed more than 13 concertos for guitar and orchestra. He has also written more than 110 pieces and trained more than 500 guitarists. Last weekend, Mr. Domeniconi made his second United States appearance, at the ninth annual Long Island Guitar Festival -- three days of concerts, workshops and master classes. "For me coming to the U.S. was an interesting experience and I am glad to be here again," Mr. Domeniconi said. "Music is a language and if you play in a different country, you wonder if you are communicating." In the last three years, Mr. Domeniconi has forged a close relationship with Mr. Becker, 47, and Mr. Bianculli, 50. The pair have been performing together for 28 years and produced the classical Brazilian guitar album "Guitar x 2" in 1999. While staying in New York, Mr. Domeniconi stayed at Mr. Bianculli's apartment in Brooklyn Heights. "He forces me to wash all the dishes," joked Mr. Domeniconi, known for his serious and intense demeanor. The festival began with a classical guitar concert by Mr. Domeniconi, in which he mesmerized the audience with his melodic, emotional and mood-swinging compositions. "He is about fusing Eastern and Western techniques into a style all his own," said Sonia Hernandez Castillo, 29, a guitar student at Mannes College of Music in New York. His songs included "Toccata in Blue," based on the spirit of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue," and "Hommage a Jimi Hendrix," an interpretation of Hendrix's music. He concluded the concert at the packed 490-seat Hillwood Recital Hall with "Koyunbaba," his most famous piece, which is widely covered by guitarists, like John Williams. "The four-part piece has a transformation from a melodic opening that becomes hypnotic, then turns into a frenzy and ends on a calm note," Mr. Becker said. Mr. Domeniconi, who had feared his music would not be understood, received a standing ovation. "Koyunbaba is so loved that it has taken over the classical guitar world," Benjamin Verdery, chairman of the Guitar Department at Yale University, said of the 1984 composition about a 13th-century hermit who lived by the Aegean Sea. "It has won the hearts of thousands of guitarists." Mr. Verdery also performed at the festival, making it the first festival with two major classical guitarists. The two, Mr. Verdery and Mr. Domeniconi, offered a contrast between American- and European/World-influenced artists. Mr. Verdery, 45, described as an "American original" by Guitar Review magazine, grew up in Danbury, Conn., and began playing guitar when he was 9, after watching John Lennon on "The Ed Sullivan Show." Mr. Verdery, who describes his compositions as "uplifting and optimistic," said his main influences are pop and baroque music. His concert included Prince's "Kiss," "Purple Rain" and "Let's Go Crazy." Mr. Domeniconi, born in Cesena, Italy, began playing guitar when he was 13 and composed his first piece, a guitar duet, at age 19. He has lived and taught guitar in Berlin and Istanbul and played in pop, jazz and Latin groups. His compositions reflect his diverse musical background. "I took all kinds of musical forms and tonal systems and developed my own personal style," he said. Last Sunday, the final day of the festival, a handful of advanced guitar students worked closely with Mr. Domeniconi. In this intimate setting, known as a master class, students perform a piece and are critiqued on their style and form. Mr. Domeniconi waited on stage of the Hillwood Recital Hall as students took the stage and bowed. With his shoulder-length brown and gray hair pushed back haphazardly, Mr. Domeniconi did not spend time on formalities, immediately asking the students to play. "The instrument is only the vehicle that drives the music," he said to one solo performer to stress being attuned to the rhythm is more important than playing technically perfect. "Try to understand what the music wants to say." He told a student duo that they were unprepared and that their playing was unsynchronized. "You have to stay together and have the same emotion," he said. Other students in Mr. Domeniconi's master class played pieces composed by Heitor Villa-Lobos, Fernando Sor and Andrew York. But Adam Pettit, a 20-year-old guitar student at the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, played "Turkish Theme and Variations," by Mr. Domeniconi. After that piece, Mr. Domeniconi offered his first compliment. "That was good," he said, having Mr. Pettit replay sections as he played along. "I can't believe I got to jam with him," Mr. Pettit said afterward. Some people attended the festival just to enjoy the concerts and watch the master classes. Linda Kessler, 54, a guitar enthusiast, completed the 130-mile round trip from her home in Weston, Conn., each of the three days. "It is incredibly encouraging to have a festival where people come together just for the love of guitar," she said. "Regardless, it is worth a trip to Japan to hear Carlo Domeniconi." Copyright © 2000 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved |