These recordings were made in 1980 on a Revox reel to reel tape recorder. There was very little editing done. The idea was to make a CD of some unusual and rarely played modern guitar music, plus some transcrptions. Since the recordings have been transferred via a cassette tape and then compressed into MP3 files the sound quality leaves something to be desired.
Hans Erich Apostel – Sechs Musiken
Apostel studied with Schonberg and later with Berg and was involved with the publication of Berg’s opera scores at Universal Edition. These pieces are unusual in that there is very little guitar music that I know of written by adherents of the Second Viennese School. I also like these pieces a lot.
Paul Hindemith – Passacaglia
This is the last movement from Hindemith’s Viola Sonata of 1919, transcribed for the guitar. I like it because it feels as large in scope as the Bach Chaconne, but in style and form it belongs completely to the 20th century. In this sonata you can feel the relief and the release of energy that Hindemith must have felt when he emerged from the trenches and the horrors of World War 1.
Franz Burkhart – Passacaglia
Burkhart was Austrian and lived from 1902 until 1978. Otherwise not much biographical information is available. He was friendly with the guitar teacher Karl Scheit and wrote a few pieces for him. This passacaglia was written in 1940 and has a sombre mood as one might expect for music written in that period.