Recordings of selected chamber and solo repertoire:
J. S. Bach, Lute Suite BWV1006a
J. S. Bach (1685-1750) Lute Suite, BWV1006a I. Prelude II. Loure III. Gavotte en rondeaux IV. Menuetts I & II V. Bourrée VI. Gigue trans. Nathan Cornelius Nathan Cornelius, guitar J.S. Bach’s Lute Suite in E major, BWV 1006a, is one of the most brilliant and challenging works in the classical guitar repertoire.
George Crumb, Quest
George Crumb (b. 1929) Quest Modern Hue: Nathan Cornelius, guitar Sean Campbell, saxophone Rebecca Schaefer, harp Kyle Hughes, percussion and dulcimer John Kinzie, percussion George Crumb was one of the leading American composers of the 20th century, known for his unusual combinations of instruments, intricately designed scores, and mystical subject matter.
J. S. Bach, Chaconne
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Violin Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004 V. Ciaconna trans. Nathan Cornelius Nathan Cornelius, guitar Although J. S. Bach knew of no instrument equivalent to the modern guitar, his music for solo violin, cello, and lute occupies an important place in the guitar repertoire. The monumental Ciaconna (or Chaconne)
Benjamin Britten, Nocturnal after John Dowland
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) Nocturnal after John Dowland: Reflections on “Come, Heavy Sleep” I. Musingly II. Very agitated III. Restless IV. Uneasy V. March-like VI. Dreaming VII. Gently rocking VIII. Passacaglia – Slow and quiet Nathan Cornelius, guitar Some of the earliest music played on guitar comes from the Renaissance lute works
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Sonata “Omaggio a Boccherini”
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895-1968) Sonata “Omaggio a Boccherini” I. Allegro con spirito II. Andantino, quasi canzone III. Tempo di Minuetto IV. Vivo ed energico Born in Florence, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco was one of the leading composers recruited by guitar virtuoso Andrés Segovia to create a new repertoire for the classical guitar in the 20th century. This four-movement sonata…Read more Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Sonata “Omaggio a Boccherini”
Johann Kaspar Mertz, Elegie
Johann Kaspar Mertz (1806-1856) Elegie Johann Kaspar Mertz was born in Pressburg (modern Bratislava, Slovakia) and made a career as a soloist on both guitar and flute in Germany and Eastern Europe. Although his guitar compositions are now regarded as some of the finest pieces in the repertoire from the mid-19th century, they were all…Read more Johann Kaspar Mertz, Elegie
Joaquin Rodrigo, En los trigales
Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999) En los trigales One of the most popular composers for the classical guitar, Joaquín Rodrigo carried the Spanish nationalist and impressionist tradition into the second half of 20th century, infusing traditional dance forms with new harmonic colors. He studied for some years in Paris with composers including Paul Dukas, and traces of…Read more Joaquin Rodrigo, En los trigales
Nicholas Maw, Music of Memory
Nicholas Maw (1935-2009) Music of Memory Music of Memory is a grand re-imagining of the theme-and-variations genre, inspired by the principle of memory. Born in England, Nicholas Maw spent much of his career teaching in the United States and was Professor of Composition at Peabody Conservatory at the time he wrote Music of Memory. The…Read more Nicholas Maw, Music of Memory
Ronald Pearl, My Name Is Red
Ronald Pearl (b. 1954) My Name Is Red My Name Is Red is titled after a novel by Nobel-winning Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk. Pamuk’s book, a profound meditation on style, memory, and the vocation of the artist, employs the device of multiple narrators, as successive chapters are told through the eyes of each of the…Read more Ronald Pearl, My Name Is Red
Leo Brouwer, Sonata No. 1
Leo Brouwer (b. 1939) Sonata No. 1 One of the leading contemporary composers for guitar, Leo Brouwer melds folk elements, African rhythms from his native Cuba, neo-Romanticism, and avant-garde techniques into a distinctive and colorful style all his own. In this sonata, Brouwer further enriches the collage of meaning by weaving in allusions to famous…Read more Leo Brouwer, Sonata No. 1
Gaspar Cassadó, Suite
Gaspar Cassadó (1897-1966) Suite for solo cello (arr. for guitar by Nathan Cornelius) Preludio – Fantasia Sardana (Danza) Intermezzo e danza finale Born in Barcelona, Gaspar Cassadó studied cello with his fellow Catalan, the great Pablo Casals, and composition with Maurice Ravel and Manuel de Falla, going on to have an international career as a…Read more Gaspar Cassadó, Suite
Gilbert Biberian, Monogram
Gilbert Biberian (b. 1944) Monogram Gilbert Biberian is one of the foremost performers, composers, and pedagogues in the guitar world today. While he has spent most of life based in London, where he has appeared in the soundtracks to James Bond films alongside a distinguished concert career, many of his works are inspired by his…Read more Gilbert Biberian, Monogram
Mark Delpriora, Variations on a Theme by Sor
Mark Delpriora (b. 1959) Variations on a Theme by Sor American guitarist and composer Mark Delpriora teaches at the Manhattan School of Music in New York. He describes the imaginary program behind this set of variations on a brief Menuet in C minor by Fernando Sor as “an epic journey: a sheet of manuscript paper…Read more Mark Delpriora, Variations on a Theme by Sor
Deferred Resolutions (2016)
for solo guitar “In music, as in life, expectations are often postponed.” –Allen Cadwallader and David Gagné, Analysis of Tonal Music This piece is a lighthearted musing on that serious truism, inspired by one of the many moments in my life when things did not turn out as I had expected.
Sofia Gubaidulina, Repentance
Sofia Gubaidulina (b. 1931) Repentance Najette Abouelhadi, cello Nathan Cornelius, James Keretses, Isaac Greene, guitars Yoshiaki Horiguchi, bass Sofia Gubaidulina was born in Chistopol’, in what was then the Tatar Republic within the Soviet Union. She studied at the conservatories of Kazan’ (capital of the Tatar Republic) and Moscow and built a successful career as…Read more Sofia Gubaidulina, Repentance
Manuel de Falla, Siete Canciones Populares Españolas
Manuel de Falla (1876-1946) Siete Canciones Populares Españolas I. El Paño Moruno II. Seguidilla Murciana III. Asturiana IV. Jota V. Nana VI. Canción VII. Polo Rebecca Fanning, soprano Nathan Cornelius, guitar Like many Spanish composers of his generation, Manuel de Falla sought to balance a strong sense of national identity with an awareness of the…Read more Manuel de Falla, Siete Canciones Populares Españolas
Gregory Mertl, On To Stillness
Gregory Mertl (b. 1969) On to Stillness text by Georg Trakl (1887-1914), translated by Stephen Tapscott Introduction The Sun The Evening The Eastern Front Aphorism On the Moor Night Song Hush Claire Weber, mezzo-soprano Andrea Copland, oboe Nathan Cornelius, guitar Colin Crandal, percussion Gregory Mertl studied composition at Yale University and the Eastman…Read more Gregory Mertl, On To Stillness
Sonata for harp and guitar (2018)
I. Dance II. Song made possible by a grant from the American Harp Society, Inc.
Nathan Cornelius 