g8
 | Saturday November 7, 2009 |
guitar 8
A different G8 ...
The expression G8 is understood by most people as the union of leading industrial nations and their meetings at the international level. In the area of guitar playing, this expression has been given a totally other meaning since the fall of 2006.
Not the summit meeting of important industrial nations but rather an international union of another kind. Guitarists from Austria, Germany and Canada cross their musical borders with the motto, "Between 2 Continents on 8 Guitars." The Canadian Guitar Quartet and the Salzburger Gitarrenquartett (Salzburg Guitar Quartet) have united to combine their talents for this extraordinary project. With their Austrian, German and Canadian performances, the G8 thrilled audiences with their perfect ensemble playing, virtuosity and spontaneous joy in playing together.
This unusual project began with a CD production of the Salzburg Guitar Quartet in which a composition of the French Canadian, Patrick Roux, was recorded among others. The Salzburg group contacted Roux's publishers d'Oz to find his email address. They made immediate contact with the composer and sent him a copy of the CD. Roux was delighted with the recording. An exciting exchange of emails began between Germany and Canada. Roux is a member of the Canadian Guitar Quartet. Eventually the idea came about to arrange an exchange tour. The result was finally not an exchange concert, but a cooperative project with eight guitarists. The suggestion from the Austrian broadcasting company, ORF, to commission compositions from Austrian composers was well received. Original works for eight guitars by Michael Buchrainer, "In my groove" and Gunter Schneider, "Roaring Guitars", were created that were to be performed in a radio concert in Innsbruck.
After about two years of intensive planning, and without so much as a telephone call between the two groups, the Canadian Quartet was picked up at the airport by their Salzburg colleagues. They knew each other only through their internet contact and some photos, but they had fixed all the musical details beforehand since there was a rather limited time for rehearsing. After the first few minutes it was immediately clear that the musicians understood each other marvelously. Not only the delicious Austrian eating and drinking, but also our cooperative musical understanding took care of the fact that an absolutely homogeneous ensemble developed. After a few but extremely intensive rehearsals there was a premier performance in the sold-out Conference Center in St. Johann, Salzburg. Further concerts were given in Austria and Germany with works by Leo Brouwer, Patrick Roux, Alexander Orologio, Michael Buchrainer, Gunter Schneider and others.
In February 2007 there was a tour with concerts, workshops and master classes in Ottawa, Quebec, Gatineau, Sudbury and Kitchener/Toronto for enthusiastic audiences. The reference of the Canadian colleagues to the Canadian winter with its minus 25 degrees was right on!
There was a spontaneous impulse from the Doberman and d'Oz publishers in Quebec to produce a CD with the next Canadian visit.
Because of the great success of this project, further concerts in Austria and Germany will be given in February and March 2009. In November 2009 there will be a tour in Canada along with the CD recording.