FGUC Concerts
The FGUC virtual concert series will be hosting a new musician on this page every Monday for the next five weeks. This is a free online event open to the public, but we welcome donations.
Andrew Erickson: Classical Guitar
Andrew Erickson is a Winnipeg born classical guitarist and instructor. He teaches classroom guitar and electric guitar ensembles at Glenlawn Collegiate in the Louis Riel School Division. Andrew has been performing in Winnipeg for the past 15 years as a soloist. He has been a featured artist several times for the Winnipeg Classical Guitar Society and is a member of the Manitoba Classroom Guitar Association, an advocacy group for school guitar programs. Andrew lives in St. Vital with his wife Katie and daughter Olivia.
Robert De Visee (1650-1725)
The Suite in D minor is De Visee's most popular work for guitar. It is a typical Baroque French suite. This was a piece I attempted in my university studies and never got off the ground until last year. I learned it as an effort to become more familiar with Baroque guitar works.
Suite in D minor by Robert De Visee
Prelude
Allemande
Courante
Gavotte
Menuet 1&2
Bourree
Gigue
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
I first performed this with the Canadian Mennonite University orchestra a few years ago. It is a fun concerto, but most editions simplify the guitar part. This edition by Eduardo Fernandez takes some liberties that make it more challenging and suggest that it could be performed as a solo (which it is!).
Guitar Concerto in D, RV93 by Antonio Vivaldi (unaccompanied)
Allegro giusto
Largo
Allegro
Manuel Ponce (1882-1948), Mario Cstelnuovo-Tedesco (1895-1968), Alexandre Tansman (1897-1986)
The next three video’s pieces were first performed by Andres Segovia. Segovia noted that up until the 20th century, very few guitar works were written by non-guitarists. Segovia believed this was the next logical step for the classical guitar to evolve and become a more serious mainstream instrument. Ponce, Tedesco, Tansman and others all frequently wrote for Segovia. With these composers knowing little about the guitar, Segovia had many edits to make in their early compositions. The legendary guitarist recognized their contributions (specifically Ponce) as vital steppingstones for the guitar's popularity.
Tres canciones populares mexicanas by Manuel Ponce
Allegro
Andante
Allegro
Tarantella, op.87 by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco
Mazurka by Alexandre Tansman
Antonio Lauro (1917-1986)
Lauro was one of Venezuela's most popular composers and musicians. The Suite Venezolana is one of his most popular guitar works. Many students learn the first movement Registro early on in their training. A challenging piece as a whole, the Suite Venozlana is a staple in guitar music. Now out of print, I thank the University of Manitoba's Alumni system for allowing me to check out one of the only copies available in Winnipeg.
Suite Venezolana by Antonio Lauro
Registro
Danza negra
Cancion
Vals