Download Postcard From Keremma

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Cogan has performed works as diverse as the Lute part of the St. John
Passion with the William Hall Master Chorale and the contemporary jazz
guitar in Fred Katz’s Concerto for Buddy at the West Coast Jazz II festival in
Newport Beach, California. In addition, he has performed on mandolin with
Conductor William Hall in a performance of the great 8th Symphony by
Gustav Mahler.
Cogan and Clarinetist Gerry Long have performed many concerts together
including performances for Chapman University, Orange Coast College, and
the Laguna Beach College of Art and Design.
Cogan’s first compact disc is called Essentials for Guitar. It is a collection
of short pieces for the instrument. These miniatures have a charm and
elegance that reflects the ancient and classical resources that dwell within the
delicate voice of the guitar. The CD, recorded at Cross Creek studios in
Orange, California, is available from Classic Press Recordings©
Jeff Cogan plays guitars by Ronald Hachez and Daniel Friederich
Recorded: Chapman University in August, 2005
Engineers: Josiah M. Lewis and William Gutaskus
Mastered by Scott Fraser
Design: Karl Wolff
©2008 Clear Note Publications - All rights reserved
www.jeffcogan.net
Postcard From Keremma
Music of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries
Clear Note
Jeff Cogan - Guitar
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Postcard From Keremma
Music of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries
Olivier Chassain
From Keremma was written in 2001 by Olivier Chassain and dedicated to
Jeff and Carol Cogan for their wedding. Olivier Chassain was born in Paris in
1957. He studied with Roger Généraux in Limousin and subsequently with
Alexandre Lagoya at the Paris Conservatory. Chassain is the director of
guitar studies at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse
de Paris as well as international performing artist and master teacher.
From Keremma makes use of thematic material taken from the well known
orchestral work An American in Paris by George Gershwin.
Georges Delerue
Graphic by noted film composer George Delerue, was composed in 1991 for
the Guitar Foundation of America. In 1991 Jeff Cogan was asked to
commission a piece for the Guitar Foundation of America for use as a required
piece for the international guitar competition. Mr. Delerue was contacted and
in 1991 he composed the piece Graphic and dedicated it to the French guitarist
Olivier Chassain. One can hear Chassain’s interpretation of this work on his
Compact Disc recording, Almost a Song.
J
eff Cogan has been active in the classical
guitar scene for more than 25 years. His
work as competition director for the
Guitar Foundation of America has made him
well known to those active in the international
guitar world.
While still a student at California State
University, Northridge, he was invited to
perform for the great Spanish Maestro of the
guitar, Andres Segovia in an exclusive master
class. After this performance Mr. Cogan was
invited by Segovia to Geneva, Switzerland to
perform in another class.
Since then Mr. Cogan has performed around the USA and Europe. His work
on the faculty at Chapman University has won glowing praise for both himself
and his students.
Although based in Southern California, his performing, teaching, and
adjudicating have taken him to Perigueux, France to perform and teach at the
Ecole Brittain with the acclaimed French guitarist Olivier Chassain; Merida,
Mexico for the Guitar Foundation of America international convention and
competition; Rust, Austria to adjudicate the John Duarte International Guitar
Competition; Montellimar, France as an invited judge for a guitar duo
competition; Latina, Italy for a concert performance; Buffalo, New York to
adjudicate the JoAnn Falletta guitar concerto competition; and Aranda de
Duero Spain for a concert performance at a guitar festival. His most recent
travel took place in Belgrade, Serbia where he performed a concert tour of five
cities along with Serbian guitarist, Uros Dojcinovic.
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Isaias Savio
Batucada by guitarist and composer Isaias Savio, was made popular in the
United States by Savio’s student and virtuoso guitarist, Carlos Barbosa-Lima.
Savio was one of the best known teachers of the classical guitar in Brazil.
Originally from Montevideo, Uruguay, he first established a career in
Argentina. After arriving in Brazil in his early thirties, he began to perform
and teach across the country giving numorous recitals and courses. He
established core guitar curriculum at the Conservatory of São Paulo. His clear
compositional and performing influences include Barrios, Llobet, and
Tarrega.
Isaac Albeniz
Sevilla from Suite Espagnola, Opus 47, is by Isaac Albeniz. Originally for
piano, this transcription combines the work of Andres Segovia, Manuel
Barruecco and Jeff Cogan.
Isaac Manuel Francisco Albéniz was born on May 29, 1860 in Camprodón,
the Catalan province of Gerona in northeastern Spain. As a teen ager he was a
performer on the piano, giving concerts in many Spanish cities including
Barcelona, Valencia, and Salamanca. Albeniz was one of the greatest
nationalist composers of Spain. His groundbreaking Iberia for piano is one of
his best known works. It established him as composer of virtuosic and
nationalist music that incorporates Moorish and Arab influences.
Transcriptions for guitar of Albeniz’ music are quite common on the concert
stage and recordings.
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João Teixeira Guimarães (Pernambuco)
Sound of Bells, (Sons de carrilhões ), is by João Teixeira Guimarães. He
was a composer of choros, jongos, valses, toadas, and canções. The most
prominent feature of the piece is described in the title “Sounds of Bells.”
Harmonics are used to simulate the sound of bells ringing.
João Teixeira Guimarães was born in Pernambuco and later moved to Rio de
Janeiro. Along with his compatriate Heitor Villa-Lobos, this composer did
much to formulate the course of Brazillian music in the first half of the
twentieth century. His enigmatic Knot in a Drop of Water and many others of
his compositions are covered by classical and popular musicians alike.
Heitor Villa-Lobos
Prelude No. 2 is by Brazillian composer, Heitor Villa-Lobos. He is widely
credited with the creation of nationalistic music in Brazil, especially the
choros and Bachianas.
The young Villa-Lobos began to earn a living at the turn of the of the 20th
century as a café musician playing the cello. Although he pursued his studies
at the National Institute of Music in Rio de Janeiro, his music never followed
academic practices and he later renounced his training. He traveled to many
cities in Brazil in search of the folk music on which he would later base many
of his pieces. After meeting the young Andres Segovia in Spain in the 1920s,
they became great friends. Most of Villa-Lobos’s guitar music (including the
present work) and the guitar concerto is dedicated to Segovia.
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Leo Brouwer
Afro Cuban Lullaby is a very well known Cuban folk melody that is arranged
here by Leo Brouwer. Brouwer is one of the most prolific of all composers
that have written for the guitar. Among his many groundbreaking works are
Canticum (1968), La espiral eterna (1971) El Decamerón Negro (1981) and
Sonata (1990; for Julian Bream).
Brouwer, born in Cuba in 1939, has written music with classical, AfroCuban, jazz and avant-garde influences and features. His academic and
compositional training was at the Juilliard School in New York. He has
conducted his own music with many orchestras and has written 9 guitar
concertos, the last of which is scored for two guitars with orchestra.
Agustin Barrios-Mangore
Julia Florida is by Paraguayan composer/guitarist Agustin Barrios-Mangore
and is a barcarole or boat song with a harmonic language reminiscent of an
earlier time.
Agustin Pio Barrios Mangore was born in May 5, 1885, in the town of San
Juan Bautista de la Misiones (Paraguay), into a family which treasured both
music and literature. Barrios was an eccentric performer who once billed
himself as “Nitsuga Mangore, Guarani Chieftan and the Paganinni of the
guitar from the jungles of Paraguay.” Until the 1970’s, most of Barrios’
compositions remained relatively unknown until the work of Richard Stover,
who carefully transcribed into notation (from rare 78rpm records) the bulk of
his music. This was followed by the popular recordings made by virtuoso
guitarists Alirio Diaz and John Williams.
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Manuel Ponce
The Theme, Varie et Finale was written in Paris in 1926 by Mexican
composer, Manuel Ponce. Like many of his other works, it was written for the
great Spanish guitarist, Andreas Segovia. Segovia and Ponce are known to
have been friends and collaborators in publishing a wealth of music for the
guitar. This collaboration is documented in the Segovia-Ponce Letters
published in 1989.
Having studied composition in Paris with Paul Dukas, Ponces’s early style
was more impressionistic. Later he would create a highly nationalistic style
along with fellow Mexican composer, Carlos Chavez. Ponce enjoyed success
with many idioms such as chamber music, orchestral works and songs-the
most famous of which is the popular song, Estrellita.
Enrique Granados
The Valses Poeticos by Spanish composer and pianist, Enrique Granados,
was originally written for the piano. The guitar transcription is by Robert
Britemore and published by Van Teesling. The nationalistic style that
Granados’ music embraces is based on native folk-songs and folk-dances.
Examples of this are found in some of his better known works, the four
volumes of Danzas Españolas, (Spanish Dances), for the piano.
One of his most famous works is the piano suite, Goyescas, after paintings
and tapestries by Spanish artist Francisco de Goya. He would later write an
Opera based on similar material. While returning from the opera’s premier in
New York in 1916, Granados lost his life along with his wife when the ship
they were traveling in, the Sussex, was torpedoed by the Germans.