Guitar Duo

Although being technically very different instruments, we are convinced that the romantic guitar and the fortepiano share the same aesthetics. This was proven to us for the first time when we finally recorded our Schubert album ‘A Sentimental Moment’ in 2018, with piano works arranged for our Viennese guitars. After this, it was natural for us to turn to a composer who has fired more interest than anyone else: Mozart. We do hope that these arrangements of Mozart’s piano sonatas can suggest how he might have expressed his genius on our instrument. The shorter duration of the notes, as well as the delicacy and richness of colours found in the sound world of the guitar, are quite close to those of the late 18th Century fortepianos that Mozart would have known, while the dynamic range of the guitar would be very much at home in the salons and smaller concert venues of that time. Listening to the sonatas played on two guitars might be exotic, but the plucked sound fits in with the family of keyboard instruments.

Mikkel Egelund Nielsen and Simon Wildau met during their studies at the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus, Denmark. In 2009 Mikkel and Simon formed the AROS guitar duo to play a number of concerts in Bergen and since then, they have played numerous concerts in Denmark and abroad.

The German-Canadian Amadeus Guitar Duo and South German Duo Gruber & Maklar have known each other for many years from encounters at guitar and music festivals. Their love of varied programming prompted them to devise a concert featuring works for one, two and four guitars. Guitar Gala Night brings together the most beautiful works for guitar solo, duo and quartet in the European and Latin guitar repertoire in a spirited evening of virtuosic, lyrical and expressive music. This attractive program joins an eminently collectable series of themed albums from the Amadeus Guitar Duo, which recently celebrated its 25th anniversary.

Featuring works by Segovia, Houghton, Puccini, and Tansman. Opposing yet complementary performers can create thrilling artistry - this is the basis on which Contra Guitar Duo was formed by Hamish Strathdee and Emma-Shay Gallenti-Guilfoyle.

CARisMA is the fusion between the talented classical guitarists Magdalena Kaltcheva and Carlo Corrieri. The duo is recognized for their outstanding arrangements and compositions as a result from their innovative way of playing the classical guitar.

These two concertos show the increasing importance of the guitar duo on the world’s concert stages. Leo Brouwer, one of the foremost Latin American composers, has written many admired guitar concertos but The Book of Signs is his first for two guitars, a double concerto of great virtuosity, with a majestic, songful theme in its central movement. A crucial figure in the global promotion of Brazilian rhythms for the guitar, Paulo Bellinati deploys luxurious harmonies and brilliantly effective techniques to pay tribute to the country music of São Paulo State in Concerto Caboclo.