Ritornello (2011) - Electric Guitar Concerto
Duration - 13:00
Electric guitar, string orchestra
Commissioned by the Albany Symphony, David Alan Miller, conductor, with support from the Mellon Foundation; and by Nederlands Jeugd Strijkorkest, Bas Wiegers, conductor.
“Bermel, who has been LACOs most successful composer-in-residence (more evidence of a golden age), has an alluringly easy way with mixing genres. What is surprising here, however, is how readily King Crimson and the French Baroque can appear kissing cousins. The ritornello, or repeated section, of the concerto is guitar bopping in broken triplets, the meter constantly changing, a homage perhaps to Fred Frith. But it also hints at Bermel’s recent Brazilian infatuation. A largo, with the dotted rhythms of Lully, breaks the sway and sets Hijmans off in the direction of heavy metal and a spellbindingly Clapton-esque improvised cadenza. Ritornello is the real thing, an authentic electronic guitar concerto true to many musical spirits.”
Score & PArts Rental
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Program Notes
As a teenager I was an avid fan of the prog-rock band King Crimson in its second incarnation, which featured the great electric guitar duo Robert Fripp and Adrian Belew. When I set out to write this concerto, their mesmerizing contrapuntal textures came to mind. As the piece evolved, the material seemed connected to the Baroque 'concerto grosso', both in style and form (exemplified by composers such as Corelli and Vivaldi). Knowing that Wiek Hijmans is a formidable improviser, I left room for him to explore further musical possibilites, separating the ritornello sections with 'French Overture' interludes (exemplified by composers such as Lully), the second one overlaid with a thrash-metal (Metallica, Slayer, et al.) solo that likewise evokes the Baroque aesthetic in its mannered, epic style.
Premiere performaces (all with Wiek Hijmans, soloist):
World Premiere: Albany Symphony, David Alan Miller, conductor; EMPAC Center, May 21, 2011
European premiere: Nederlands Jeugdorkest, Bas Wiegers, conductor;
Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, June 15, 2011
US West Coast Premiere: Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Jeffrey Kahane,
conductor; Royce Hall, Los Angeles, Sept 24/25, 2011