(Photo by Alfonso Palacios)
Mirtha Rojas and Fernando Bravo, both Chilean musicians formed at the Universidad de Chile in Santiago, created the " Guitar and Piano Duet" in 1998, as members of the Chamber Music Seasons organized by the Instituto de Música de Santiago.
The combination of these instruments in the traditional Chamber Music area is not very common, because of the difficulty in finding original repertoires and the resulting loudness when they are played together.
It has been a great project and an artistic challenge for the Duet, which at the moment is successfully consolidated.
The shortage of original repertoire has been solved by: - transcribing and adapting works from different periods of music repertoire. - The Guitar and Orchestra concerts in reduction for Piano, have been another important source of scores for the Duet. - A very important contribution in the Guitar and Piano music, is the fact that young composers have been interested in writing music for the Duet, which will make an important contribution of original works for the future guitar and piano duets. - In the original repertoire, the "Fantasy" by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco and the "Sonata" by Manuel Maria Ponce (original for Guitar and Harpsichord), have been two encouraging pillars, because of their beauty, creativity and quality of composition.
The other great problem to be solved firstly, was the one of the sonorous balances: difference of volume between the guitar and piano. The search of an own artistic identity, and in the case of music the "own sound" plays a very important roll, so the Duet decided replacing the "traditional Spanish classic guitar", by an " electro-acoustic guitar " (amplified). This fact completely solved the problem of sonorous balance and volume of both instruments, and allowed a deep and fine use of "dynamics" in the different musical styles interpretation, characteristic that among others, has always resulted in excellent comments about the Duet in their performances.
Along these years of uninterrupted artistic activity, Mirtha and Fernando have performed a great number of concerts as well as pedagogical concerts for students. They have recorded performances for radio and television and have a CD edition and an abroad concerts project.
REPERTOIRE
The Duet’s repertoire, ranges from music from the Renaissance era to contemporary composers, with a special interest in the twentieth century music.
Works for "Guitar and Orchestra" in their "Guitar and Piano" versions, are an important part of the scores performed by the Duet in their concerts. Their own transcriptions of "Arpeggione Sonata " by Schubert or "Romancero Gitano" by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco have helped to increase the scarce original repertoire existing for these instruments combination.
The Sonata and the Suite Nº1 for Guitar and Piano written by Fernando Bravo, and original works written by Latin American composers, among them, Fernando Maglia, Héctor Pegullo, Fernando Muslera (Argentine), Fernando Fernandez (Peruvian) or the Japanese Shigeru Kan-no, are a very important contribution to the original repertoire.
Repertoire listed by periods:
RENAISSANCE:
"Music from the Isabelline era " Thomas Robinson - John Daniel - John Dowland - Francis Pilkington.
BAROQUE:
J.S. Bach - A.Vivaldi - G.Ph. Telemann
CLASICAL:
Luiggi Bocherinni - Ferdinando Carulli - Mauro Giuliani
ROMANTIC:
F. Schubert
XX CENTURY:
Spain: J. Rodrigo - F. Moreno Torroba
England: Malcolm Arnold - Gerald Finzi
Italy: M. Castelnuovo-Tedesco
Mexico: M.M. Ponce
Brazil: R. Gnatali
Argentina: A. Piazzolla
Germany: K.H. Füssl
Poland: A. Tansman
JAZZ:
Claude Bolling (France) Charlie Byrd (U.S.A..)
CONTEMPORARY:
Fernando Maglia - Fernando Muslera - Héctor Pegullo (Argentina)Fernando Fernandez (Peru)Jaime González - Fernando Bravo (Chile)Shigeru Kan-no (Japan)
CHILEAN FOLK COMPOSERS:
Vicente Bianchi - Donato Román - Osvaldo Silva - Juán A. Sánchez - Fernando Bravo - Victor Jara - Violeta Parra - Jorge Bernales - Los Jaibas.
Mirtha Rojas Owens
Picture: Guitar&Piano by Mirtha
Mirtha began her musical formation at the Arts School in the Universidad de Chile in Santiago.
During the first period, she attended for four years the harp courses with Mrs. Clara Passinni. Then she started her piano formation with Mrs. Elisa Alsina during the basic pe
riod and Mr. Galvarino Mendoza at the superior level.
Elvira Savi, Chamber Music teacher, encouraged Mirtha to take this musical area, as one of the most important activities in her career.
Cirilo Vilas, was her Analysis of the Musical Composition teacher and Carlos Araya, her harmony teacher. As a professional pianist, she has attended several short courses and seminaries of relevant piano masters as Alfredo Pearl, Jeanine Vieuxtemp and Claudio Arrau.
As a chamber music pianist, she is always participating in the main concerts seasons in our country. She plays music from the Renaissance to contemporary composers.
In 1998 she began working in the Guitar & Piano Duet project, one of her main activities as a pianist nowadays.
She also works as a piano teacher at the Rudolf Steiner School and at the Instituto de Música de Santiago. As part of the Guitar & Piano Duet work, she has developed a Pedagogical Concerts series for young people.
Fernando Bravo Donoso
Fernando carried out his musical formation at the Arts School of the Universidad de Chile in Santiago. His guitar teacher was Mr. Ernesto Quezada. He attended a three years Chamber Music Course with professor Federico Heinlein, a two years counterpoint course and a three years Analysis of the Musical Composition course , with professor Cirilo Vilas.
His first music teachers were Mr. Eulogio Dávalos (guitar teacher) and Mr. Miguel Angel Cherubito (solfeiggio teacher).
In 1976 and 1977, Fernando attended the second and third International Guitar Seminars in Montevideo (Uruguay) with Mr. Abel Carlevaro. At the same Seminaries, he also attended the Harmony courses with Mr. Guido Santórzola.
In 1983 he was awarded with a scholarship for studying "Contemporary Spanish Music" at the Conservatorio Superior de Barcelona. Mr. Jordi Codina was his main teacher in this course.
In 1998 he was awarded with a scholarship for studying "British Composers for the Guitar" with Mr. Robert Brightmore at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London.
While attending the last music courses at the Universidad de Chile, Fernando started his concert guitarist career. He has performed many guitar concerts as a soloist, and played guitar duets with his friend and colleague Mr. Neven Sulic and participated in several chamber music groups.
In 1993, together with his friend the Chilean writer Manuel Peña Muñoz, he played in the first performance in Chile of the Castelnuovo-Tedesco's work "Platero and I" for narrator and guitar. They toured for three years performing this work. Federico Heinlein, chamber music teacher, composer and music critic wrote about it:
"En forma convincente el narrador dijo las palabras del poeta, dándoles un acento vivaz, puntuado por ademanes siempre expresivos. El Tañedor iluminó el fondo musical mediante matices de íntima belleza, haciendo ambos intérpretes gala de extrema sensibilidad y una coordinación maravillosa" (Santiago de Chile, El Mercurio jueves 16 de Diciembre de 1993).
"In a convincing form the narrator said the words of the poet, giving them a lively accent, scored by always expressive gestures. The Player illuminated the musical background through shades of intimate beauty, showing both performers an extreme sensitivity and a wonderful coordination " (Santiago of Chile, El Mercurio, Thursday 16th December, 1993).
After this phase, Fernando worked with some drama actors, composing and performing music for some plays. During the winter of 1998 he toured in Valencia with an actors company, performing "Mi Primo Federico" by the Chilean dramatist Mrs. Isidora Aguirre. This same year he was also awarded with a prize for composing the music for "El Caballero Oxidado", a drama project by the Chilean actress Mrs. Muriel Cornejo.
As a composer, Fernando has written some works for guitar solos, flute and guitar, and guitar and piano.
Works:
-Canción a Virí Voice & Guitar 1993
( To Mª Ignacia and Alonso)
-Himno a la U. de Tarapacá Choir 1981
(Mención Honrrosa-Concurso)
-Sonetos y Romances Guitar
(On Nina Donoso's poems) 1997
-Tres Piezas para Guitarra sola Guitar 1997
-"Chile Fértil..." Suite for Guitar (Fondart) 1998
-"El Caballero Oxidado" Músic for Drama (Fondart) 1998
-Australosonatas Guitar 1999
-Suite Nª 1 Guitar & Piano 2002
-Sonata Nª1 Guitar & Piano 2004
-Suite "Tiempos del Sur" Guitar & Piano 2004
His main musical activity from 1998 up to now, has been the Guitar and Piano Duet. He has also played baroque guitar in some baroque operas as "Dido and Aeneas" by Purcell and "L'incoronazione di Poppea" by Monteverdi. He also played (the Spanish guitar) in the Piazzolla's opera "María de Buenos Aires".
He has been working as a guitar teacher since he was finishing his career at the Universidad de Chile. Nowadays he teaches at the Instituto de Música de Santiago, at the Universidad Metropolitana, and gives private lessons.
