Václav Kučera Memorial Concerts Continue—Sunday April 29, @ 7:30 PM, 2018 at the Wonderful 1867 Sanctuary in Ewing NJ!

Classical Guitarist Stanley Alexandrowicz returns to the 1867 Sanctuary on Sunday April 29, @ 7:30 PM, 2018 for a program of Virtuoso Romantic Showpieces by Napoleon Coste and Ivan Padovec, and Contemporary Masterpieces by Václav Kučera, Prof. Kendall Kennison, and Maestro Robert W. Butts! As a special tribute, we will pay homage to the late Czech composer (and friend of tonight’s Artist) Maestro Václav Kučera (1929-2017), with works by composer colleagues and friends! Featured will be Professor Kendall Kennison’s Guitar Sonata and Backanally, the NJ Premiere of Maestro Robert W. Butts’ Tombeau—In Memoriam Václav Kučera, and we will conclude with our “centerpiece work” the profoundly moving  Diario—Omaggio a Che Guevara by Vaclav Kucera himself! Also, back by popular demand, will be the world famous “Early Morning Suite” (for solo guitar) by Baroque Orchestra of New Jersey composer and conductor Maestro Robert W. Butts! (dedicated to tonight’s Artist).

Sunday April 29, @ 7:30 PM, 2018
1867 Sanctuary
101 Scotch Road, Ewing, NJ 08628
Tel: 609-392-6409 or E-mail: 1867sanctuary@preservationnj.org

http://1867sanctuary.org/event/stanleyalexandrowicz429/

COMPOSER BIOGRAPHY:

Václav Kučera (1929 – 2017, Prague) was one of the great composers of the 20th century. His works encompass all genres—orchestral, stage, vocal, chamber, electronic—but those involving the guitar (an instrument he has a special kinship with) hold a unique place within his oeuvre. He has chosen this medium to express some of his most profound and poetic visions.

Václav Kučera studied composition at the Moscow Conservatoire (under Vissarion), and simultaneously graduated with a specialization musicological studies. He worked in the Czechoslovak Radio, headed the Cabinet of Contemporary Musical Studies affiliated to the Union of Czechoslovak Composers, and was active at the Institute of Musical Science in the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences. From 1969 to 1983, he functioned as lead secretary of the Union of Czech Composers and Concert Artists. Since 1972 he has been Professor of Composition at the Prague Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (and later was Docent in the subject of modern compositional trends). In 1979 he was awarded the state distinction “For Outstanding Work”, and in 1986 honored with the title Merited Artist—one of the most prestigious awards granted in the Czech Republic.

As a composer, Kučera began from an admiration for Janacek, Stravinsky and Prokofiev, and, integrating the character of Czech and Moravian melodiousness, achieved a uniquely personal musical idiom. His artistic ‘voice’ has the character of an individually tinged expressiveness that features the utilization of new musically-technical means to express socially-important and artistically inspired arguments of the present time. The compositions of Kučera have won numerous distinctions: the Tableau for Piano and Orchestra – the prize of Queen Maria-Jose (Geneva 1970); Lidice  – special recognition of the Czechoslovak Radio for the 25th anniversary of Czechoslovakia s liberation (1970), as well as the prize of the Italian Radio Prix d’Italia (1972). The cycle Celebration of Spring – the first prize in the competition of the Central Council of the Trades-Unions (1977), and the string quartet Consciousness of Continuities – the prize of the Union of Czechoslovak Composers and Concert Artists (1983). Tonight’s Artist Stanley Alexandrowicz, gave the U.S. premiere of Vácav Kučera’s Concierto Imaginativo-Homenaje a Salvador Dali for guitar and string orchestra (Baltimore) in honor of the composer’s 80th birthday year.

Link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9n7nef5ASAg

About tonight “centerpiece work” British composer and musical journalist John Duarte writes “Diario—Omaggio a Che Guevara, is a “musical-political” document, recording five notional, critical days in the life of its eponymous, revolutionary hero. The Day of Love mixes tenderly romantic passages with sterner ones, suggesting his realization that what he (Che Guevara) wishes to do cannot be accomplished without strife. The Day of Hate (for the system he opposes) is filled with trills that quiver with rages, dissonant declamation and stark, mostly quartal, chords. A grimly determined and relentless triplet rhythm frames the Day of Decision, abating only the central section in order to make a statement of intent before accelerating to a thunderous climax. Drum-beats announce the arrival of the Day of Battle, and punctuate its opening page before giving way to a violent frenzy of dissonance, chord tremolandi; a fortissimo ascent to the extreme upper register is followed by a descent to a quiet, chilling diminuendo, with notes subjected to exaggerated vibrato as the action ceases but the emotion remains. Percussion of a different kind (symbolizing heart-beats) persist through the Day of Death, a funeral cortege interrupted only by a brief, impassioned oration in which the use of parallel fourths above an ostinato based on the same interval, suggests emptiness of hope. The end signifies resignation to the inevitable.”

Politics aside, the Diario—Omaggio a Che Guevara is Václav Kučera’s poetic and deeply moving vision of “the Fallen Hero’s Journey” presented through his genius as a “concert cycle” unique and unparalleled in the literature of Contemporary classical guitar.

From Princeton to Poland—with NYC and Venice Included! Upcoming Fall Solo Recitals & Duo Concerts with “Soprano Extraordinaire” Dominika Zamara!

This October begins a series of exciting international performances in the United States and Europe!

The renowned (and “sonically marvelous”) SALON 33 in Princeton, New Jersey  features “Romantic and Contemporary Masters”—Virtuoso Guitar Works by 19th Century Virtuoso Guitarist-Composers (Napoleon Coste, Ivan Padovec, Johann Dubez ) & Contemporary American Master-Composers (Kendall Kennison, Edward Green, Brian Fennelly, and Maestro Robert W. Butts) on Sunday 22 October. A “Meet the Composers” session will also featured that evening — several of these award winning composers will be in attendance to speak about their compositions and share their thoughts and insights with the audience!

Other Highlights Include:

Internationally renowned soprano Dominika Zamara and I join forces on 30 November (MCL Concert Series in Lawrenceville, NJ) to perform a recital of arias, songs, and solos. Our program consists of famous operatic arias by Vincenzo Bellini, Antonín Dvořák, Gioachino Rossini, Georges Bizet; songs by Mauro Giuliani—Italy’s leading guitar virtuoso of the early 19th century; and solo guitar works by Napoleon Coste and Johann Dubez—two of the late Romantic Period’s greatest virtuoso composer-guitarists!

Dominika and I will celebrate the music of great American Maestro Robert W. Butts on December 9th in New York City at the National Opera Center. Included will be the NY Premiere of his “Early Morning Suite” (for solo guitar), and the American Premiere of arias from “La Serva di Padova” (lyrics by Dott. Vincenzo Faggiano) — written for and dedicated to Dominika. (Also include are selections from Maestro Butts’ chamber operas.)

Later that month will be our duo-tour in Poland—including a recital on 21 December at the world-famous “Oratorium Marianum”—the beautiful and historic concert hall where musical “giants of the past” including Franz Liszt, Johannes Brahms, Niccolo Paganini, Anton Rubinstein, Clara Schumann (amongst others) have performed!

Venice awaits on 27 December—again to celebrate the music of great American Maestro Robert W. Butts!

For a more Complete Listing, and details about Times and Locations, please check my “Upcoming Concerts” webpage, and Facebook Listings!

Celebrating Romantic 19th Century Virtuoso Composer-Guitarists & American Master Composers!

Dear Friends and Colleagues, I will be performing soon in New Jersey (6 July, 2017 @ 8:00 pm) a recital devoted to 19th Century Romantic Virtuoso Guitar Composers – Luigi Legnani, Napoleon Coste, J.K. Mertz, Johann Dubez, and to Contemporary American Masters – Ernst Bacon, Brian Fennelly, Kendall Kennison, and Maestro Robert W. Butts! Kendall and Robert will be in attendance to introduce and speak about their compositions (“Sonata No. 1 for Solo Guitar,” and “Early Morning Suite respectively”). The recital will take place in the “sonically magnificent” 1867 Sanctuary in Ewing New Jersey!

 

Solo Guitar Recital:
Thursday 6 July, 2017 @ 8:00 PM
1867 Sanctuary Classical Concert Series 
101 Scotch Road, Ewing, NJ 08628
Phone: (609) 392-6409
Weblink for Tickets: http://1867sanctuary.org/150festivalCC0706.html

Padovec in Princeton—Recital & Radio Interview

Dear Friends and Colleagues, Please join “Soprano Extraordinaire” Dominika Zamara and myself for our upcoming Radio Show and Interview with Princeton’s Premiere Classical Music Radio Host and Producer Marvin Rosen! We will be featured on his internationally renowned “Classical Discoveries” Program at WPRB 103.3 FM “ —
May 3, 2017 @ 10:00 am, and will be discussing our upcoming Princeton Duo-Recital (10 May – Princeton Public Library @ 7:00 pm), the Alion Baltic International Music Festival and Academy (where we will both be featured Artist-Performers and Professors), and our CD “Ivan Padovec: Works for Soprano and Guitar” (Sheva Collection Recordings, Italy)

http://www.classicaldiscoveries.org

https://www.facebook.com/wprbfm/

http://alionbalticfestival.com/alexandrowicz.html

The Romantic Virtuosi and World Premiere of “Early Morning Suite!”

Dear Friends and Colleagues, I am happy to announce that I will be guest artist at the Baroque Orchestra of New Jersey’s “Summer Music Festival” this August. My recital (as part of the “BONJ Chamber Music Celebration 2015”), will feature two masterpieces of the 19th Century’s Romantic guitar repertoire: Napoleon Coste’s “Fantaisie Symphonique (en deux parties pour la Guitare), Op. 28b” and Johann Dubez’s “Fantaisie sur des motifs de l’Opéra: Lucia di Lammermoor, Op.2.” Moreover, highlighting the recital will be the World Premiere of Maestro Robert W. Butts’ “Early Morning Suite.”

Sunday, August 9, 2015, 3:00 PM, Grace Church, 4 Madison Ave., Madison, NJ 07940

For further information: http://baroqueorchestra.org/content/bonj-chamber-music-celebration-2015-0

Celebrating the Guitar Music of Václav Kučera this Spring with Maestro Robert Butts and the BONJ!

Vácav Kučera (b. 29 April, 1929 in Prague) is one of the great composers of the 20th century. His works encompass all genres—orchestral, stage, vocal, chamber, electronic—but those involving the guitar (an instrument he has a special kinship with) hold a unique place within his oeuvre. He has chosen this medium to express some of his most profound and poetic visions. We pay homage to Maestro Kucera through these concert featuring his “Concierto Imaginativo—Homenaje a Salvador Dalí” and, his “Diario—Omaggio a Che Guevara” (for solo guitar).

Vácav Kučera studied composition at the Moscow Conservatoire (under Vissarion), and simultaneously graduated with a specialization musicological studies. He worked in the Czechoslovak Radio, headed the Cabinet of Contemporary Musical Studies affiliated to the Union of Czechoslovak Composers, and was active at the Institute of Musical Science in the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences. From 1969 to 1983, he functioned as lead secretary of the Union of Czech Composers and Concert Artists. Since 1972 he has been Professor of Composition at the Prague Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (at present he is Docent in the subject of modern compositional trends). In 1979 he was awarded the state distinction “For Outstanding Work”, and in 1986 honored with the title Merited Artist—one of the most prestigious awards granted in the Czech Republic. As a composer, Kučera began from an admiration for Janacek, Stravinsky and Prokofiev, and, integrating the character of Czech and Moravian melodiousness, achieved a uniquely personal musical idiom. His artistic ‘voice’ has the character of an individually tinged expressiveness that features the utilization of new musically-technical means to express socially-important and artistically inspired arguments of the present time. The compositions of Kučera have won numerous distinctions: the Tableau for Piano and Orchestra – the prize of Queen Maria-Jose (Geneva 1970); Lidice  – special recognition of the Czechoslovak Radio for the 25th anniversary of Czechoslovakia s liberation (1970), as well as the prize of the Italian Radio Prix d’Italia (1972). The cycle Celebration of Spring – the first prize in the competition of the Central Council of the Trades-Unions (1977), and the string quartet Consciousness of Continuities – the prize of the Union of Czechoslovak Composers and Concert Artists (1983).

Also on the Program:

Ting Ho: Concertino Morning – (Nancy Vanderslice, oboe; Andrew Pecota, Lupophone)
Richard Russell: Never Summer
Robert W. Butts: Symphony #1 – (with Emily Thompson and Karole Lewis, sopranos)

New Jersey Institute of Technology
University Heights Newark, New Jersey 07102

Solo Guitar Recital
Saturday, May 16, 2 pm
Lawrence MCL (Mercer County Library)
2751 Brunswick Pike 
Lawrenceville, NJ 08648

“The Virtuoso Guitar” – Stanley Alexandrowicz (10 and 6 String Guitars)
Compositions of the 19th century’s greatest composer-guitarists Napoleon Coste, J. K. Mertz and Johann Dubez, on an 1861-design, 10-string Viennese guitar, and on the modern classical guitar, Contemporary pieces including Ernst Bacon’s “Parting & Fulfillment,” Brian Fennelly’s “Maverick Tango,” Vaclav Kucera’s dramatic concert-cycle “Diario―Omaggio a Che Guevara,” and Eric Sessler’s  Guitar-Fantasy “Bombadiliana” based on Tolkien.

April in Italy and England – “In Recital” with DOMINIKA ZAMARA and Vaclav Kucera!

March and April proved a fantastic time for music making in both Italy and England! Starting in the UK with a London solo recital (“The Virtuoso Guitar – 10 and 6 String Guitars”), and proceeding next to the University of Surrey for a lecture-recital to inaugurate the opening of the International Guitar Research Centre (“The Evolution of the Romantic Multi-string Guitar”), England proved to be “the land with MUCH music, and GREAT musical company!” My “companions” therein were the renowned guitar historian and scholar Allan Clive Jones (and his lovely wife Karen); the “Colossus of the Keyboard” British pianist Jonathan Powell; and perhaps the finest luthier alive today, the great Gary Southwell (who built my two fantastic guitars—with a third “Bog Oak” guitar in the works!).

I proceeded next to lovely Venice to begin my Italian tour with the possessor of certainly one of the LOVELIEST voices in the world today, the Great ARTIST, and my “Voice & Guitar” duo-partner, the internationally acclaimed soprano Dominika Zamara. Beginning with concerts in Padova and Vicenza, and on next to radio and television interview-recitals (broadcast throughout Italy, Switzerland, and Spain), our august company included famed actor, television host, and “raconteur extraordinaire” Gianluca Mancuso; renowned visual and graphic artist and music production “genius” Luigi Mosello (EDIT MUSIC ITALY), and host-moderator “extraordinaire” (of the Starbit Studios “Celebrity Magazine”) the phenomenal Tino Bisagni!

Upcoming  in Summer and Fall, duo (and solo) concerts for Dominika Zamara and myself include Taiwan, California, NYC, Mexico, the Bahamas, Europe, Seoul, etc.

 

Troubadours and Trios! Upcoming Concerts In February!

On 17 February, I have the great honor to perform on “The Troubadour Series” at Wofford College, South Carolina! It is named after Carl Sandburg, who was called “the Old Troubadour” by Frank Lloyd Wright. Sandburg’s home is located in Flat Rock, N.C., and he visited the Wofford campus on more than one occasion. He was an avid guitarist who wrote several poems inspired by the guitar and guitarists.

The program will feature both 19th Century Romantic guitar music and Contemporary works. The music of guitarist-composers Napoleon Coste, J.K. Mertz, and Johann Dubez, (each the greatest virtuoso of his country), will be performed on an 1861 Scherzer-design, 10-string “period guitar.” The contemporary portion of the program (played on the modern guitar) features music by American composers Ernst Bacon and Brian Fennelly, and, as a “centerpiece” the profoundly moving  “Diario—Omaggio a Che  Guevara” by Czech composer Vaclav Kucera.

British composer and musical journalist John Duarte writes “Diario—Omaggio a Che Guevara, is a “musical-political” document, recording five notional, critical days in the life of its eponymous, revolutionary hero. The Day of Love mixes tenderly romantic passages with sterner ones, suggesting his realization that what he (Che Guevara) wishes to do cannot be accomplished without strife. The Day of Hate (for the system he opposes) is filled with trills that quiver with rages, dissonant declamation and stark, mostly quartal, chords. A grimly determined and relentless triplet rhythm frames the Day of Decision, abating only the central section in order to make a statement of intent before accelerating to a thunderous climax. Drum-beats announce the arrival of the Day of Battle, and punctuate its opening page before giving way to a violent frenzy of dissonance, chord tremolandi; a fortissimo ascent to the extreme upper register is followed by a descent to a quiet, chilling diminuendo, with notes subjected to exaggerated vibrato as the action ceases but the emotion remains. Percussion of a different kind (symbolizing heart-beats) persist through the Day of Death, a funeral cortege interrupted only by a brief, impassioned oration in which the use of parallel fourths above an ostinato based on the same interval, suggests emptiness of hope. The end signifies resignation to the inevitable.”

Wofford College 429 North Church Street, Spartanburg, SC 29303-3663 Telephone: (864) 597-400  (7:00 PM) http://www.wofford.edu/arts/content.aspx?id=30946

In the concerts “TRIOS for Guitar and Strings” I join the fantastic “Classic Strings Duo” of brothers Kevin (violin) and Bryan Matheson in works of Beethoven, Villa-Lobos, Paganini, Ibert, and others in evenings of chamber music sure to delight!

Chatham Concert Series presents the Classic Strings Duo and Stanley Alexandrowicz
Friday, February 21 at 7:00pm
Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 66 N. Main St. Chatham, VA 24531
For information: kstrings1@hotmail.com  540-382-9624

https://www.facebook.com/events/488409484596938/?ref=22
Wytheville Concert Series presents the Classic Strings Duo and Stanley Alexandrowicz
Saturday, February 22 at 7:00pm
St. John’s Episcopal Church
275 East Main Street, Wytheville, Virginia 24382
For information: kstrings1@hotmail.com  540-382-9624

https://www.facebook.com/events/211318229063003/?ref=22

A Polish Christmas Celebration and Concerts in Italy with World-renowned soprano Dominika Zamara in January!

On Sunday, December 8, 2013, the Philadelphia Chapter of the Kosciuszko Foundation will present its “Annual Polish Christmas Celebration” where I will be featured in a recital of Polish (and Polish-related) guitar music. Included are the “Melodie Ludowe” of Witold Lutoslawski (this is his Centenary); works by American composer Ernst Bacon, and 19th Century Romantic works by composer-virtuosi Napoleon Coste, J. K. Mertz, and (the transcendental) Johann Dubez—the latter group played on the 10-string, 1861-design, Viennese Scherzer guitar.

J

January begins with concerts in Italy with the World-renowned soprano Dominika Zamara! I will be featured Guitar Soloist in Marco Fedalto’s new Masterpiece “L’opera La Serva di Padova” on 3 January at the beautiful “Teatro Verdi” in Padova; and “Voice & Guitar” duo-recitals in Treviso, Milano, etc., starting January 5th!

October US Concert Tour with World-renowned soprano Dominika Zamara!

This October, world-renowned soprano Dominika Zamara returns for our concerts in New York, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., New Jersey, etc. After a “standing ovation” performance this past September at Lincoln Center (NYC), and recent operatic and concert performances throughout Italy, Dominika will be featured in “Arias, Songs, and Solos for Voice and Guitar” — The program consists of operatic arias from the works of Vincenzo Bellini, Antonín Dvořák, Giacomo Puccini, G.B. Pergolesi; songs of W.A. Mozart, Sergei Rachmaninov, William Walton, Ivan Padovec, and Georges Migot; and works for solo guitar by Ernst Bacon, Vaclav Kucera, and Dora Pejacevic.

The internationally-renowned “Voice and Guitar Duo” of Dominika Zamara (Soprano) and Stanley Alexandrowicz (Classical Guitar) bring together the worlds of Opera, Lieder, Song, and Contemporary Music, in realizations of unmatched sonic beauty and rarified musical intelligence.

One of the finest singers before the public today, Dominika Zamara is equally adroit in the spheres of Grand Opera, 19th Century Lieder, Sacred Music, and Contemporary Works. Hailing originally from Poland, and now based in Venice, she has sung throughout Europe to unanimous acclaim—virtually wherever she appears—Paris, London, Vienna, Madrid, Prague, etc., and throughout all of Italy.

Classical Guitarist Stanley Alexandrowicz is internationally renowned for his virtuosic musicality, insightful interpretations, and refined guitarism. In addition to his command of the instrument’s standard repertoire, he has premiered and commissioned over 100 works by composers from Europe, Asia, North America, Cuba, and South America. He is truly an “artist-of-our-time.”

The ”Voice and Guitar Duo” of Zamara and Alexandrowicz presents in recital, music ranging from Renaissance lute songs and Baroque arias, to the high drama of “Verismo” and Contemporary Works written specifically for their unique talents.

Touring throughout the United States, and soon to be performing in Europe and Asia, they are featured on the forthcoming EDIT MUSIC ITALY CD of Dominika Zamara.

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TOUR SCHEDULE:

October 13 – 4:00 PM
Solo Guitar Recital: Works by Napoleon Coste, J. K. Mertz, Johann Dubez, Ernst Bacon, Vaclav Kucera
Broadway Presbyterian Church
601 West 114th Street at Broadway
New York, N.Y. 10025 http://www.bpcnyc.org/
General Admission $20.00 – Students/Seniors $10.00

DUO CONCERTS:

October 20 – 4:00 PM – Watchung Arts Center
18 Stirling Road – Watchung, NJ 07069
http://watchungarts.org/ (908) 753-0190
Tickets are $16 in advance, $20 ($18 for WAC members, $10 for students) at the door.
You may purchase tickets securely through Eventbrite: http://watchungartscenter.eventbrite.com/

October 21 – 7:30 PM
University Lutheran Church
3637 Chestnut Street (37 and Chestnut Streets)
Philadelphia, PA 19104
http://www.uniluphila.org/ (215) 387-2885
General Admission $15.00 – Students/Seniors $10.00

October 22 – 8:00 PM
TCNJ – Mildred & Ernest E. Mayo Concert Hall
The College of New Jersey
2000 Pennington Road
Ewing, NJ 08628-0718
http://tcnjcenterforthearts.pages.tcnj.edu/tcnj-box-office/
(follow the link “Purchase Tickets” or call (609) 771-2775)

October 23 – 8:00 PM
JAN HUS THEATRE
(@ Jan Hus Church)
351 E 74th St New York, 10021
http://janhus.org/ (212) 288-6743
General Admission $20.00 – Students/Seniors $10.00

October 24, 2013 at 7:00 PM
Embassy of Croatia
2343 Massachusetts Avenue
Washington DC 20008

http://www.internationalclubdc.com/Events/Default.aspx