The Guitar Concerto No. 2, Op. 394, is a

concerto A concerto (; plural ''concertos'', or ''concerti'' from the Italian plural) is, from the late Baroque era, mostly understood as an instrumental composition, written for one or more soloists accompanied by an orchestra or other ensemble. The typi ...

for

classical guitar The classical guitar (also known as the nylon-string guitar or Spanish guitar) is a member of the guitar family used in classical music and other styles. An acoustic wooden string instrument with strings made of gut or nylon, it is a precursor o ...

and

string orchestra A string orchestra is an orchestra consisting solely of a string section made up of the bowed strings used in Western Classical music. The instruments of such an orchestra are most often the following: the violin, which is divided into first ...

by the American composer

Alan Hovhaness Alan Hovhaness (; March 8, 1911 – June 21, 2000) was an American-Armenian composer. He was one of the most prolific 20th-century composers, with his official catalog comprising 67 numbered symphonies (surviving manuscripts indicate over 70) and ...

. The work was commissioned by the Spanish guitarist

Narciso Yepes Narciso Yepes (14 November 19273 May 1997) was a Spanish guitarist. He is considered one of the finest virtuoso classical guitarists of the twentieth century. Biography Yepes was born into a family of humble origin in Lorca, Region of Murcia. ...

. It was completed in June 1985 and later premiered at the Granada Festival in 1990.

Composition

The Guitar Concerto has a duration of roughly 25 minutes and is composed in four

movements Movement may refer to: Common uses * Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece * Motion, commonly referred to as movement Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * "Movement" (short story), a short story by Nancy Fu ...

: #Andante, allegro vivace #Allegro giusto #Andante misterioso con nobilta, andante maestoso #Adagio, allegro giusto

Reception

William Yeoman of ''

Gramophone A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...

'' praised the concerto, writing, "It’s classic Hovhaness, with numerous hymn-like passages for the strings contrasted with lively ''pizzicato'' sections and fugal textures; the guitar meanwhile rejoices in puckish, modally rich dances enlivened by frequent changes of time signature and broad cantorial utterances." Music critic David Hurwitz was more critical, however, remarking, "In the concerto there is a sameness to each of its four movements that is difficult to describe, but very evident when listening. There seems to be little difference in the feeling of movement between andante and allegro; the same textures permeate each movement, as do similar modal melodies and vaguely exotic harmonies. It’s pretty, but static."

References

{{Alan Hovhaness Compositions by Alan Hovhaness 1985 compositions Hovhaness 2 Compositions for string orchestra 20th-century classical music Music commissioned by ensembles or performers

Composition

Reception

See also

References