Stephen Aron

Sketches CD by guitarist Stephen Aron: Classical music reaches out

Innovative and diverse, Sketches features fresh, new music for the guitar in works by Ned Rorem, Brian Head, Antonio Ruiz-Pipo, and the recording premiere of Silhouettes by David Bernstein along with a romantic fantasy by Giulio Regondi and a rustic serenade by the Paraguayan guitarist Agustin Barrios.

Sketches, a compact disc on Digital Revolution label, marks the recording debut of Stephen Aron, a leading voice the world of classical guitar playing. The New York Times characterized Stephen Aron's playing as "cultivated and musical." Guitar Player Magazine recognized him as "one of America's foremost guitarists."

Antonio Ruiz-Pipo's Cancion y Danza soothes with a lullaby and then launches into a rousing Latin dance.

Suite for Guitar by Ned Rorem is a sweeping sequence of moods and atmospheres reflected in its movements' names: Like a distant shower of silver; Rollicking; Melancholy; Rapid, like raindrops; Loud and fast and dry; Brisk-Maestoso.

Regondi's stately opening of Introduction et Caprice sets the stage for an expansive, dramatic, virtuosic fantasy. (Giulio Regondi was a Swiss, child prodigy born in the early 19th century. His recently discovered works have created a sensation in the guitar world).

Agustin Barrios', Un Sueño en la Floresta (A Dream in the Glade), is a languid serenade in the tremolo style associated with the mandolin.

David Bernstein's three Silhouettes for Guitar are concise, lyrical contemporary miniatures. Movement I: colorful declarations lead into rhythmic adventure. Movement II: distilled and reflective. Movement III: atmospheric opening reveals a bleak landscape and a daring escape follows.

Brian Head's Sketches for Friends are pieces in contemporary popular styles. 33rd Street Ballad is laid back in the ambience of Gershwin's Preludes. Lobster Tale is a New England style hoe-down. November Song begins as a jazz ballad and turns into a frisky romp. Brookland Boogie struts up-tempo, bursting at the seams with jazzy rhythm and harmony.

Stephen Aron, a prize winner in the 1983 Guitar Foundation of America International Competition, has been heard in recital, on radio and television in major cities throughout the U.S. and Canada. Critically acclaimed for his 1989 New York debut, he has given numerous premiere performances of works by such composers as David Bernstein, Larry Wallach, Jorge Morel, Stephen Funk Pearson, and Burl Marx. He has given master classes at many conservatories and universities including the Manhattan School of Music, The Cleveland Institute of Music, and Boston Conservatory. A recognized scholar, Aron has lectured at Guitar Foundation of America Festivals and his articles have appeared in such magazines as the Soundboard and American String Teacher. He is Associate Professor of Music and Chairman of the Guitar Department at The University of Akron. Mr. Aron is Teacher of Guitar and founder of the classical guitar studies program at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and Artistic Director of the Great Lakes Classical Guitar Festival held annually at Oberlin. Order sketches CD