Suites and Homages Renata Arlotti Joue Castelnuovo-tedesco Et Asencio - Str37079

Suites and Homages is the result of years of passion for and empathy with the music of the twentieth century. While deeply loving the variety of the guitar repertoire, the natural evolution of my artistic and personal journey has led me to focus on and become immersed in the work of the composers who for me most brilliantly bring to life the full beauty of the instrument I love. They inspire me and sustain me in my dedication to the classical guitar. Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco has been a constant in my musical life and has imposed himself since the beginning as one of my favorite composers. I have always admired his great compositional expressiveness, the simplicity, elegance and cultural resonance of his work. Despite having to leave his beloved country due to racial victimization during the Second World War, he remained emotionally and artistically close to the culture and music of Italy. Vicente Asencio is a relatively recent “discovery”. My introduction to his music took place during my studies at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena. It was here that I listened to the wonderful Suite Valenciana, beautifully interpreted by a very talented guitarist as well as a dear friend. This casual encounter and my lack of knowledge of his work, led me to explore the artistic legacy and life of Asencio. His music, inspired by a typically Iberian passion devoid of banality and testimony to the true soul of Valencia, opened up new musical dimensions. It is for these reasons that I chose to dedicate my first CD to the compositional inspiration of Castelnuovo-Tedesco and Asencio. My ambition is to bring to a wider audience the joy of experiencing the music of these two inspirational and wonderful composers. The technical difficulty of the pieces and the need for editorial work on the scores has deterred many from performing their pieces in the past. The artistic and musical value of the programme presented here is however so profound that I willingly and enthusiastically undertook the long technical, interpretative and research work required to bring them to life.