Novae

PATRICK KEARNEY

Patrick Kearney offers a spectacular musical tour de force of his instrument, playing a repertoire that affirms him as a spokesman for the contemporary voice of the guitar, and a journeyman of its future. It will take your breath away and compel your senses. The five works represent two moments in the continuum of modernity. Usher Waltz and Koyunbaba date respectively from 1984 and 1985 and are works that have had wide acceptance. Hyperion, Lamento-Scherzo and Sagittarius A* were all composed in 2009-2010, twenty-five years later. Three different guitars were used for this recording, each for its own special qualities and contribution to the artistic effects being sought. Usher Waltz, Koyunbaba and Sagittarius A* are played on a spruce/cedar double-top built in 2012 by Polish maker Kamil Jaderny because of its exceptional sustain and singing voice. Hyperion is played on a 2001 spruce solid-top Simon Marty (Australia) because of its orchestral power and its ability to “sing and growl like a beast.” A 2014 cedar/cedar double-top by Jean Rompré (Canada) is used for Lamento-Scherzo because of its masculinity, and also to have one work on the album in which the composer, luthier and performer were all born and raised in the province of Québec. This is a journey into a highly explosive yet ultra sensitive world of the guitar.

Price: $27.98