WOLFGANG MUTHSPIEL
SOLO
Live Recording at ORF RadioKulturhaus Vienna – “Ö1 Radiosession”
Host: Helmut Jasbar | Sound: Martin Leitner
Mixed by Gérard de Haro at Studio La Buissonne, France
Mastered by Nicolas Baillard at Studio La Buissonne
Published by Clap Your Hands
All music composed by Wolfgang Muthspiel except Tracks 13, 15, 16
Published by Wolf Music/AKM
Photo by Laura Pleifer
Design by reimanndesign
Wolfgang Muthspiel plays a guitar made by Jim Redgate
Thanks to Helmut Jasbar, Andreas Felber and Martin Leitner at Radio Ö1
Thanks to Matthias Naske and Rico Gulda at Wiener Konzerthaus
www.wolfgangmuthspiel.com
Booking and management ESTEAM MUSIC GmbH
WOLFGANG MUTHSPIEL – ACOUSTIC GUITAR
With his new solo program Etudes/Quietudes, Austrian guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel celebrates the acoustic guitar, the instrument to which he once switched from the violin at the age of thirteen and on which he was trained as an interpreter of classical music. The core of the program is a collection of concert etudes that Muthspiel composed for his instrument. These eleven etudes each explore a different aspect of the music possible for the guitar. Each individual piece is characterized by a certain atmosphere, ranging from highly virtuosic and sparkling to poetically reflective.
The etudes are joined by four other pieces, such as Muthspiel's heartfelt homage to Bill Evans ("For Bill Evans"), a sarabande by Johann Sebastian Bach (to which he improvises with material from the sarabande), a theme by Paul Motian ("Abacus"), partly improvised, and a fast miniature called "Triplet Droplet".
With Etudes/Quietudes, Muthspiel seemingly effortlessly spans the gap between two musical worlds that have been decisive in his musical life: the classical guitar and the art of improvisation derived from jazz. However, this program is not tobe understood as a crossover, as Muthspiel carries both poles within himself and there are no boundaries for him to overcome. Both on stage and in the recording studio, the guitarist achieves an intimate self-evidence of the music that pushes the high technical demands of playing into the background and places a continuous parlando, a constant musical speech, at the center.
Etudes are basic exercises for musicians, they serve to refine certain skills and develop into captivating concert pieces. "I wrote myown etudes to practise certain technical aspects. Then I fell in love with the compositional process they inspired," says Muthspiel. "Etudes celebrate craft!" he continues, "Craft is a central point for me -all the musicians I admire have spent a lifetime working on their personal sound."
"The composer and guitarist draws parallels here to meditation and sport and emphasizes the beauty of repeated practice, which he personally enjoys as a grounding ritual: "Just like spiritual practices and athletic training, etudes foster a deep-rooted mastery," he explains. "It's a basic attitude from which creativity blossoms."
The new album Etudes/Quietudes presents compositions that are primarily concert pieces and which Muthspiel enjoys playing in front of an audience. Although these pieces are written specifically for the classical guitar, they can also be performed on other instruments. The etudes were recorded at the Vienna Radio Studio RadioKulturhaus. The album was mixed in the south of France with the great engineer Gerard Haro at Studio La Buissonne.
For me, this album is a musical narrative - a reflection of my journey from violinist to classical guitarist to jazz musician," shares Muthspiel. "I invite listeners to join me on this sonic journey to experience the essence of my story translated into music."
Etudes/Quietudes is released on CD and LP on Clap Your Hands (CYH) and is available on all major streaming platforms. In addition, the score of these pieces can be purchased as a download or in the form of a printed music book that includes the CD.
photos by Laura Pleifer
Info Sheet EN (pdf)
ETUDES/QUIETUDES
RELEASE
WOLFGANG MUTHSPIEL SOLO —
ETUDES / QUIETUDES
OCTOBER 18 // 2024