“Expression begins where thought ends.” - Albert Camus
“It has truly been a great honor for me to realize a new work for solo classical guitar by Maestro Leo Brouwer. El Mito de Sísifo para guitarra is a dream come true for someone passionate about philosophy and music. This project was initially inspired by the Maestro’s 2021 release of the Trois Nouvelles Études for solo guitar. They were written in memoriam of Claude Levi-Strauss, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Jacques Derrida. In the liner notes of the sheet music, Mtro. Brouwer describes them all as, “ideologues of form” and goes on to discuss how their philosophies link to ways in which he composes music.
This got me thinking about Albert Camus and his philosophy of the absurd. Camus explains Absurdism through Greek mythology in The Myth of Sisyphus (1942). Sisyphus, King of Ephyra, is punished by Zeus for attempting to escape death multiple times. The gods forced Sisyphus to roll a giant boulder to the hilltop only to watch it fall to the bottom as soon as he got close to the peak. He is sentenced do this for all eternity. However, in Camus' view, seeing the act of rolling the boulder as the human condition, urges us to imagine Sisyphus happy in his punishment. Sisyphus revolts against his fate and thus, accepts it. He is free.
Mtro. Brouwer does not disappoint in transforming such a story and philosophy into music. How lucky we are to have him compose a musical interpretation on absurdity, existentialism, and defiance for solo classical guitar. The opening, marked Quasi Cadenza and Tranquillo, provokes a jagged sense of introspection. The irregolare rhythms, dynamic shifts, and constantly changing time signatures create an atmosphere of uncertainty - absurd, indeed. As the piece progresses we are met with an Allegretto in an odd meter with a repetitive dance-like quality evocative of the boulder’s journey up and down the hill. Thematic fragments from the Allegretto are found in the heavy Moderato section that follows. The accompaniment for the Moderato is mostly made up of chords without quality (no 3rd, only power chords and quartal harmonies) to support the fragments. The piece ends at the bottom of the hill with a welcome return to the opening quasi cadenza. All is well.
Gracias Maestro por todo.
I also have immense gratitude for the work done on this project by Henry Nelson of Probable Voltages, which would not be what it has become without the creativity and diligence that he brings to every frame. The title card handwritten by Evelyn Ford over the very curious bird, Frankie makes for a perfect ending.
Thank you to my colleagues and mentors who helped me craft the performance of this piece.
Thank you all for listening!"
Matt

"It was an honor and a joy to film Matt debuting this stunning new work by Leo Brouwer. I hold these two musicians very dear to my heart. Matt, who was my teacher and mentor in high school, and Brouwer, who we fiercely studied and who I still regard as one the greatest composers alive. As for the look of the video, I’ve always loved this rare footage of Brouwer from the late-60s and early-70s playing a version of Danza Del Altiplano. It’s hand held and most likely 16mm, which compared to the formality I usually associate with classical performance videos, I find really unique and visceral. Something about the breathing of the camera, how it’s barely keeping up with the Maestros’ hands, lends itself to the piece and somehow includes us in its physicality. Given the nature of this new work and what Matt gives in his performance, I felt it was important to attempt to capture that same physical feeling."
Henry

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