Скачать или смотреть Mertz - Elfenreigen from Bardenklänge, Op. 13 | Austin Culler, Guitar

"As soon as it was feasible, I offered him my guitar and asked him to play something. He took it readily and immediately began to play. It was a fascinating large work. "By whom is this piece written?" I asked. "By me," was the answer. "It has not been published yet." Then he played another piece, and still another. Each one better than the last -- all magnificent. I was dumfounded with surprise and admiration. I felt like a Columbus discovering a new America, for here was the great guitar composer I had long given up hope of finding."
Memoirs of Makaroff, trans. Vladimir Bobri and Nura Ulreich.

This is the introduction the nineteenth-century guitar aficionado Nicolai Makaroff (1810 - 1890) gave to Joseph Kaspar Mertz. Born in 1806 (d. 1856), Mertz belonged to the 'Romantic' generation of guitarists that came after Giuliani and Sor. Mertz's musical output follows trends established by his pianist contemporaries Schumann, Chopin, Liszt, and Thalberg. In particular, Mertz had a penchant for small character pieces (Schumann's Kinderszenen comes to mind).

In the 1840's, he published a series of twenty-five short pieces under the name Bardenklänge or Bardic Sounds. The first twenty pieces are exceptional compositions, each depicting various scenes from the the Gaelic Ossian poems, published by James Macpherson. Though the poems were heavily embellished (or outright fabricated) by Macpherson, they were immensely popular during nineteenth century.

The Bardenklänge is full of advanced-guitar techniques: arpeggios, rapid scales, and moving inner voices are a constant feature. Lengthy arpeggiated accompaniments whirl underneath swooning, rubato laden melodies; within an instant a bel canto aria can transform into a thundering orchestral tutti. However, the technical elements are not mere guitaristic filler, but work together to pull the most out of the instrument dynamically, texturally, expressively - and particularly in this set - help shape the narrative of the musical depictions. While the Bardenklänge is technically easier than some other famous works by Regondi, or even Mertz himself, the musical intent mustn't be glossed over: the music begs the performer to pull the drama out of the music. With enough love, care and attention, the works blossom into masterworks worthy of Makaroff's praise:

"Mertz, whose manuscripts not in my possession, represent the precious pearls of the guitar repertoire!"

Video and Editing by Coalbanks Creative
Recording and Mixing by James Oldenburg
Guitar by Martin Blackwell (2018)
Filmed in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada