By convention, most music fans would not directly associate the
guitar with the world of classical music. After all, it would be
difficult to imagine a collaboration between guitar legend Eric
Clapton and equally renowned classical musicians such as Itzhak
Perlman or Yo-Yo Ma.
Yet in reality, classical composers dating back to the time of
the Renaissance have often centered their compositions on the
complementary interactions between plucked instruments, like the
lute or guitar, and string quartets. With modern instrumental
technology, being able to use this kind of arrangement has become
more difficult but is still feasible.
“The only problem is that bowed instruments, with assorted
metal strings and state-of-the-art bows, are considerably louder
than the guitar,” said Ian Krouse, chair of the UCLA
Department of Music and acclaimed guitarist. “That’s
the most fundamentally difficult problem to solve when you’re
writing a piece for acoustic guitar or any instrument.”
In spite, or perhaps because, of these intricacies, Los
Angeles-based string quartet Pacific Serenades recognized the
singular beauty contained in these guitar and strings works and
decided to commission a modern work that would rival the likes of
Luigi Boccherini’s “Fandango.” Pacific Serenades
director and UCLA alum Mark Carlson immediately thought of Krouse
and offered him the project. His piece, “Music In Four
Sharps,” will premiere Feb. 12, 13 and 15, with the Feb. 15
concert taking place at the UCLA Faculty Center.
“The basic angle that’s fueled (Pacific Serenades)
for so many years now is the idea of juxtaposing chamber music with
brand new pieces,” Krouse said. “Living artists in Los
Angeles can have their work premiered by professionals, side by
side with a masterpiece by Brahms or Dvorak.”
As the chair of the music department and an active professor,
Krouse appreciates what little free time he does have for composing
and often considers himself lucky if he can enjoy a few months a
year to be purely creative. This year alone, Krouse finished up his
first opera, “Lorca, Child of the Moon,” in addition to
“Music in Four Sharps.”
Yet Krouse has a unique philosophy and approach toward
composing. “I’ve always been interested in taking
pieces by other composers and then finding a brand new work of my
own in those earlier pieces,” he said.
With “Music In Four Sharps,” Krouse looked to the
famed English lutist of the Elizabethan era, John Dowland, for
inspiration. He selected a well-known piece, “The Frog
Galliard,” and deconstructed it, reinterpreting and
modernizing the main theme, then expanding on it extensively. At a
certain point, he briefly inserts the original “Frog
Galliard” and then allows it to slip back beneath the
surface.
“That’s always been a concern of mine when I write a
piece based on an original piece ““ to allow the original to
emerge at some point, to recognize the form, even though most of
the music is of my own idiom and my own style,” said
Krouse.
For Krouse, who grew up playing Dowland’s music,
“Music in Four Sharps” also holds personal
significance. “Even though this piece has a string quartet in
it, it’s a tribute to guitarists and to their repertoire and
to great artists of the Renaissance,” he said.