Recuerdos de la Alhambra

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Description +
- Recuerdos de la Alhambra (Memories of the Alhambra) for solo guitar was composed by the Spanish composer Francisco Tárrega in 1896 and is easily one of the most recognizable and popular pieces ever written for the guitar.
  
  Tárrega, often hailed as the father of modern classical guitar, drew his inspiration for the composition from a visit to the Alhambra palace, a centerpiece of Moorish architecture in Granada, Spain, that immediately fascinated Tárrega with its enchanting beauty.
  
  Over the years, Recuerdos de la Alhambra has become a standard in the classical guitar repertoire, admired by both musicians and audiences alike for its haunting melodies and employment of the virtuosic tremolo technique.
  
  This new two-mallet arrangement for solo marimba by Danish marimbist Anders Elten seeks to stay as faithful to the original as possible with limited means, employing double strokes to imitate the tremolo effect. Included with the arrangement itself is an appendix with exercises for developing the “one mallet roll”, as well as exercises detailing how to use this unusual technique to play rapid double strokes, enabling any marimbist to perform the arrangement effortlessly.
Instrumentation +
- Marimba (4.3 and 5.0 Octave | two mallets)
Watch+
- Performed by Anders Elten
About the composer +
- Francisco Tárrega (1852-1909) was a Spanish composer and guitarist, known as the "father of classical guitar." He enriched the guitar repertoire with his compositions like "Recuerdos de la Alhambra" and "Capricho Árabe." His innovations in playing technique and contributions to guitar music profoundly influenced future generations of guitarists.
  
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  Anders Elten is a Danish percussionist and educator specializing primarily in the marimba. Since his early music studies, he has devoted himself to exploring and furthering the art of marimba playing.
  
  In 2010, he enrolled in the percussion class at The Royal Danish Academy of Music, Copenhagen, where he studied under the guidance of professor Gert Mortensen and Johan Bridger, graduating from the Soloist Class in 2019. During his time at the academy, he was the recipient of numerous awards and grants, including First Prize in the internal soloist competition, the internal ensemble competition as well as the annual concerto competition.
  
  He has received the Third Prize and the Keiko Abe Honorary Award at the Universal Marimba Competition in Belgium, the Grand Prize in the ENKOR Music Competition, the Sonning Talent Prize, the Gladsaxe Music Prize as well as the prestigious Danish Radio P2 Talent Prize. He has also received the Aennchen and Eigil Harbys Foundation scholarship.
  
  Anders Elten currently holds the position of marimba teacher at The Royal Danish Academy of Music as well as at The University of Stavanger, Faculty of Performing Arts. He is also a regular guest teacher at Theodor Milkov's International Marimba Summer Camp (MIMSC).
  
  Aside from teaching and performing, he also enjoys working with composers to expand the repertoire for the modern marimbist. He has premiered solo works by composers such as Benjamin de Murashkin and Jeppe Ernst, and in 2019 he premiered the first movement of Danish composer Daniel Fladmose's marimba concerto with Aalborg Symphony Orchestra.
  
  In 2021, he and his longstanding duo partner Mathias Reumert commissioned and premiered a new work for percussion duo titled “ARGUMENTA”, written by the renowned French composer Philippe Manoury. The duo released their first album, also titled "ARGUMENTA", in 2023, containing several works by Philippe Manoury and a new transscription of Maurice Ravel's "Le Tombeau de Couperin". The album is released on the Danish label "EkkoZone".
Credits +
- Front Cover Graphics and Layout: Nicola Lee
  Photo: Thomas Rockall Muus
  Printed in Copenhagen, Denmark
  Copyright © Edition SVITZER

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