About
Sony recording artist Kurt Rodarmer is a consummate musician. His mastery of the guitar places him squarely in the category of world-class artists, and his prodigious talent has been recognized and lauded by the likes of Segovia, Joaquín Rodrigo, Carlos Vázquez, and John McLaughlin. Kurt has spent the last ten years in relative seclusion during the preparation and recording of The Goldberg Variations CD. His transcription preserves Bach's music in its original form and makes use of custom instruments capable of producing the extended range required by the work. The nature of this music broadens the appeal of the CD - and the artist - to a much wider audience than that of the classical guitar. Glenn Gould's landmark release in 1982 on CBS Masterworks of The Goldberg Variations, one of Bach's most loved instrumental works, catapulted TGV to an extraordinary level of popularity and awareness. Rodarmer's achievement of the complete work on his own instrument brings to it new qualities of expression and interpretation. A student of the late Maestro Segovia, Rodarmer began studying guitar at the age of six. After several years of concertizing in the US, Canada, Martinique, and culminating in a triumphal national tour in Mexico, including performing at the prestigious Palacio de Bellas Artes, Rodarmer released his first LP recording, Volume One, in 1985. This album received wide airplay and critical acclaim from the music world. "I have the pleasure of wholeheartedly recommending to you guitarist Kurt Rodarmer. His record Volume One, delights me. He dominates the technique of this difficult instrument and is gifted with extraordinary musicality." - Joaquín Rodrigo Rodarmer's approach favors the needs of the music rather than those of the instrument, and he will modify his guitars or technology if necessary to meet the demands. His music is alive, exciting, and always involving whether he is playing newly discovered guitar pieces or the world's most treasured masterpieces brought to life on the guitar. His artistic vision was solidified during the creation of The Goldberg Variations, and we believe he has now emerged to become a major force in the musical world. "Without a doubt, we are dealing with someone ultra-gifted, unpretentious and honest, who is destined to occupy a privileged place among world class musicians." - Carlos Vázquez Kurt Rodarmer, Artist From the age of 6, what Kurt Rodarmer most wanted from his life was to play the guitar. Although not from a musical family, his abilities did not go unrecognized. He exhausted the musical resources of his native SW Michigan by the time he was eight, and it became evident that a master instructor was needed. His parents sought out Maestro Jack Cecchini, who accepted Kurt as his youngest student. For the next several years Kurt's father took one day off work each week to drive him to his lessons in Chicago, a 6-hour round trip plus several hours at the studio. Kurt's first performance at the famous St. James Cathedral in Evanston, Illinois was at the age of 11, and his early youth is studded with recitals and performances at universities and auditoriums between Michigan and Illinois. His repertoire at that time consisted mainly of the standard Segovia set with a few additional modern works. At sixteen, Kurt was awarded a full honors scholarship to the College Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati, and later went on to study under the private tutelage of Maestro Andrés Segovia. In Mexico, Kurt was introduced to Carlos Vázquez, that country's greatest pianist, maestro at the Conservatorio y Universidad Nacional, Angel recording artist and informally adopted "son" to Manuel María Ponce. Ponce had a tremendous impact upon the history of the guitar, having written much of Segovia's repertoire in addition to piano, vocal, ensemble and orchestral pieces. He was widely known for the popular romantic song from 1925, "Estrellita." Through Mtro. Vázquez Kurt was able to see and hear Ponce's music through the composer's eyes and ears, and studied from original manuscripts. One of these pieces, simply entitled "Valse," is recorded in its original form on Kurt's first album, Volume One. While in Mexico, Kurt made a series of television and radio appearances, and played numerous concerts, including the Palacio de Bellas Artes, one of Latin America's most prestigious halls. For the inauguration of the "Centro Cultural San Angel", Kurt followed President Miguel de la Madrid as the hall's inaugural performer in a nationally televised concert. Throughout his career, Kurt has been frequently featured in the media, receiving television, radio and press coverage. On the tail of this international success, Kurt began to consider his next project, one which would ultimately draw together the many threads of his experience and talents, and consume him for ten years: J.S. Bach's Goldberg Variations for guitar. Tangential to his performance career, Kurt Rodarmer has been actively involved in the advancement of modern guitar design. This has led him to be seen as a cross-functional link between the artistic and scientific communities, and has resulted in performances and lectures for such associations as the Acoustical Society of America, the Biology of Music Making, and the National Science Board in Washington, D.C. He was invited to perform at an international science symposium hosted by the island of Martinique. Photo of Kurt R. with Maestro Segovia Andrés Segovia and Kurt Rodarmer Reflecting on his early experiences with Segovia, Kurt commented, "Perhaps the greatest impact he and his life have had on me is that one has to make the music one's own. Whenever Segovia's hands would touch the guitar - any guitar - the sound was 'inconfundible', unmistakable. This has been a goal of mine as well." Judging by the critical acclaim for the newly-completed Goldberg Variations - the transcription, the sound quality, the recording and the interpretation - Kurt is unerringly on target. |
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Kurt Rodarmer
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Kurt Rodarmer Newsletter |
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Kurt Rodarmer Discography (1title)
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