Beijing Guitar Duo​

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Meng Su and Yameng Wang

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Praised by the distinguished Classical Guitar Magazine as “having the star potential to serve as inspiration for new generations of guitarists to come,” Beijing Guitar Duo made their New York debut in Carnegie Hall in 2010 and launched their international concert career.

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Guitarists Meng Su and Yameng Wang, as Beijing Guitar Duo have performed around the world in halls such as Concertgebouw, Palau de Musica, Tchaikovsky Hall and National Theatre in Beijing. The duo regularly collaborates with orchestras, in ensemble with flutist Marina Piccinini, guitarists Grigoryan Brothers, and with legendary guitarist Manuel Barrueco touring in Europe, Australia, Asia and the U.S.

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The Beijing Guitar Duo's performances and recordings have impressed the public with “an ability and artistry that exceeds their years.” Their debut CD, Maracaípe, received a Latin-GRAMMY nomination for the titled piece, which was dedicated to them by renowned guitarist/composer Sergio Assad. Their second CD, Bach to Tan Dun, has been widely noted for the world premiere recording of Tan Dun’s Eight Memories in Watercolor, specially arranged for the duo by Manuel Barrueco. A recording in trio, China West, with Maestro Barrueco was released in May 2014. Their fourth CD, Clair de Lune is due to release in late 2023.

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Meng Su and Yameng Wang were born in the coastal city of Qingdao, China. They came to the partnership with exceptional credentials, including a string of competition awards. Ms. Su’s honors include victories at the Vienna Youth Guitar Competition and the Parkening International Guitar Competition, while Ms. Wang was the youngest guitarist to win the Tokyo International Guitar Competition at the age of 12, and was invited by Radio France to perform at the prestigious Paris International Guitar Art Week at age 14. Both artists had given solo recitals in China and abroad, and had made recordings before they formed the duo.

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In addition to concertizing, the duo shares a love for teaching which brings them to major conservatories worldwide for master classes and to judge competitions. In addition to Meng Su’s position as guitar professor at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the duo regularly serves as Artists-in-Residence which brings them to community outreaches, performances, and masterclasses in public schools.

 

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Program

 

Partie Polonaise, TWV 39:1                                                          Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)

                

Variazioni Concertanti, Op. 130                                                  Mauro Giuliani

Introduzione - Tema -                                                                  (1781-1829)

Variation I - Variation II - Variation III -

Variation IV - Variation V - Variation VI

 

Vals de Primavera                                                                         Agustín Barrios Mangoré
Un Sueño en la Floresta                                                               (1885-1944)

                                           (Yameng Wang, solo guitar)

 

                                                 

Intermission

 

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Seven Desires For Guitar                                                             Tan Dun

Senza misura – Dolce molto                                                        (b. 1957)

Andante

Adagio – Senza misura

Rubato

Poco rubato

Dolce rubato

Allegro vivace – Dolce molto

                                                          (Meng Su, solo guitar)

 

From Eight Memories in Watercolor, Op. 1                                Tan Dun 

Staccato Beans                                                                    (arr. Manuel Barrueco)

Herdboy’s Song

Blue Nun

Floating Clouds

Sunrain

 

Suite Retratos                                                                               Radamés Gnattali

Pixinguinha (Choro)                                                                    (1906-1988)

Ernesto Nazareth (Valse)

Anacleto de Medeiros (Schottisch)

Chiquinha Gonzaga (Corta Jaca)

 

Program Subject to Change

 

Exclusive Management: ARTS MANAGEMENT GROUP, INC., 130 West 57th St., New York, NY 10019

Discography: TONARMUSIC (www.TonarMusic.com) 

Program Notes

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Georg Philipp Telemann was a prolific self-taught German Baroque composer whose vast catalog of over 3,000 works bridged the gap between late Baroque and early Classical styles. 

Born in Magdeburg, he learned numerous instruments and composed an opera by age 12. Defying his family's wishes for a legal career, he abandoned law studies at Leipzig University to pursue music, eventually founding a student orchestra and becoming the director of the Leipzig Opera. Telemann held prestigious musical posts across Germany, including in Eisenach (where he became a lifelong friend of J.S. Bach). In 1721, he settled in Hamburg, as music director of the city's five principal churches. He was highly celebrated for blending Italian, French, and Polish folk styles into his compositions. A savvy businessman, he actively published his own music, which spread his fame across Europe.

                 Partie Polonaise, TWV 39:1 (early 1700s) is a Baroque suite that highlights the composer’s fascination with Polish folk idioms. Originally written for lute, this work is frequently performed in arrangements for other instruments. Unlike the strictly formalized French and Italian suites of the period, this Partie exhibits a lighter-hearted character. It consists of 7 short movements: Polonaise - A stately yet rhythmic opening dance; Harlequinade - A theatrical, playful movement; Le Ris "The Laughter" is light and buoyant; Rigadon - A lively, fast-paced French folk dance; Combattans - Energetic, combative musical gestures; Hanaque / Hanaque mit Sarrois - Syncopated Eastern European-style dances; Gigue - A brisk concluding dance. 

 

Mauro Giuliani was a celebrated Italian composer and virtuoso who elevated the six-string guitar to prominence in the early Romantic era. Giuliani initially trained on the cello before turning to the guitar, mastering both. Residing in Vienna from 1806, he captivated audiences and earned the respect of musical giants like Beethoven with his dazzling, operatic playing style. He moved in elite artistic circles, famously playing the cello in the 1813 premiere of Beethoven's Symphony No. 7. Giuliani's prolific output forms the absolute core of the 19th-century classical guitar repertoire, famously including three lyrical guitar concertos, the Gran Sonata Eroica, and the Rossiniane, a set of six fantasias based on the operas of Rossini. He returned to Italy in 1819, spending his final years performing, publishing music, and touring with his talented daughter Emilia.

                 Variazioni Concertanti, Op. 130 (1820s) is a cornerstone of the classical guitar duo repertoire. Showcasing Giuliani's gift for melody and idiomatic instrument writing, the piece consists of an elegant, operatic theme followed by a series of contrasting variations that push both performers to display their technical virtuosity. The work was published posthumously.

 

Agustín Barrios Mangoré was a Paraguayan composer and guitar virtuoso. He penned over 300 original works for the instrument, fusing European Romantic traditions with rich Latin American folk elements. Barrios developed a passion for music, literature, and poetry early in life. He was a cultural polymath who spoke fluent Spanish and Guaraní, and read English, French, and German. In 1900, he became one of the youngest students at the Colegio Nacional de Asunción. Barrios spent his career touring extensively across Latin America as a concert virtuoso. During the 1930s, he performed in indigenous Guaraní dress under the pseudonym "Nitsuga Mangoré" (Agustín spelled backward). A true pioneer, he was among the first classical guitarists to make gramophone recordings. Though he remained somewhat overlooked in Europe during his lifetime, subsequent generations of guitarists — such as John Williams and David Russell — have championed his legacy. 

                 Vals de Primavera (Spring Waltz) (ca. 1921) is a romantic waltz that perfectly captures the carefree and blossoming spirit of spring. It is structured around a lilting time signature, demanding both technical agility and subtle rubato. Barrios employs brilliant scalar runs, sparkling arpeggios, and expressive dynamic shifts to create a joyful atmosphere. 

                 Un Sueño en la Floresta (A Dream in the Forest) (1917) is considered one of Barrios’s most technically demanding compositions. The piece opens with a majestic introduction before transitioning into an extended, cascading tremolo section. This tremolo creates an enchanting melodic line that floats above a delicate harmonic accompaniment, masterfully evoking the feeling of a surreal, shimmering landscape, and painting a luminous forest dream. 

 

Tan Dun is a Grammy and Academy Award-winning Chinese-born American composer and conductor who is celebrated for blending Eastern and Western musical traditions. Born in Hunan, China, his early musical fascination with village shamanic rituals was interrupted by the Cultural Revolution. He earned a DMA from Columbia University. Tan Dun is widely recognized for his cinematic scores, notably winning an Oscar for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. His prominent compositions include the Organic Music Trilogy, Water Passion after St. Matthew, and Symphony 1997, which commemorated the handover of Hong Kong. He was also commissioned to write for the 2008 Beijing Olympics and Google’s YouTube Symphony Orchestra. As a dedicated cultural ambassador and educator, Tan Dun serves as the Dean of the Bard College Conservatory of Music. His lifelong mission remains connecting global cultures through musical storytelling.

                Seven Desires For Guitar (2002) explores the intersection of Western classical music and traditional Chinese instruments. The piece grew out of thematic passages from Tan Dun’s 1996 Guitar Concerto (Yi2). It creates a musical dialogue between the rapid-fire tremolos of the traditional Chinese pipa (a historical four-string lute) and the percussive, rhythmic stamping of Spanish flamenco. At its core, the piece is a dialogue between two distinct cultural heritages. This synthesis highlights fascinating shared boundaries between the two styles, notably the use of microtones and rapid tremolo plucking. True to Tan Dun’s signature compositional style, the physical body of the classical guitar is frequently used as a percussion instrument. The score instructs the performer to incorporate slaps, taps on the soundboard and aggressive thumps, blurring the lines between melody and rhythm. Alternating between introspective, deeply atmospheric melodies and aggressive, rapid-fire rhythmic passages, the work is a nuanced exploration of desire, tension, and release, realized through a highly theatrical approach to the instrument. 

               Eight Memories in Watercolor, Op. 1 (1978) was originally composed for piano during Tan Dun’s student years. It is a poignant "diary of longing", written as he left his hometown in Hunan for Beijing.  Blending childhood nostalgia and folk songs with Western modernism, it creates an intimate, meditative suite. The eight-movement work pairs traditional Chinese melodies—often pentatonic with folk-like ornamentation—with contemporary compositional techniques. Staccato Beans represents meditative reflections and energetic childhood games; Herdboy's Song evokes pastoral life and the sounds of the traditional guzheng (ancient Chinese plucked zither); Blue Nun highlights simple polyphonic expression and folk themes; Floating Clouds and Sunrain provide picturesque imagery, and end the suite with a vigorous, life-affirming dance. Described as capturing essences with a "Zen calligraphy" approach, the work avoids virtuosic fireworks in favor of emotional resonance and delicate tone painting.

 

Radamés Gnattali was a Brazilian composer of both classical and popular music, as well as a conductor, orchestrator, arranger, and pianist. He bridged the gap between European classical music and Brazilian popular genres like samba and choro. Born to parents who were both musicians, and studying initially with his mother, Gnattali developed exceptional versatility, writing over 300 concert and chamber works. He wove sophisticated classical forms and jazz-influenced harmonies with the rich rhythms of Brazil. A major figure in Rio de Janeiro's music scene, he spent 30 years as an arranger, soloist, and conductor for Rádio Nacional. He championed a modern Brazilian big-band dance style known as gafieira and mentored generations of musicians. His ability to elevate popular musical roots into the realm of high art cements his legacy as one of the most important figures in 20th-century Brazilian music. 

                Suite Retratos (Suite of Portraits) (1956) pays homage to four composers who shaped early twentieth-century Brazilian music. Originally scored for solo mandolin, string orchestra, and a choro ensemble, Gnattali later transcribed the suite into this iconic adaptation for two guitars that demands profound technical skill and deep rhythmic intuition. The suite blends sophisticated, formal classical structures with the vibrant and soulful essence of the streets of Rio de Janeiro. Gnattali structured each movement around a specific musical style, utilizing the work of each honoree as a creative blueprint.

                Pixinguinha (Choro) celebrates the legendary Alfredo da Rocha Vianna Filho (universally known as Pixinguinha), a foundational Brazilian composer, arranger, flutist and saxophonist. Choro emerged when European dances like the polka and waltz blended with syncopated Afro-Brazilian rhythms; it is considered Brazil's first urban popular music. 

                Ernesto Nazareth (Valse) celebrates the pioneering Brazilian composer and pianist who blended European dance forms like polkas with Afro-Brazilian rhythms, to help forge the precursor to choro. The valsa brasileira (Brazilian waltz) is a blend of the European waltz and the lyrical, syncopated rhythms of Brazil. Originating in 19th-century salons, it became a staple of the choro genre.

               Anacleto de Medeiros (Schottisch) honors the seminal bandleader by referencing his schottisch rhythms. Medeiros was a composer, conductor, and multi-instrumentalist who fundamentally shaped the nation’s music, particularly the choro genre. The Brazilian Schottisch (known locally as xote or chotiço) is a localized adaptation of the 19th-century European ballroom dance brought to Brazil by European immigrants. 

               Chiquinha Gonzaga (Corta Jaca) is a tribute to Brazil’s trailblazing female pianist, conductor and composer. Gonzaga is considered to have been the first female composer and conductor in Brazil – a difficult enterprise for a woman in Rio de Janiero in the second half of the nineteenth century. Corta-jaca, a sort of peasant dance, was originally composed in 1895; the title refers to a traditional dance step, involving lively footwork, that mimics the slicing of a jackfruit.