ALTUS
Mozart•Schubert•Haydn
Babak Babaie and Vincenzo Giura release their debut album as a guitar duo, featuring their own transcriptions of the great Viennese masters.
But this story begins 10 years ago, at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz, Austria.
Graz, 2013
..we were both fascinated with playing classical repertoire on historical instruments. From the beginning, we were confronted with a question: what kind of contribution could a guitar duo make to the Classical repertoire? When we made our own transcription, for two Romantic guitars, of the Klavierstück No. 2 by Schubert, the answer was clear. Arranging a piano score for guitar often requires, due to the technical limitations of the instrument, a delicate reduction of the source material to the very essence of the composer’s idea. Counterintuitively, it is through this re-creative process that one is in the position to shed new light on what is considered ’Classical’. This is why Schubert’s simple melodies work highly effectively when spread between two Romantic instruments: there are fewer technical and dynamic possibilities, but a wider range of colours even when compared to modern instruments.
After so many years performing this repertoire on three continents, we made a date at The Spheres in Pescara, Italy, and recorded Mozart’s Piano Sonata n.15, Schubert’s Klavierstück n.2 and Haydn’s Double Variations in F minor. The recording sessions date from 2020 to 2023.
The latin word Altus means high and deep at the same time, one word for both.
Our Instruments
We both play heptachord Romantic guitars; Babak plays a Grobert copy made in 2004 by Denis Fuchs. Vincenzo plays an original French guitar made in Mirecourt around 1830.
We need your support to make this happen. We will be happy to share the joy of this Masterworks with you!
Babak Babaie and Vincenzo Giura