Schubert's Guitars

Fernando Riscado Cordas has arranged these masterpieces for guitar duo. An important factor in the choice of these works is that they share certain properties that are very suitable to the character of the guitar. As in all his instrumental music, the vocal character of Schubert’s piano sonatas can be heard very clearly in their melodies.

The phrases have very natural fluidity and contours, and an entirely unforced narrative character that suggests a sung text. The early 19th Century guitar, strung with gut strings, is an instrument that shines in being able to combine melody with harmony, enhancing this further with a rich palette of timbres. Because guitarists play each note with two fingertips and are always in direct contact with the string and the sound, they can create nuances in sound that are very detailed and that can change in an instant. The difference in character in the two melodic themes of Schubert’s sonatas can thus be presented with better clarity and with more effective coloration than, for example, on a piano.