John Schneiderman - Livestream Concert
A FREE LIVESTREAM SOLO PERFORMANCE ON Russian 7+4 STRING GUITAR
Wednesday, October 20th at 11:00am
Along the Street/I Walked on Flowers
Show Yourself the Clear Moon
Mother, I Have a Headache
Variations on a Tyrolean Theme
The Cossack Went Beyond the Dunai
I Loved Rose More Than Any Other Flower
I Love Pear in the Garden
Last Night I Was at the Post
Mikhail Vysotsky (1791–1837) is one of the most mysterious figures in the history of the Russian seven-string guitar. We know very little about him because he was of humble origin, i.e., born to a serf family.
However, we know that from the beginning of his adult life Vysotsky was manumitted. During the peak of his fame in the 1820s and 30s he was a cult performer across all the social strata of Russia’s old capitol, Moscow. The overall number of his compositions surviving in printed editions and manuscripts is over a hundred. The lion’s share of them are Russian songs with variations, and here the guitarist shows musical wit and imagination second to none. Every variation set of his is unique, and the variety of textures and compositional ideas there is overwhelming. Vysotsky was in close contact with the “Gypsy choirs” of Moscow, and there is definitely a trace of Russian-Romani musical influence in his intuitive, improvisatory guitar style.
Oleg Timofeyev
ABOUT JOHN SCHNEIDERMAN
“Obviously what we’re dealing with here is extreme virtuosity.”
(John Schneider, KPFK)
“Schneiderman’s performance was dazzling. His fluent, unassuming virtuosity was entirely at the service of the music; and the dizzying gigue which closed the work left this listener breathless.”
(Times Colonist, Victoria, BC)
“Few indeed are those who show such versatility and accomplishment on such a range of instruments as does John Schneiderman. He has uncovered an astonishing range of neglected repertoire and brought these seemingly dusty pages to life in creative and refreshing ways. John Schneiderman is an important figure in American plucked string history...a “multiple threat” performer, researcher and pedagogue at the highest level...”
(Eliot Fisk)
Critically acclaimed virtuoso of plucked instruments since age nine, John Schneiderman specializes in the performance practice and repertoire of eighteenth-century lutes and nineteenth-century guitars. Based in California, Mr. Schneiderman is in demand as a soloist and chamber musician collaborating on recordings and performances throughout North America.
Beginning his performance career as a banjo, guitar, bass and fiddle player, the young Schneiderman was a familiar face on the stages of bluegrass and folk festivals throughout California. Mr. Schneiderman studied with British guitar pedagogue and author Frederick Noad, and continued his studies at the Schola Cantorum in Basel, Switzerland, with the great modern pioneer of the baroque lute, Eugen Dombois. Mr. Dombois’ precise and detailed approach to the repertoire continues notably to influence Schneiderman’s interpretations today.
He is a member of Galanterie, The Czar’s Guitars, Les Deux Amis, and the Schneiderman-Yamaya Duo. He has performed with the Los Angeles Opera, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Los Angeles Baroque Orchestra, Musica Angelica, Seattle Baroque, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Chanticleer, Musica Pacifica, El Mundo and the American Bach Soloists. His extensive discography, much of it rarely or never before recorded lute and guitar music, includes CDs on the Titanic, AudioQuest, Centaur, VGo, Dorian Sono Luminus, Brilliant Classics, Profil:Edition Günter Hänssler, and Hanssler Classic labels. Mr. Schneiderman has been on the faculties of the University of California, Irvine, Claremont Graduate University, Irvine Valley College, Orange Coast College,California State University, Long Beach and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
www.johnschneiderman.com