Scenes from The Wild West
Gary Ryan’s compositions for guitar have been
exceptionally well received during the past few years.
His groundbreaking Scenes from The Wild West (2003)
for solo guitar is a six movement work that is widely
acclaimed as one of the most original and entertaining
compositions written for solo guitar in many years. The
suite explores and blends a wide range of techniques
used in the many different styles of guitar playing and
American music that exist today. There are musical
references to steel, slide, plectrum, rhythm, electric and
flamenco guitar as well as to the mandolin and banjo,
country and western, gospel, jazz, rock, electronic dance
music, film soundtracks, classical, TV, nursery rhymes
and even incidental music to cartoons! Scenes from The Wild West
portrays the guitar in a new light, transcending the standard guitar
repertoire in such a refreshing way that it never fails to entrance audiences.
Click here for 'Scenes from The Wild West Programme Notes' by Gary Ryan . |
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Scenes from Brazil
In his next solo guitar work, Scenes from Brazil (2004), Gary Ryan continues
his exploration of the sound world of the guitar even further. It’s defining
central movement, Junglescape, uses new contemporary techniques for the
instrument in such an imaginative and creative way that the listener is transported,
via its evocative and vivid soundscape, to the delicate and fragile world of the rainforest.
Ryan uses new guitar sounds to add a stunning programmatic element to the piece,
captivating audiences by the magical beauty of the music. By contrast, the two outer
movements of Scenes from Brazil, Sugarloaf Mountain and Rio Bay (from the Corcovado) portray the colourful and vibrant city of Rio de Janeiro. The samba-like rhythms of Sugarloaf
Mountain and the lively bossa-nova section in Rio Bay perfectly balance the esoteric tones
of the central movement.
Click here for 'Scenes from Brazil Programme Notes' by Gary Ryan . |
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Generator
Generator (2005)
is a guitar duo written for Mark Eden and Chris Stell. In this composition
Ryan continues his crusade to redefine the boundaries of the classical
guitar by creating an unparalleled ensemble work that never fails to stun
audiences. Ryan's music, now forming its own distinct genre, dispells
the myth of 'classical' and ingeniously draws in listeners from all backgrounds
due to its eclectic qualities. In his programme notes Ryan describes the
inspiration behind the work which centres around the sounds and rhythms
generated by machinery: Silence followed by 'electric sparks' create the
machine which then comes to life with an 'unstoppable rhythmic energy,
passing through a series of extraordinary sound worlds until eventually
the symmetry of malfunction, death and decay brings the piece to extinction'.
Other fascinating and diverse influences include electronic music, free
running, juggling, obsessive thoughts, cloning, the harmonic series and
the blues scale, tribal chanting and the art works of Giger and Escher.
Click here for 'Generator Programme Notes' by Gary Ryan . |
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Latin Cabaret (Showgirls)
Latin Cabaret (Showgirls) (2005), is a guitar trio with a vibrant Latin jazz feel which was
commissioned and recorded by Appassionata on their CD, Let Go - BGS Label. Latin Cabaret conveys the unremitting energy and rhythmic drive of a Brazilian street carnival and the
spectacle and glamour of a nightclub cabaret, hence 'Showgirls'. Also an accomplished pianist, Ryan
conceived much of the harmonic material for this piece at the piano. Melodically the work is based around
different permutations of the pentatonic scale whilst for the overall 'Latin jazz feel' Ryan cites the music of guitarist
Pat Metheny as an inspiration. There are also percussive and improvisational ideas woven into the musical
texture and occasional elements of minimalism.
Click here for 'Latin Cabaret (Showgirls) Programme Notes' by Gary Ryan . |
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Dreams, Rest and Motion
Dreams,
Rest and Motion (2006) is a guitar duo composed for the Dutch guitar
duo, Duolisme. This work has a completely different feel to the dark mechanical
world of Generator. It combines different kinds of silence, movement
and the gaining of momentum to create a wonderully atmospheric piece which
portrays the varying stages of dreams and sleep. Indeed the piece often
has dream-like qualities, notably at the beginning and end and there are
moments where the music suddenly 'rests', creating different atmospheres
of silence. After the stillness of the opening the piece gradually builds
up momentum through a series of increasingly elaborate improvistory melodies
played over a syncopated accompaniment. Ryan then ingeniously builds the
music up to an almost carnival-like atmosphere before finally returning
to the rest and silence of the introduction implying that all that has
been heard may have simply been a dream.
Click here for 'Dreams, Rest and Motion Programme Notes' by Gary Ryan . |
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Trinity Guildhall Music Examination Repertoire
Gary Ryan also composes extremely popular student repertoire.
The following pieces
are listed in the current Trinity Guildhall Guitar Syllabus:
Initial
Hand Bells
Snake in a Basket
Grade 2
Night Sky
Grade 3
Russian Bear
Barn Dance
Lost at Sea
Grade 7
Smoke Rising*
Grade 8
Rondo Rodeo*
*Taken from Scenes from The Wild West by Gary Ryan, Camden Press
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CLICK HERE FOR 'GARY RYAN ON HIS COMPOSITIONS FOR GUITAR' . |
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Music for the Theatre
Gary Ryan has composed several electronic scores for theatre including:
The Passion Plays by Michael Punter (Crystal Palace Park, London 1992)
Partridge by Michael Punter (Barons Court Theatre, London 1993) - nominated for a London Fringe Theatre Award
Wolves by Michael Punter (Bridewell Theatre, London 1997)
The Lady of the House of Love by Angela Carter (Horsham Arts Centre, Sussex 1997)
Lebensraum by Horovitz (Kings Head Theatre, London 1998).
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