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 .

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 .

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 .

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 .

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

CLICK HERE FOR 'GARY RYAN ON HIS COMPOSITIONS FOR GUITAR' .

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).