Etudes
Guitar
Composed:
2021
Watch / listen
Score / parts
Instrumentation and duration
Guitar
Duration: 35 minutes
Movements
I. Arioso
II. Memoria (Remembrance)
III. Riite
IV. Agitato nervosamente
V. Nocturno. Väre (Ripple)
VI. Puro (Stream)
VII. Unisono
VIII. Avautuen (Unfolding)
IX. Kangastus (Mirage)
X. Roihu (Blaze)
Commission / dedications
Written for Patrik Kleemola with funding from Finnish Cultural Foundation and Arts Promotion Centre Finland
Publisher
Edition Wilhelm Hansen / Wise Music Classical
First performance
First concert performance of the whole cycle: Patrik Kleemola, guitar, Sibelius Academy International Guitar Conference, Organo hall, Helsinki Music Centre, Helsinki, Finland, February 3, 2023
YouTube premiere
Patrik Kleemola released weekly videos of each Etude, accompanied by conversations between him and Klami, on his YouTube channel from September 27 to November 29, 2021.
Reflections
Article: "Evocative online premieres for Markku Klami's splendid Etudes for guitar from Patrik Kleemola", published on Adventures in Music by Jari Kallio
Interview: "New works for clarinet and guitar by Markku Klami", published on Rondo by Kimmo Korhonen
Original article on Adventures in Music, published by Jari Kallio
Original interview on Rondo, published by Kimmo Korhonen
Composer's Notes
Etudes for guitar continues my long collaboration with the Finnish guitarist Patrik Kleemola. The initial idea for a set of new etudes for guitar came up in a conversation I had with Kleemola back in 2017. Our mutual point of view was that contemporary music doesn’t play a substantial part in the repertoire of students in music institutes. In fact, the vast and rich oeuvre of today’s composers is something that students only come across during their academic studies in music. As we see it, the situation is more or less the same around the world. Our wish was to address this issue and contribute to the availability of contemporary music in the repertoires of students, also younger students.
Although Etudes is pedagogically designed to target different playing techniques—both traditional and unconventional—my aim was just as much to compose pieces that would be suitable for concert use by students and professional guitarists alike. The result is a collection of ten etudes covering a wealth of moods, styles and sonic possibilities of a solo guitar.
The technical difficulty level increases gradually as you progress through the etudes. The first etudes are suitable for younger and more experienced students alike, whereas the last etudes are primarily targeted at professional guitarists and students pursuing their professional degree in music.
Since the beginning of this project, Kleemola and I had agreed to make video recordings of each etude, which will be published on Kleemola’s YouTube channel. Targeted to an international audience, each performance video is accompanied by a conversation video with Kleemola and me, where we further explain the pedagogical and musical aims of the individual etudes. These videos will be accessible on Kleemola’s YouTube channel from September 2021 onwards.