Gretchen Farrar & Francisco Roldán are part of Exposed 2011. They live in Burlington, Vermont and New York, New York.
Classical voice/guitar duo Gretchen Farrar and Francisco Roldán perform selections from their recording “Interweaving”, which offers a variety of styles from the Renaissance to the contemporary, consisting of songs from Spain, Cuba, Puerto Rico, England and the United States. The program explores the ranges of emotion expressed by the collaborative relationship between classical guitar and voice. Throughout history, singers have woven melodic texts through the harmonies and punteados of lyres, harps, lutes, vihuelas, and guitars. From ancient Greece and Rome to the Renaissance, through the Baroque and Classical periods, to today’s rock, folk, flamenco, jazz and myriad other international genres of music, this relationship has developed and flourished.
The intimate pairing of voice and guitar continues to evolve, virtually unchanged in its essential instrumental makeup, and expresses our deepest feelings, from joy to lament. The emotion and beauty of this timeless partnership has moved listeners throughout the ages, and is reflected in the music of composers including John Dowland (1563-1626), Fernando Sor (1778-1839), Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909), Federico García Lorca (1898-1936), Benjamin Britten (1913-1976), Leo Brouwer (b. 1939), and Ernesto Cordero (b. 1946).
Representing varied genres and eras, unified with a common thread of conviction, “Interweaving” (entretejiendo in Spanish) takes single strands of melody, harmony, poetry, rhythm, and dynamics, and fuses them together into a cohesive, expressive whole. The voice and the guitar thread their way into and around each other, creating a variegated tapestry of sound.
The classical duo of Gretchen Farrar, soprano, and Francisco Roldán, guitar, has performed extensively in and around New York City. Gretchen Farrar has also sung in the United States and in Germany with Elysium – Between Two Continents. Her opera credits include Anchorage Opera, Eugene Opera, and Hudson Opera Theatre, among others. Francisco Roldán has played in Russia, Spain, Argentina, Paraguay, Colombia, and throughout the United States. Mr. Roldán’s New York performances have included Merkin Concert Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Weill Recital Hall, and Bargemusic. Interweaving marks the debut collaborative recording by this accomplished duo.
www.gretchenfarrar.com
www.franciscoroldan.com
ABOUT EXPOSED
For the past twenty years, the Helen Day Art Center has hosted an outdoor public art and sculpture exhibition called Exposed in Stowe, Vermont. Exposed hosts sculptures, site-specific installations, and participatory work from twenty-three national and international artists. the 2011 edition offers a series of Thursday night events by 12 video artists, writers, performers, and musicians accompany the exhibit. This exhibition and series of events is accompanied by cell phone audio tours, QR codes, walking tour maps, walkabouts, and a catalogue of the exhibit published by Kasini House Books. The exhibition will take place July 8th to October 8th, 2011.