Jeremy Jouve Performs Friday, May 4th at 8:00 PM
Portland Classic Guitar (PCG) artistic director William Jenks is excited to present French guitarist Jeremy Jouve on Friday, May 4th at 8 PM at Marylhurst University's Wiegand Hall.
An active ambassador of classical guitar around the world, Jérémy Jouve is continuing his international tours and his recordings with one objective : to attune classical guitar with modernity.
His musical training, at the Ecole Normale de Musique, then later at the Conservatoire Supérieur de Paris (CNSMDP) where he studied with great masters, among them Alberto Ponce and Roland Dyens, steered him toward a deep love and respect of manuscripts, an unending search for a beautiful sound, and a thorough understanding of the architecture of the pieces he chooses to interpret.
Even with this extraordinary trajectory- conservatory prize at age 13, first European tour at age 16, the only guitarist to be accepted into the advanced study « perfectionnement » course of CNSMDP, and winner of the international guitar competition of the GFA in Mexico at age 24-the artistry of Jérémy Jouve has kept a strong stamp of sincerity.
The GFA in 2003 opened the door to a five month North American tour as well as to a first recording with Naxos, followed by two disks dedicated to the demanding works for solo guitar by Joaquín Rodrigo. Then came a DVD with Melbay of a live concert recorded (2009), and another CD, this time in duo with flute for Reference Recording, which was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2014.
These recordings illustrate his strong desire to highlight the rich repertoire of classical guitar. He has undertaken, in fact, an intense work researching manuscripts in order to find the essence of the pieces and the soul of the composers ; trying to call attention to both his instrument and the original compositions.
This work brought him the gratitude of Cécilia Rodrigo, daughter of the famed composer, who wrote ; « What formidable technique, what poetry in your interpretations ! I am extremely thankful for your work. my father, Joaquín Rodrigo, would have been very proud of you».
Jérémy Jouve’s most recent album « Cavalcade», the fruit of an inspiring collaboration with composer Mathias Duplessy, marks a new direction in his career. An advocate of the existing repertoire which he hopes to expand and enrich, this time in the domain of comtemporary music. The pieces put forth by Jérémy Jouve in this album play a leading role in the creation of new repertoire, a music without borders ; mixing flamenco, music of India, and with Ravelian accents.
This music is in the image of classical guitar that he hopes to embody : free.
Vast like the night and light, the depth and elegance of the play of Jérémy Jouve hopes to lead us toward a limitless horizon where classicism and modernity interplay.