Nejc Kuhar

Guitar Concerto No. 3

I consider Guitar Concerto No. 3 to be the "best of both worlds." Let me explain. My first two concerti, Guitar Concerto No. 1 and Guitar Concerto No. 2 (also published by Les Productions d'OZ), could not be more different from each other. No. 1 is (in my opinion) ‘tour de force’ of guitar technique, lasting almost 30 minutes and spanning over four movements. No. 2, on the other hand, was written with an intermediate level of guitar technique in mind. It is easy for the soloist to perform and is written in a two-movement structure, lasting approximately 10 minutes. How can I combine both? How can I write a concerto that would be straightforward to perform, while still allowing me to achieve full artistic and expressive freedom? My answer is Concerto No. 3. I once again decided on a two-movement form, as it is a relatively unique concept in the world of guitar concerti while at the same time having the advantage of being concise. Inspired by Aaron Copland’s Clarinet Concerto, this structure allowed me to explore two of my favorite musical characters: The first movement adopts a lyrical, neo-romantic style, while the second is a fierce, virtuoso finale - aggressive and unapologetically in-your-face.