[TR24][OF] David Chesky - Urbanicity Orchestra of New York - Concerto for Electric Guitar and Orchestra - 2010 (Classical, Alternative)

There have been ambitious attempts in the past at marrying the audacious power of electric guitar and the throbbing rhythms of rock music with a classically-trained, through-composed sensibility. Sixties rock guitar hero Frank Zappa, leader of the irreverent Mothers of Invention, composed large scale symphonic works like 1967’s Lumpy Gravy, 1979’s Orchestral Favorites and 1983’s London Symphony Orchestra, Vol. 1, though none of those prominently featured the electric guitar. One-time No Wave guitarist and composer Rhys Chatham explored the concept of large guitar ensembles on his 1982 ballet Drastic Classicism, then later assembled 100 guitars for 1989’s An Angel Moves Too Fast To See and 400 guitars for 2005’s A Crimson Grail. His colleague Glenn Branca explored the density and dissonance of alternate tunings in large guitar ensembles on majestic works like 1980’s Lesson No. 1, 1981’s The Ascension and 1983’s Symphony No. 3 while later composing for the traditional orchestra and guitar on 1987’s Symphony No. 7. Others have tried their hand at this bridging of rock and classical worlds (Norwegian guitarist Terje Rypdal achieved a successful blend on his Double Concerto/5th Symphony with the Riga Festival Orchestra of Latvia and his Undisonus with London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra). But none (save Zappa) has possessed the classical pedigree and compositional integrity to pull off this melding as honestly and organically as Grammy-nominated American composer David Chesky does on his Concerto for Electric Guitar and Orchestra. "My feeling is, we live in a contemporary age and we need to treat the electric guitar just like a violin," says Chesky. "It’s part of our vocabulary today. And for the orchestra world to survive, it needs to be contemporary and reflect the world around it."
Reviews
Is David Chesky the Frank Zappa for the 21st Century?
"David Chesky deserves major props for writing one of the best "classical" pieces yet to incorporate the electric guitar--a wonderful instrument that lots of modern composers use, mostly terribly. Leonard Bernstein managed it, and a few others, but Chesky's concerto is at once excitingly virtuosic, cogently structured, and true to the instrument's roots in rock and popular music. It's exceptionally well played by Bryan Baker, who in the notes says he spent eight hours a day learning it. The effort shows, but only in a good way.
"Urbanicity and The New York Variations are ballets, which explains their rhythmic charge, but not their eclectic mixture of idioms and references, which are pure Chesky. Both have three movements. Urbanicity lives up to its title with a vengeance: the music might strike some listeners as overly relentless, but The New York Variations has more variety and (it seems to me) a wider expressive range. The performances, as in the concerto, are tip-top, and the sonics stunningly lifelike, with the electric guitar particularly well-balanced. A very enjoyable release by a distinctive compositional voice."
-David Hurwitz, Classics Today
EDITOR'S TOP PICKS, GuitarPlayer Magazine, March 2011:
"Composed by David Chesky, with 24 year-old Bryan Baker in the electric guitar chair, this very contemporary and arguably landmark orchestral work incorporates numerous cultural threads-including bits of, funk, metal, and '60s pop and rock-with Baker's exciting and virtuosic playing showcased throughout. This challenging but ultimately accessible music rewards with repeated listening." HQ