The guitarist and composer Frederic Hand was a student of the legendary classical guitarist Julian Bream, and has been the guitarist and lutenist at the Metropolitan Opera for nearly 40 years. “Across Time” is an album of original compositions, showcasing four decades of Hand’s music. From his arrangement of Simple Gifts to originals works that incorporate elements of jazz, the selections demonstrate his inspirations from diverse traditions and his range of musical language.
Across Time by Frederic Hand, New Focus Recordings, 2022 on #neuguitars #blog #NewFocusRecordings #FredericHand
Across Time | Frederic Hand | New Focus Recordings (bandcamp.com)
Guitarist/composer Frederic Hand’s Across Time is an album of original compositions composed over several decades that draws its inspiration from diverse traditions and musical languages. Including vocal settings of texts by William Shakespeare and the Italian philosopher Marsilio Ficino alongside Hand’s characteristically eclectic solo guitar compositions, including the re-release of two of his early works Trilogy and Late One Night, this new collection will appeal to fans of guitar music that reaches out to various sources of inspiration.
Guitarist and composer Frederic Hand releases his third recording with New Focus, this time on the newly minted ReEntrant imprint focusing on guitar recordings. Hand stands out among guitarists of his generation for the breadth and depth of his activity — he was appointed the guitarist for the Metropolitan Opera in 1984, has appeared at many prominent festivals, and his compositions have been performed and recorded by major guitar soloists and ensembles, as well as on film and television. Across Time is a compendium of Hand’s work spanning 35 years and demonstrating both the evolution of his eclectic compositional style as well as consistent elements of his artistic voice.
Across Time closes with Cooper Lake, a sentimental portrait of a location near Hand’s home in Woodstock, NY, and the only track on the recording performed on steel string guitar. Despite the different string composition, the musical composition is vintage Hand, beautifully lyrical, with heartfelt harmonies and a disarming earnestness.
– Dan Lippel
credits
released April 22, 2022
Renewal, Ballade for Astor Piazzolla, and The Passionate Pilgrim were recorded in Area 52 Studios, Saugerties, NY in October, 2021
Recording engineer: Dave Cook; Produced by Frederic Hand and Dave Cook
The Poet’s Eye, I Am, There Is a Splendor, Cooper Lake and Romantic Etude were recorded by Frederic Hand in the mid 1990’s in his home studio, Woodstock, NY
A Waltz for Maurice and Simple Gifts were recorded at Dreamland Recording Studio, West Hurley, NY, in July, 2000
Recording engineer: Sue Kappa; Digital editing: John Yates; Produced by Frederic Hand
Trilogy and Late One Night were recorded at the American Academy of Arts and Letters in New York City, September, 1982
Recording engineer and editor: Judith Sherman; Produced by Judith Sherman
Digital transfer by Gregory Squires, September, 2001
All compositions by Frederic Hand, ASCAP
Published by Handwerks Music and distributed by Theodore Presser and Mel Bay
Classical Guitars by John Gilbert, 1981, Gary Lee, 2012 Steel String Guitar by Bill Wright, 1987
Strings by D’Addario
Cover photo by Zaksheuskaya from Pexels
Cooper Lake photo: Fred Hand
Design: Marc Wolf, marcjwolf.com
NeuGuitars 