Scott Borg - ON AN OVERGROWN PATH

1. 01 – Leos Janacek (arr. Martin Bresnick) – On an Overgrown Path (Series I) – Our Evenings
   
2. 02 – Leos Janacek (arr. Martin Bresnick) – On an Overgrown Path (Series I) – A Faded Leaf
   
3. 03 – Leos Janacek (arr. Martin Bresnick) – On an Overgrown Path (Series I) – Come with Us!
   
4. 04 – Leos Janacek (arr. Martin Bresnick) – On an Overgrown Path (Series I) – The Virgin Mary of Frydek
   
5. 05 – Leos Janacek (arr. Martin Bresnick) – On an Overgrown Path (Series I) – They Chattered Like Swallows
   
6. 06 – Leos Janacek (arr. Martin Bresnick) – On an Overgrown Path (Series I) – Words Fail Me!
   
7. 07 – Leos Janacek (arr. Martin Bresnick) – On an Overgrown Path (Series I) – Good Night!
   
8. 08 – Leos Janacek (arr. Martin Bresnick) – On an Overgrown Path (Series I) – So Unutterably Anxious
   
9. 09 – Leos Janacek (arr. Martin Bresnick) – On an Overgrown Path (Series I) – In Tears
   
10. 10 – Janacek (arr. Martin Bresnick) – On an Overgrown Path (Series I) – The Little Owl HasnÕt Flown Away!
    
11. 11 – Michael Tippett – The Blue Guitar – Sonata for Solo Guitar – Transforming
    
12. 12 – Michael Tippett – The Blue Guitar – Sonata for Solo Guitar – Juggling
    
13. 13 – Michael Tippett – The Blue Guitar – Sonata for Solo Guitar – Dreaming
    
14. 14 – Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco – Suite Op.133 – Preludio – Quasi un’improvvisazione
    
15. 15 – Suite Op.133 – Preludio – Molto moderato – Espressivo e malinconico (al modo dei canti scozzesi)
    
16. 16 – Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco – Suite Op.133 – Preludio – Capriccio – Furioso
    

SCOTT BORG – ON AN OVERGROWN PATH

Janáček | Tippett | Castelnuovo – Tedesco

For acclaimed Australian guitarist, arranger, and conductor Scott Borg, this CD represented a voyage into the unknown; a journey filled with joy, inspiration and surprise. The one constant was his instrument. Each piece on this CD is an homage to his mentors, demonstrating the evolution of his musicianship.

‘On an Overgrown Path’ alludes to a Moravian wedding song, in which a bride observes wistfully that “the path to my mother’s has become overgrown with clover”. The poignant nostalgia expressed by these words reflects the mood of Janáček’s cycle, in which he conveys a series of memories, both tender and tragic, his luscious harmonies and floating melodies creating an idealistic view of a bygone world.

Tippett’s Blue Guitar is a monumental and hugely important contribution to the guitar repertoire. The three movements convey three “moods or gestures”: ‘Transforming’, ‘Juggling’, and ‘Dreaming’. To reflect both the title and the guitar’s own musical history, Tippett weaves blues-inflected harmonies into the fabric of the music.

When Scott Borg asked fellow-guitarist Eliot Fisk, “What is the most insane Castelnuovo-Tedesco piece you have ever played?” He replied without hesitation, “Suite!” Scott Borg takes up the challenge on this CD, relishing the work’s twists and turns and dazzling virtuosity.

Praised for his “enormous facility on the guitar, a fluent technique… with total confidence and professional expertise, panache and artful spontaneity”, Scott Borg has become renowned for his refined and daring performances. As a winner of the Artists International competition, the New York Concert Review described Scott Borg’s Carnegie Hall debut as “well balanced, gracefully presented, and expertly played… each note was purposeful and focused, as was each rest.”

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Booklet in English, French, and German.
Program notes by Joanna Wyld.