For classical guitarist Sean Shibe, conventions and limitations are made to be damaged. As anticipated, he performs Spanish customary repertoire and complicated Baroque tunes on his nylon-strung guitar in addition to anybody. Notice the quiet, wistful intimacy Shibe affords in a cancion by Federico Mompou and a Bach sarabande. Shibe is so inside the music that his cheek usually rests on the highest of his instrument.
The Scottish guitarist likes to plug in, too. He is aware of how one can shred, but he also can make his electrical guitar sound as mild as a butterfly’s wing — as within the ethereal closing quantity on this set, “Excessive on a Rocky Ledge,” by the eccentric American avenue musician Moondog.
Shibe is fearless within the face of challenges, which explains why the majority of his Tiny Desk set is dedicated to the brand new, finger-twisting music written for him by English composer Thomas Adès. “He explodes the technical limits of the instrument,” Shibe explains. “He explodes my palms as nicely. He nearly explodes the guitar.” From imitating bells in difficult harmonics to frenzied marches of complicated chords and avalanches of notes, the music seems all however unplayable as you watch Shibe’s fingers fly over your entire fretboard. However shut your eyes and the music sounds contemporary and assured, mapping new territory for the classical guitar.
SET LIST
- Thomas Adès: Courante – Right here was a swift (for Max Ernst)
- Federico Mompou: Canción No. 6
- Thomas Adès: Carillon de Ville (for Hector Berlioz)
- Thomas Adès: Overture, Queen of the Spiders
- J.S. Bach: Sarabande (from Suite in E minor, BWV 996)
- Moondog: “Excessive on a Rocky Ledge”
MUSICIANS
TINY DESK TEAM
- Producer: Tom Huizenga
- Director/Editor: Kara Body
- Audio Technical Director: Josh Newell
- Host/Sequence Producer: Bobby Carter
- Videographers: Kara Body, Maia Stern
- Audio Engineer: Josephine Nyounai
- Manufacturing Assistants: Dhanika Pineda, Dora Levite
- Photographer: Michael Zamora
- Tiny Desk Crew: Joshua Bryant, Ashley Pointer
- Sequence Editor: Lars Gotrich
- Govt Producer: Suraya Mohamed
- Govt Director: Sonali Mehta
- Sequence Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton
