A Review of Christopher Schlegel's Music for Electric Guitar and Classical Guitar

Have you ever heard Rossini's William Tell Overture played on the electric guitar? What about the fourth movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, or the waltz from Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty ballet? In his recent compilation of pieces for concert electric guitar, the composer Christopher Schlegel presents these works and more-along with his original compositions for that instrument. In addition, Mr. Schlegel has released a CD of three of his own sonatas for classical guitar. The two collections complement each other wonderfully; the electric guitar music is intense, vigorous, heroic, and highly dynamic. The classical sonatas are nimble, elegant, peaceful, and serene. Both are extremely well-executed and convey what Mr. Schlegel intended: "not merely a general sense of benevolence, but an explicit sense of triumph."

Concert Electric Guitar

In his use of the electric guitar, Mr. Schlegel takes that instrument onto an entirely new level-the plane of high art. Given the clean, powerful, and melodious sounds an electric guitar is capable of, there is no reason why it should not be used in creating compositions of the highest caliber in harmony, melodic structure, and dynamism. Mr. Schlegel confirms this proposition in two ways. First, he rearranges several recognized classical masterpieces for electric guitar-thereby not only maintaining their greatness but also imparting an additional grandeur to them through the resounding, monumental sounds of the instrument. Second, Mr. Schlegel creates additional pieces for electric guitar which are just as meticulously structured, powerfully executed, and intellectually inspiring as the classical masterpieces. The CD alternates between Mr. Schlegel's own compositions and classical works-underscoring the continuity between past musical greatness and Mr. Schlegel's endeavor to restore the heroic and uplifting to its proper place in musical composition.