RES10165 Guitar worksinspiredbyScotland The Soldier’sReturn James Akers I’d like to dedicate this recording to the memory of my sister Lorraine Galloway The Soldier’s Return (1778-1839) Guitar works inspired by Scotland 1. Variations on a Favourite Scottish Air, Op. 40 [7:07]

Mauro Giuliani (1781-1829) 2. The Soldier’s Return [4:25]

Luigi Legnani (1790-1877) James Akers romantic guitar 3. Variations on Rossini’s ‘La Marcia’ (from La donna del Lago) [7:31]

Mauro Giuliani 4. Prelude and Scotsoises (1) [4:05] 5. Blue Bells of Scotland [4:49] 6. Jenny’s Bawbee, A Reel [4:09]

Johann Kaspar Mertz (1806-1856) 7. Fingal’s Cave [4:40]

Mauro Giuliani 8. Coming through the Rye [3:45] 9. Prelude and Scotsoises (2) [4:25] 10. This is no my ain Lassie [5:05]

Luigi Legnani 11. Variations on Rossini’s ‘Oh Quante Lagrime’ About James Akers: (from La donna del Lago) [7:47]

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Photography: Rudi Wells Fernando Sor had a truly cosmopolitan life. Cole in 2015, for most of the Giuliani pieces Born in Catalonia he left Spain, for political an original guitar from around 1820 possibly reasons, having achieved considerable by Saumier and for the remainder a copy of success as a ballet composer. He lived at a Terz guitar (a smaller instrument tuned various times in London, Paris and as far to a higher pitch) in the Edinburgh University afield as Moscow. Sor has been credited instrument collection by James Marriage as being one of the most important (2013). composers for guitar but this doesn’t do justice to the broad range of his © 2016 James Akers compositional output. Songs, opera, ballets, concertos, Sor was much more than a gifted dilettante composer of guitar music. The guitar, however, was the consistent feature in his musical life and it is for guitar he produced his most personal works.

Sor’s Variations on a Favourite Scottish Air, Op. 40 had remained unpublished in the modern era until revived by Brian Jeffery. They begin with a freely composed fantasia before Sor sets the wistful tune, adapted by Robert Burns for his song Ye Banks and Braes of Bonnie Doon, for the guitar. The three subsequent variations follow the form of the song and stay close to the melody before a coda, notable for Sor’s plaintive use of harmonics, brings the piece to a close.

On this recording I used three different guitars. For the Sor, Mertz and Legnani pieces, a Panormo copy made by James More titles from Resonus Classics James Akers Hanover Band, Sounds Baroque and the Dunedin Consort. Songs of Love, War & Melancholy: James Akers was born in Scotland and began Operatic Fantasias by Jacques-François Gallay playing guitar at the age of ten, later studying As a continuo player James has worked for Anneke Scott (natural horn), Lucy Crowe (soprano) with Robert Mackillop at Napier University, major opera companies, English National Steven Devine (piano) Edinburgh. Whilst at Napier he turned his Opera, Welsh National Opera, Opera North RES10153 attentions to playing the lute, progressing and Innsbruck Festival Opera and orchestras ‘Anneke’s playing is dazzling, flawless and presented to the Royal College of Music and study with and chamber groups including The Scottish, with such panache and musicianship.’ Jakob Lindberg. Adding theorbo to his Irish and English Chamber Orchestras, Daily Gazette expanding instrument collection, James the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, continued his studies at Trinity College of The Scottish Ensemble, and ventured Music with Jacob Heringman and David Miller into other styles with Damon Albarn. The Saxon Alternative: Telemann Music for Wind Band with additional lessons and advice from Paul Syrinx O’Dette and Elizabeth Kenny. Having settled James has performed on numerous recordings RES10154 on the period instrument path James – his debut solo recording Thesaurus continued accumulating instruments and Harmonicus was released in 2012; a few film ‘Telemann’s voracious appetite for dance exploring the music of the sixteenth to soundtracks; several theatrical stages, music of all styles, and the Syrinx ensemble’s nineteenth centuries. including Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and perky playing, ensure endless pleasure in rarely the Barbican, and broadcast for the BBC, heard pieces.' The Sunday Times Following a Junior Fellowship at Trinity College France Musique and RTE Lyric, Ireland. of Music James began pursuing a varied professional career. As a soloist he has Although mostly concentrating on performing performed mostly in the UK and Scandinavia and teaching, James has occasionally indulged giving recitals for The Yorke Music Trust, in research, exploring the domestic music © 2016 Resonus Limited Ullapool Guitar Festival, making of Samuel Pepys and his ‘musical è 2016 Resonus Limited Retreat, Exeter Guitar Festival and the secretary’ Cesare Morelli, the polyphony of Recorded in Menuhin Hall, Stoke d’Abernon, Surrey on 26-27 May 2015 Copenhagen Renaissance Music Festival. Scottish Renaissance composer David Peebles Producer, Engineer & Editor: Douglas Whates Executive Producer: Adam BInks and, most recently, how Scottish melodies Recorded at 24-bit / 96kHz resolution (DDD) He has accompanied leading singers including were used by European guitarist composers Cover image & instrument photography © Resonus Limited Dame Emma Kirkby, James Bowman, Michael at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Session photography: Douglas Whates Chance, Miriam Allan, and Sam Bowden and James is a lecturer in early plucked strings RESONUS LIMITED – UK with ensembles such as I Fagiolini, Ex Cathedra, at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Fretwork, The Parley of Instruments, The [email protected] www.jamieakers.com www.resonusclassics.com RES10165