Lutz-Werner Hesse

The minor forms represented on the present recording range from the principles of the ars nova in the Sonata piccola to the weird waltzes in the Movimenti per chitarra. With the exception of the Préludes, the pieces are to be performed as cycles. The Sonata Piccola, composed in 1986 and revised in 1996, is really based on medieval compositional principles. The names of the movements of the Movimenti per chitarra and of the Partita then suggest Baroque forms of the suite. At the same time, a logico-dramatic sequence lies embedded in both pieces: “While it is conceivable that each movement be isolated from the entire piece, each of the two pieces makes sense only when its movements are performed as a cycle,” said Hesse. On the other hand, due to the “lack of inner coherence” (Hesse), the six Préludes for solo mandolin can be performed individually, even though the print edition (just like the present recording) suggests a plausible dramatic sequence. The combination of the more luscious mandolin with the demure concert guitar gives the duo pieces a special appeal, impressively realized by Caterina Lichtenberg and Mirko Schrader.