Europa

Here’s a lovely and mysterious “advanced” short work from the superb Canadian guitarist Adam Cicchillitti that I just can’t seem to get enough of—I’ve probably watched/listened to the video below a dozen times over the past few days. It haunts me! In his notes on the piece, the composer notes, “Europa is my first published composition for solo guitar. It was written for my darling wife Virginie Abat-Roy in 2015. The piece is a portrait of the moon of Jupiter [Europa]. I imagine myself staring at the planet from the surface of the moon in awe.”

In an email, Cicchillitti also shared,  “Europa is actually the first piece of a set entitled Jupiter Suite, which I am still in the process of writing. The second piece, Io [another of Jupiter’s main moons] should be published in the fall with a new video and is dedicated to my friend, duo partner and amazing guitar virtuoso, Steve Cowan. The two of us will be touring contemporary guitar duo music in Canada next year.” The finished suite will have movements devoted to four of Jupiter’s 67 moons, plus one to the planet itself. Should be a fascinating piece!
- Blair Jackson (Classical Guitar Magazine)