Fourtune European Guitar Quartet

• 1 Turn the World Around 03:08
• 2 Athos 04:36
• 3 Porthos 05:20
• 4 Aramis 05:09
• 5 D'Artagnan 03:43
• 6 Fuga Non Fuga 05:28
• 7 Pictures from Moravia 08:11
• 8 Coronella 02:07
• 9 Oh No 03:05
• 10 Father O'Blivion 04:19
• 11 Coral De Uma Nota 08:06
• Total Runtime 53:12

Info for Fourtune

The ‘birth of a new shining star in the concert sky’ wrote the Dresdner Neueste Nachrichten after the European Guitar Quartet's concert. With their first album Danza, they have travelled to almost 20 countries, including major venues such as the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the Kaufmann Concert Hall in New York, the Tchaikovsky Hall in Moscow and the Calcutta Central Hall in India, delighting experts and audiences alike. FOURTUNE is the name of the album by the four busy guitarists Zoran Dukic (Croatia), Pavel Steidl (Czech Republic), Thomas Fellow and Reentko Dirks (Germany), in which the quartet plays with facets of ‘four-tone’, ‘happiness’ and musical ‘richness’. A summit meeting of guitar music in which two legends of the classical guitar and two fingerstyle virtuosos cross boundaries and combine the concertante tradition of the instrument with the expressive, dynamic sounds of modernity. The choice of music is logical. Border crossers on one side and on the other. Musicians who stood for something completely new and unique. Innovators such as Piazzolla, Zappa or Domeniconi. This music in their own arrangements by the ‘band of individualists’, which leaves plenty of room for the freedom of each player. And their own compositions, written to fit the musicians' bodies and fingers.

‘Fourtune delivers contemporary embraces of concert music, global music and jazz. They scatted, spoke and sang overtones, and conjured up unheard-of sounds on the guitars with all kinds of accessories. And always exactly where it fits. The album ends with Harry Belafonte's ‘Turn the World Around’, which not only fits perfectly into today's world, but also has a very personal connection for one of the musicians: the title appeared in the only television programme that Reentko was allowed to watch as a child (The Muppets) and is therefore the perfect destination for a journey back to the beginnings.

The combination of two proven classical soloists and two musicians who have dedicated themselves to the modern ways of the guitar searches for the perfect intersection.

The harmony of two proven classical soloists and two musicians who have dedicated themselves to the modern ways of the guitar searches for the perfect intersection.

The choice of music is logical. Border crossers on one side and on the other. Musicians who stood for something completely new and unique. Innovators like Piazzolla or Zappa, or like Bogdanovic or Domeniconi in the world of the guitar. This music in their own arrangements by the ‘band of individualists’, which leaves plenty of room for the freedom of each player. And their own compositions, written to fit the musicians' bodies and fingers. Or as Thomas Fellow puts it: ‘Where before we were concerned with the uniformity of sound, we sought diversity. Each of us plays a different instrument or a different role, so to speak. Or even better, several at the same time...’.’ (Uta Bretsch, ub-comm.de)

European Guitar Quartet

European Guitar Quartet
These were the words which the German press used to describe the ensemble’s debut concert in Dresden in the spring of 2012. The meeting between two global stars of the classical guitar and two of the most outstanding protagonists of the acoustic guitar scene was accompanied by enthusiastic appreciation from both critics and audience alike. It was therefore no surprise that their debut was followed by invitations to festivals around the world, which include major festivals in Scandinavia and Germany (Bergen Music Festival, MDR Musiksommer) as well as other prestigious events in Austria, Switzerland, India and South America. Fellow musicians such as Klezmer legend Giora Feidman have also been quick to voice their admiration for their music. “DANZA” would be a fitting title for the quartet’s current program, as it combines the intense, virtuoso, spirited music of South America and Europe to take listeners on a thrilling musical journey. Unique interpretations of pieces by Astor Piazzolla and the dances of the Paraguayan guitar legend Agustín Barrios mingle with the melodious compositions of the masterly Nicolo Paganini and the complex rhythms of Balkan dances (Dusan Bogdanovic). Works by Thomas Fellow and Reentko also feature, and present concert music, world music and jazz in a contemporary embrace.

These four musicians – each of them a renowned performer in their own right – have set themselves the task of blending the instrument’s concert tradition with the expressive, dynamic sounds of modern music.

Zoran Dukic
is one of the most distinguished classical guitarists of our time. His concert performances, as a soloist as well as with an orchestra, leave long-lasting impressions on both audiences and critics. At his “tour de force” competition years he won more competitions than any other guitarist in the world. Presently he leads major classes at a number of European colleges, including the Universities of Barcelona (Spain) and The Hague (Netherlands), where he could establish one of the most successful soloist classes for this instrument worldwide.

Born in Croatia, he is now living in Barcelona – but in fact touring almost constantly through the world, playing concerts and giving masterclasses at every major guitar festival.

Pavel Steidl
is a true legend of the classical guitar. Born in Rakovnik (Czech Republic), he decided to emigrate to Netherlands in 1987, where he lived for several years.

Since he won the first prize at the Radio France International Competition in Paris in 1982, he has become one of the most widely celebrated soloists of his generation. His unrivaled ability to create sounds on the guitar make his interpretations a class of its own. But Pavel Steidl also composes himself and his own compositions are often played on his concerts. As a soloist he travelled more than 40 countries all over the world – the USA and Canada as well as China, India and Japan and South and Central America as well as almost every European country.

Thomas Fellow
is a musician with an almost inexhaustible supply of innovative energy. He is a first rate acoustic guitarist, a stunning virtuoso and is considered one of the best musical collaborators in the world. His name is also associated with the development of the pioneering education program "AKUSTISCHE GITARRE (concert music, world music, jazz, pop)" at the “University of Music Dresden” (Germany), the artistic direction of the "European Guitar Award" and for his work as the author of an educational standard work for guitar as an accompanying instrument ("FELLOW GUITAR BOOK"/ Schott Music). Born in Leipzig (Germany), he won several prizes at international competitions for classical guitar and played concerts in India, South America and the USA. His Duo “Friend ‘n Fellow” ranks after more than 1500 concerts worldwide (with legends such as Ray Charles, Al Jarreau and Luther Allison) as one of the leading projects of this kind.

Reentko
is an awarded and highly acclaimed guitarist and composer. His music is a distinctive blend of unorthodox, self-developed percussive playing techniques covering a wide range of styles. He is one of the few guitarists who is as much in demand in the classical world as in the pop and world music scenes. He wrote music for artists of the Cirque du Soleil and the Semperoper Ballet. Currently he is also the guitarist of the Klezmer icon Giora Feidman.

Born in Bad Gandersheim (Germany), he moved to Dresden to study “Acoustic Guitar” under Prof. Thomas Fellow. 2007 saw him become one of Fellow’s fellow lecturer. Performances have so far taken Reentko to various European concert halls and as far away as South Korea, the Arabic Emirates and China.

Booklet for Fourtune