Ian Krouse & Ronald Pearl: East Meets West

Featuring

Robert Trent
Ronald Pearl
Ian Krouse

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Composer Biography

Ronald Pearl, a composer on this album, was part of 'America's best guitar duo' with Julian Gray, touring and releasing critically praised recordings.

Composition History

Ian Krouse's 'Roderick Usher's 'Phantasmion'' was inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Fall of the House of Usher' and his vivid descriptions of Roderick Usher's guitar playing.

Recording & Production

This album features world premiere recordings of Ronald Pearl's 'Impromptu' and 'Four at III', and Ian Krouse's 'Roderick Usher's 'Phantasmion' (2009 revision).

Composer Biography

Ian Krouse, one of the composers on this album, is widely known for his pioneering development of the guitar quartet, having composed eleven to date.

Album & Artwork

The album title 'East Meets West' refers to the composers' locations on opposite coasts of the United States, as well as the cultural inspirations for their works.

Compositional Technique

Ronald Pearl's 'My Name is Red' uses an unusual scordatura tuning (C-G-D-G-B-D) to achieve harmonies not easily available in standard guitar tuning and to increase resonance.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Composer Ian Krouse's music is compared to Béla Bartók's due to its heavy reliance on folk, popular, and world music influences, alongside Renaissance, Baroque, and Medieval elements.