Sychra, along with his students and followers, made the seven-string guitar so popular that it dominated all guitar types across all social strata in Russia.
Performer Biography
Aynur Begutov, the guitarist on this album, is an honored artist of the Tatarstan and Dagestan Republics and a winner of international competitions, known for his expertise in the Russian seven-string guitar.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Sychra concentrated his creative energy on developing a playing technique and repertoire for the seven-string guitar tuned to a G major chord, which became known as the Russian guitar.
Instruments
This album features performances on historical guitars by Ivan Krasnoshekov (1855), Fedor Arhuzen (1890, 1891), and Michail Eroshkin (1909), alongside a modern instrument by Igor Budantsev (2021).
Composer Biography
Andrey Osipovich Sychra, a nobleman born in Vilnius in 1773, was well-educated and masterfully played the guitar, harp, violin, and piano.
Compositional Technique
Sychra's arrangements for the seven-string guitar, such as his version of Sor's Fantasia Op.20, were not mechanical adaptations but co-creations where he changed texture, structure, and added his own variations.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Sychra's numerous transcriptions of popular Western European and Russian music for ensembles with guitar played an important role in creating the general concert repertoire in 19th-century Russia.
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