Arnaud Fillion – Concerto pour guitare et orchestre

“Concerto pour guitare et orchestre” is a guitar concerto composed by Arnaud Fillion, and recorded as a premiere by guitarist Johan Smith, with the Budapest Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Gergely Vajda. 

The frame of this concerto for guitar and orchestra was sketched during a stay in Southeast Asia of the french composer Arnaud Fillion. In a very personal aesthetic, incorporating elements from diverse genres (classical , contemporary, world and film music), each movement has been elaborated as a small journey in itself, inviting the listener to escape with an overflowing inspiration accessible to everyone.

The first movement “Espiègle” takes us to a fiery 7 beats dance, rising out from of an undefined foggy sound work. Once discovered, the orchestra and the guitar are conversing, teasing each other and “playing” in the proper sense of the term, around an unbreakable rhythmic base evoking the pulsation of certain traditional Balkan music.

In the second movement “Air”, one could easily interpret this air as an element, alternating from tenderness to austerity and evolving in an unpredictable run. The melody of the initial adagio flies away, converting itself from a caress to a joyous whirlwind and finally turning to a breath. This air is shaping on its way and bringing into his game leaves and other objects from its imaginary world.

The final movement “Hypnotika” develops a gradually drifting atmosphere, leading to a trance with bewitching rhythm and patterns. The strength of the orchestra is combined with the eloquence of a guitar part which is crossing and linking boundaries between classical and various world music.

About Arnaud Fillion: Born in Annecy (France) in 1979, Arnis leading a double career as both a guitarist and composer, having recorded 22 albums under the name of “Arnito”. His multiple influences and musical encounters took him to explore a wide range of styles, from classical to contemporary, passing through jazz, improvisation and world music.

After a diploma obtained with unanimous special mention and congratulations of the jury at Music Academy International (Nancy) in 2000 and studies at the jazz departments of the conservatories of Annecy and Chambéry, he dedicated himself to the development of his own music, traveling to different countries to compose and open his musical language to music from oral transmission.

His catalog is now counting more than 200 compositions, for different formations. He’s regularly performing as a guitar soloist and with various bands and ensembles.

Since 2013, he’s giving solo concerts (instrumental compositions for 7-string guitar),

He was granted in 201 8 by the Helen Wurlitzer Foundation (Taos, New Mexico, USA) for a composer’s residency program, in which he dedicated his time to work on the composition of a songbook for choir, soli and orchestra (Kune), integrating about 50 languages around federating texts. This work was premiered on October 7 2023 at S.Lyudkevych Concert Hall , Lviv (Ukraine) by the Lviv Chamber Choir “Gloria” with the Lviv National Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Serhiy Khorovets. It was then recorded in partnership by Phasma-Music.

Among his symphonic work, his guitar concerto reached the final rank at I-Melody 2017 International Composition Competition (USA), and the first French place and finalist with “special mention” at the Maurice Ravel Competition (Italy) the same year. It is also included in the jury’s recommended works list of the Klami 2019 competition (Finland). The same year, it has been recorded at the Hungarian Radio by Johan Smith (guitar player, winner of the prestigious GFA) with the Budapest Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Gergely Vajda. The album also features another of his compositions “Un ange parmi les soupirs” for violin and orchestra presented at the Queen Elisabeth competition (2011), peformed by Alain Arias (violin) and conducted by László Kovács.

His chamber work features numerous pieces for various formations like : Ecarlate (for guitar quartet), Douce amertume (for piano, violin, viola, cello), Filigrane (for guitar and voice), L’enfant grandit (for cello quartet).

Stream Arnaud Fillion – “Concerto pour guitare et orchestre” on Spotify: open.spotify.com/album/4NHjaOBa5QJoCywmUE2GSv

Follow Arnaud Fillion: www.arnito.net