Across Time: new album by guitarist and composer Frederic Hand
Compositions and performances span 40 years of Hand’s career
Released on ReEntrant, an imprint of New Focus Recordings, April 22, 2022
The guitarist and composer Frederic Hand was a student of the legendary classical guitarist Julian Bream, and has been the guitarist and lutenist at the Metropolitan Opera for nearly 40 years. “Across Time” (ReEntrant/New Focus, release date April 22, 2022), an album of original compositions, showcases four decades of Hand’s music. The selections demonstrate his inspirations from diverse traditions and his range of musical language.
His arrangement of Simple Gifts, the Shaker melody made famous by Aaron Copland’s masterpiece Appalachian Spring, reflects his emotional reaction upon hearing Copland’s setting for the first time.
Trilogy and Late One Night (1977) are the earliest works on this collection. They show off Hand’s compositional style, incorporating jazz rhythms and harmonies into classical forms. These tracks, originally on his album “Trilogy,” were recorded and released in 1982, and have been digitally remastered with 21st century technology.
On the other end of the timeline, Hand composed Renewal, Ballade for Astor Piazzolla and The Passionate Pilgrim in 2021. Three songs: A Poet’s Eye, I Am and There Is a Splendor, feature vocals by Lesley Hand, with texts by William Shakespeare and the Italian philosopher Marsilio Ficino. Cooper Lake was inspired by one of Hand’s favorite places to soak up the great natural beauty of the Catskills.
Contact ClassicalCommunications@gmail.com to request a physical CD or digital copy of this recording.
Across Time
Guitar solos and songs by Frederic Hand
ReEntrant/New Focus (REN02)
Release date: April 22, 2022
TRACKS
[01] Renewal 6:48
[02] Ballade for Astor Piazzolla 4:12
[03] The Passionate Pilgrim 2:46
[04] The Poet’s Eye 2:17
[05] I Am 2:55
[06] Romantic Etude 3:21
[07] A Waltz for Maurice 4:32
[08] Simple Gifts 2:34
[09] There is a Splendor 3:28
[10-12] Trilogy
1. Moderato 4:31
2. Gently 3:17
3. Allegro 4:05
[13] Late One Night 3:56
[14] Cooper Lake 3:07
Total=51:54
Frederic Hand, guitar
Lesley Hand, vocalist
(tracks 4, 5 & 9]
Recommended tracks for Classical radio: [02] Ballade for Astor Piazzolla, [06] Romantic Etude, [07] A Waltz for Maurice, [08] Simple Gifts, [12] Trilogy: Allegro, and [14] Cooper Lake