Steve Goss

composer

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Aphorisms

2024 | 8 mins | for two guitars

Look before you leap
Less is more
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery
Still waters run deep
It takes two to tango
A stitch in time saves nine
Don’t let the bastards grind you down
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
Silence is golden
Necessity is the mother of invention
All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us
Practice makes perfect
A person with one clock knows what time it is. A person with two is never sure.
Revenge is a dish best served cold
Eat, drink, and be merry

Score

Aphorisms is a set of very short pieces for two guitars, most of which only last a few seconds. Each of the 15 pieces is based on a familiar aphorism. The work was commissioned by Lucio Matarazzo, for the Masi-Matarazzo duo. The premiere took place at the 27th Aalborg Guitar Festival, Aalborg Klosterkirke, 20th November 2024, in Aalborg, Denmark. The recording and video will be released in 2025.

Cocktail List

2022 | 20 mins | for two guitars

Iron Lady
Piña Colada
The Last Word
Negroni
Caipirinha
Vieux Carré
Bloody Mary
Alabama Slammer
Mojito
Boulevardier
Vodka Martini
Manhattan

“Immediately alluring… uproarious… 12 miniatures, a few only seconds long, inspired by everything from a Mojito (entirely percussive) to a Manhattan. Why has no-one thought of this before? Several are reworkings of past material, including Gershwin, whose second ‘Prelude’ and ‘It ain’t necessarily so’ scamper past, shaken but not stirred.” British Music Society

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Cocktail List is a set of 12 miniatures, each based on a particular cocktail. The piece was commissioned by Zoran Dukić and Aniello Desiderio. Each cocktail was sponsored by an individual donor. The first performance takes place at the Kurfürstliches Schloss, Koblenz, Germany, on 2nd June 2022, as part of the 30th Koblenz Guitar Festival. Cocktail List is published by Doberman-Yppan DO1451. Recorded on Landscape and Memory, Deux-Elles (DXL 1202© 2024).

River Fragments

2020 | 10 mins | for two guitars

Waterfalls
Deep River
Castle in the Air

“River Fragments, performed with the expected excellence of SoloDuo, alludes to scenes along the Rhine as depicted by visual artists including J.W.M. Turner and M.C. Escher. It is quite lovely.” Soundboard

Listen Watch Listen Score Notes CD CD

River Fragments was commissioned by SoloDuo (Lorenzo Micheli and Matteo Mela). The premiere took place on 11th September 2021 at the Auditorium Pollini, Padua, Italy, as part of the International Guitar Festival “Homenaje”. The piece is published by Doberman DO1471. Recorded on Landscape and Memory, Deux-Elles (DXL 1202© 2024).

Talking Drums

2016 | 8 mins | for two guitars

Watch Score Notes

Talking Drums was commissioned by the Hibernian Guitar Duo with funds provided by Philip Carne. The piece is based on West African Batá drumming patterns. The first performance took place at the International Guitar Research Centre Conference, 22nd March 2016. The piece is published by Doberman Editions.

Still the Sea

2009 | 9 mins | for two guitars

The Black River
Silent Pool
Fire Water

“Still the Sea displays the formidable breadth of this talented composer’s style. Written as homage to Toru Takemitsu the work explores a variety of guitar sonorities.” Classical Guitar Review

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Commissioned by ChromaDuo as a homage to Toru Takemitsu. First performance Baltimore Guitar Society, USA, 7th February 2010. Recorded on Hidden Waters 00261 32214 © 2011. Published by Les Productions D’Oz © 2014.

Welsh Folksongs

2008 | 12 mins | for two guitars

Dafydd y Garreg Wen
Wrth fynd hefo Deio i Dywyn
Suo-gân
Lliw Gwyn Rhosyn yr Haf
Lisa Lân
Hela’r ‘Sgyfarnog

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Commissioned by the Welsh-Argentine Guitar Duo, Adam Khan and Luis Eduardo Orias Diz. First performance, 12th July, 2008. The Minster, Axminster, Devon, UK, 7.30 pm. Recorded on Voyage to Patagonia WAG Records, Argentina © 2010. Published by Doberman-Yppan © 2015

The Raw and the Cooked

2004 | 15 mins | for two guitars

Hot
The Cooked
Milonga
Song Without Words
Caught Between
Malabar Hill
The Raw
One Female Dancer
Alba
The Hotel Kempinski
Tango Brawl
The Ajman

“Stephen Goss’s ‘The Raw and the Cooked’ is a contribution of real substance to the 2-guitar repertoire. It’s funny and witty apart from anything else, human qualities that are usually neglected when ‘serious’ composers sit down to write ‘classical’ music.” Colin Cooper, Classical Guitar Magazine

Listen Watch Listen Score Notes CD CD CD

Commissioned by the Hand-Dupré Duo. First performances given on a tour of South Africa between 1st and 14th June 2004.

Recorded by the Hand-Dupré Duo on Songs Without Words (CACD0501 © 2005), the Albach Duo on The Raw and the Cooked (Crystal Palace Records © 2007) and ChromaDuo on Hidden Waters (NAXOS © 2012 8.572757). Published by Doberman-Yppan © 2014 ISBN : 978-2-89503-649-4

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