~ ! best sound with headphones ! ~

music composed by Carlo Domeniconi / 
guitar : Frank Hiemenz /
recording director :  Gernot Rödder  (http://gernotroedder.de)
-----------------------------------------------
recorded in Cologne, Germany (unfinished Studio Project '91) 
Editing of the takes from a CompactCassette Copy by FHgitarre with WaveLab7  [2014]
-----------------------------------------------
Listen to a short track with Carlo Domeniconi talking about the meaning behind this composition:
https://soundcloud.com/classicalguitaralive/carlo-domeniconi-on-koyunbaba
-----------------------------------------------
It was during a festival in Mettmann (Germany), when I heard "Koyunbaba"  the very first time. 25 years ago, played by David Russell. Excited and totally in it, I started to practise immediately. Then, I wrote a letter to Carlo Domeniconi, asking him for some background informations about this composition. And, only few days later, I got a handwritten letter from him!  In two pages he described the different meanings of "Koyunbaba". A landscape in Turkey with a mysterious cliff. But also the name of a holy monk who lived there in the 15th century, of whom is claimed, that he still appears from time to time in this region... 
Mainly, this music would be a strong experience of nature, he wrote. And I agree.

Funny, to read this letter today. Because-, obviously quite unaware of the enourmous success this piece should have only few years later in the guitar world-, Mr. Domeniconi wrote me, that he never heard "Koyunbaba" played by any guitarist apart from himself. Actually he seemed to be really surprised, that it was played at all...
During the following years, I played "Koyunbaba" during concerts, at festivals and in masterclasses so often, that I probably contributed a bit more than a little to the spreading of "Koyunbaba". At least I still would feel honored, if I did so.

Playing "Koyunbaba" in a concert always was a special, sometimes almost mystical experience in reaching some kind of increasing "active silence" of the audience. When I performed Koyunbaba as the final piece of my program I always tried to keep the silence between the last fading tone and the applause as long as possible. One time, I reached more than a whole minute and so my audience and I had the chance to listen together to the sound  of silence. This was incredibly precious.


Missing You

Cripple Creek

Related tracks