Archive for December, 2024

2024 Music Highlights

Thank you for an amazing 2024! 

I am incredibly appreciative of the support received this year. 

Some of the concerts and trips would not have been financially feasible without the generosity of individuals and organizations.

Huge shouts to Arun Luthra, Walburga Marder, Marion Singer, Peter & Yukiko Zisa, Mary Rowell, Luigi Oliva and Nicoletta Vismara, Ciro Gentile, Gino D’Ignazio, Camille Lizarribar, Pasquale Tassone, Laura Kuhn, Renee Lewis & Chris Penny, Peter Frewen and Jenie Smith, Wolfgang and Mechthilde Weber, Yael Abrahamsson, Krista Keogh, All Classical Radio, WOMR, John McDonald, Hannabach Strings, New England Conservatory, Boston Mayor’s of Arts & Culture, NEFA, Christopher Bush, Patreon supporters, Laurie Caplan, Caroline, and my amazing wife and muse, Catherine.

Thank you so much!

A recap of a fulfilling and musical 2024!

US Premiere of Heretic by Richard Cameron-Wolfe – Best Performance of 2024 – The Arts Fuse

photo Catherine Larget-Caplan

New album – Spanish Gemsinfo & listen

New Publication with Edition Peters: Hovhaness, Mystic Flutescore & video

Debut at Symphony Space, Thalia Theater in New York – video

2 Premieres for Choir & Guitar:

  • Alan Hovhaness – East Coast Premiere – video & review
  • Vineet Shende – New movements of ‘Pravasa – Travels of the Guitar’ at Bowdoin College – video

Residency at the John Cage Trust at Bard College – blog post

Commissioned Douglas Knehans for a new work for guitar + electronics, to be premiered in 2025.

Collaboration with actors —
Recited Shakespeare on stage! 

Hall of Fame inductees for the Arts, Sciences and Humanities at Cherry Creek

Collaboration with poet Charles Coe

Hall of Fame induction to Cherry Creek High School – article

New Lullaby Project concerts and premieres #’s 76, 77, 78 – website

Piano solo ‘Aurore‘ debuted by John McDonald at Tufts University – video

Concerts in Oklahoma, Oregon, Maine, New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Tennessee

Joined the New England Conservatory Extension Division – link

Appointed to the Board of the American Composers Alliance

Created 22, 1-minute Guitar Instruction Videos on Youtube, Tiktok, Instagram

Album and concert reviews in Boston Musical Intelligencer, James Wegg Review (JWR), The WholeNote, The Arts Fuse, Fanfare, Take Effect.

                        click to enlarge

The 11 recordings reached over 10 million streams!

Returned to Europe for the first time since 2019!

Duomo di Milano

Passalacqua in Naples

Passalacqua Cappuccino 

 

 

For more photos, videos, and news, follow me on Facebook, Youtube, Tiktok, Instagram, Threads, and LinkedIn! 

Thank you for an incredible 2024!

10 Million Streams!

Amazon Music – 7,193,011
Spotify – 3,416,060
Youtube – 1.8 million
Apple Music – 68K

*as of December 28, 2024

Special Thanks to Tiger Turn, Stone Records, Alex Fedorov, Steve Hunt, all of the composers, and most of all, the LISTENERS!

Album Review – Spanish Gems in Take Effect

Thank you to Take Effect Reviews for a 10/10 in this February 2024 review of Spanish Gems!

Link to Review: https://takeeffectreviews.com/february-2024-2/2024/2/28/aaron-larget-caplan

“a richly diverse and attentive performance that’s profoundly technically and perfectly beautiful. 10/10”

Listening Links: https://lnk.to/SpanishGems

*click image to enlarge or read the text below

February 28, 2024
Spanish Gems – Aaron Larget-Caplan
Tiger Turn, 2024

10/10

The globally praised classical guitarist Aaron Larget-Caplan returns with his 11th solo album, where the Spanish classical and flamenco sounds are fleshed out with an inimitable attention to form and mood.

Francisco Tárrega’s “Capricho Árabe (Serenata)” opens the listen with Larget-Caplan’s finger acrobatics retaining the radiance of the original, but also delivered in his own meticulous spirit, and “Panaderoes”, by Esteban de Sanlúcar, offers dizzying progressions that are so flawless and precise it hardly seems like just one guitar is present.

Further along, the dance floor ready “Asturias (Leyenda)” also possesses calm moments as Larget-Caplan takes the song off Isaac Albéniz’s piano and places it on his agile guitar, while Gaspar Sanz’s “Suite Espanola: Canarios” is packed with firm, melodic gestures from the most intense piece included.

Arriving closer to the end, the intimate and reflective “Spanish Romance” tugs on the heartstrings thanks to the sublime and expressive playing, and “Sonatina”, by F.M. Torroba, exits with 3 chapters of cautious and absorbing musicianship that leaves a lasting impression.

If you’re keeping score, this is Larget-Caplan’s 2nd album of Spanish celebration, and it’s a richly diverse and attentive performance that’s profoundly technically and perfectly beautiful.

 

Best Performance of 2024 – Heretic

I am honored to have The Arts Fuse choose my performance of Richard Cameron-Wolfe’s micro-opera ‘Heretic’ as one of the Best Performances of 2024!

The US premiere took place in January 2023 at Salem State University.

Video and lighting by Michael Harvey
Stage Direction by Jerry Johnson*
Coordinated by Karen Gahagan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See the year’s best performances and recordings list by clicking HERE

*Jerry Johnson passed suddenly in February 27, 2024. ‘Heretic’ was his final theater work. This honor goes out to his memory.