Roland Dyens

Roland Dyens (born October 19, 1955, Tunis, Tunisia) is a French classical
guitarist, composer, and arranger.
Life and career
Dyens studied guitar with the Spanish classical guitarist Alberto Ponce and
analysis with Dsir Dondeyne. He has won several prizes in competitions for
classical guitar performance as well as for composition.
As a performer, Dyens is known for his extraordinary capacity for
improvisation. Essentially unique among classical guitarists, Dyens frequently
opens his concerts with an improvised piece, in order to help him get a feel for
the hall and the audience. His guitar music draws on many elements of folk
music and jazz, and has become popular with players. Tango en Ska (1985), is
one of his best-known pieces, but also widely played is the more extended
Libra Sonatine (1986) written in three movements: "India", "Largo", "Fuoco",
composed after Dyens had suffered a heart attack. Ska is a French slang term
for imitation leather, and here references the Gauchos of Argentina and
Southern Brazil who are known for their distinctive leather outfits. Hence Tango
en Ska is a humorous, gaudy take on the tango. In addition to being the most
prolific guitar composer of his generation, Dyens has also released several
volumes of arrangements. Ranging from Jazz standards to Brazilian folk music,
these arrangements have made their way into the repertoire of both
professional and amateur guitarists. Dyens tours extensively and has performed
at many music festivals and held master classes at many locations across
Europe, the United States and Asia.
He currently teaches at the Conservatoire National Suprieur de Musique de
Paris, where he is Professor of Guitar.
Selected list of works
20 Lettres Pour Guitare Solo
Aria (guitar quintet)
Brsils (4 guitars or ensemble)
Chansons franaises Vol.1 (solo guitar )
Chansons franaises Vol.1 (solo guitar - tablatures)
Chansons franaises Vol.2 (solo guitar)
Citrons doux et le Quatuor Accorde (solo guitar)
Concertino de Nrtingen (solo guitar & guitar ensemble)
Concerto en si (solo guitar & guitar ensemble)
Concerto mtis (guitar & piano)
Concerto mtis (solo guitar & string orchestra)
Concertomaggio (2 guitars and string orchestra)
Comme un rond d'eau (4 guitars)
Ct Nord (2 guitars)
Ct Sud (guitar octet - quartet possible)
Eloge de Lo Brouwer (solo guitar)
Hamsa (4 guitars or guitar ensemble)
Hommage Franck Zappa (solo guitar)
Hommage Villa-Lobos (solo guitar)
L.B. Story (solo guitar)
Libra Sonatine (solo guitar)
Lulla by Melissa (solo guitar)
Mambo des Nuances et Lille Song (solo guitar)
Mes arrangements lamiable (solo guitar)
Muguet et LAllusive (solo guitar)
Rossiniana n1 daprs Mauro Giuliani (solo guitar & string quartet)
Rythmaginaires (guitar octet)
Santo Tirso (solo guitar)
Songe Capricorne (solo guitar)
Suite Polymorphe (4 guitars or guitar ensemble)
Tango en Ska (solo guitar & string quartet)
Tango en Ska (solo guitar)
Triaela (solo guitar)
Trois (3) pices polyglottes - Valse des loges, Flying Wigs & Sols dIze
(solo guitar)
Trois Saudades
Valse des anges - Angels waltz (solo guitar)
Valse en ska (solo guitar)
Variations sur un thme de la "Flte Enchante" Mozart/ Sor (4 guitars or
guitar ensemble)
Ville d'Avril (4 guitars or guitar ensemble)
Ville d'Avril (solo guitar)
Source - Wikipedia
Today.
Roland Dyens shares the joy of his musical talent through his performing,
composing and teaching accross the world. This three-dimensional profile
provides the basis for his phenomenal success and his ongoing evolution.

Always transformative events, Roland Dyens concerts unfold as personal
experiences of emotional awakening for the audience. Inspired by the musical
unity demonstrated in his concerts, audience members will often later use the
impact of the artists virtuosity and creativity to guide their own perception of
music and, more broadly, their lives as well. For those who are unfamiliar with
the contours and nuances of classical guitar performance, one often witnesses
an inspirational discovery of the instrument and its musical potential, not to
mention the pleasure it gives the audience.

Roland Dyens has a sensitive and colorful approach to the guitar - an unfailing
open-mindedness which brings together all forms of music to each and every
one of his programs. His stage presence, his improvised openings and unique
relationship with the listeners undeniably position him at the forefront of guitar
performance today. For a long time now, his music has been an integral part of
the instruments repertoire, placing him at the heart of a select group of
contemporary guitarist/composers who enjoy such a privileged position.

His compositions and arrangements are widely performed and highly acclaimed
throughout the world. They provide a new breath of life for the guitar as this
player and composer never ceases to challenge the limitations of his
instrument. The growing number of participants and auditors in Roland Dyens
master classes is surely due to the depth of his approach which is rich in
innovative themes. With a keen sense of quality and emotional strength, his
natural ability to communicate with younger generations of guitarists
transforms the formality of a master class into a joyful encounter.

Roland Dyens teaches at the Conservatoire National Suprieur de Musique de
Paris.

Yesterday
Born on October 19, 1955, French interpreter, composer, arranger and
improviser Roland Dyens began guitar studies at the age of nine. Four years
later he became a student of Spanish Master guitarist Alberto Ponce and, in
1976, was awarded the Licence de Concert de lcole Normale de Musique de
Paris.
While learning his instrument, Roland Dyens also studied composition with the
renowned teacher, composer and conductor Dsir Dondeyne under whose
guidance he was awarded the First Prize in Harmony, Counterpoint and
Analysis.

Among the most distinguished awards obtained during the early years of his
career, Roland Dyens received the Special Prize at the International Competition
Citt di Alessandria (Italy) and the Grand Prix du Disque de lAcadmie Charles-
Cros, both in honor of the major Brasilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos. At the
age of 25 he became a laureate of the Yehudi Menuhin Foundation. Eight years
after this, he was recognized as one of the Best Living Guitarists in all styles
by the French magazine Guitarist. On the 30th of September 2006, he was
awarded the Chitarra dOro 2006 for his body of compositions by the
Presidency of the Citt di Alessandria International Competition. The following
year, in 2007, he was honoured by the Guitar Foundation of America (GFA),
which chose him to compose the set piece for its prestigious annual
competition, held in Los Angeles. More than 50 guitarists presented Anyway
and its central improvisation. (Its noteworthy that two students of Roland
Dyens, Jrmy Jouve and Thomas Viloteau, won the highly coveted first prize at
the GFA competition in 2003 and 2006 respectively.) In October 2007, during
his autumn tour of North America, Roland Dyens October 6th recital in
Winnipeg earned five stars from the Winnipeg Free Press. It was only the second
time that the daily paper, established in 1872, had awarded such high praise.
On the 27th of July 2008, his works are again recognized in Italy with the
Premio per la Composizione at the 2nd International Festival of Citt di Fiuggi,
near Rome. A few months later, he was privileged to be asked to compose the
music and conduct the ensemble which will be performing in order to
commemorate the 20th anniversary of the prestigious Guitar Ensemble
Association of Japan. Soleils levants was finally premiered on November 9th
2008 in Nakano Zero Main Hall of Tokyo.

On the 21st of January 2010, Roland Dyens is honored with the privilege of
being the only classical guitarist invited to participate to an homage to the
great Django Reinhardt, in a concert that will be given at the legendary Thtre
du Chtelet in Paris.
In July, 2011, his recital at the International Crdoba Guitar Festival received the
highest accolade of the coveted "Five Stars" from the Spanish Press, titling its
review "Roland Dyens, El Mago de la guitarra" (the Wizzard of guitar).
Roland Dyens is ranked highest in the "Top 100" list of most recorded original
works for the guitar by living composers, worldwide. Furthermore, three of
Dyens' compositions are part these 100, according to the remarkable book by
the Canadian musicologist Enrique Robichaud, "Guitar's Top 100 : Classical
Guitar's Most
Recorded Music" published in 2013.
2014 Roland Dyens - All rights reserved - Roland Dyens Management and
credits.