Releasing this album brings feelings of excitement and gratitude … this almost goes without saying. Nevertheless, Echo and Return also represents a difficult, frustrating, and at times overwhelming experience. The project spans almost three years – a period abruptly interrupted by an injury that made me question whether I would be able to complete the disc. Half of the works on the recording are the result of concert repertoire and collaborations in 2013, and the other half are the culmination of an intensive, ongoing recuperation process. Le Départ (1856) by the 19th Century French composer-guitarist Napoléon Coste holds particular symbolism for this project and for me personally. Although the work coalesces stylistically with most of the other repertoire on the disc, Le Départ is thematically different, based as it is on a dramatic historical battle. It depicts the siege of Sevastopol in 1854-1855. The yearlong battle was the final episode of the Crimean War. Written from the perspective of those left at home, the opening, affectionate andante is a farewell. It is followed by the martial fanfare of those departing. The subsequent uncomfortable pause, symbolic of the unanticipated absence of the departed, separates this introduction from the second section of the work, Le Retour. Here, a Marche triomphale heralds the return of the victorious army, but not without the sombre, if fleeting, memories of their battle. This unexpected absence, and return, mirrors my own journey with injury through the time surrounding Echo and Return, the recording sessions for which bookend my experience. I am fortunate to be able to play once again, after recovering slowly from an injury that severely restricted my capacity to practise, let alone perform. The remaining works on Echo and Return form a more cohesive exploration of the inspired, intricate, and often consuming fixation of many great composers with musical themes and their variations. The opening piece, Valses Poéticos (ca. 1886) by Enrique Granados (1867 – 1916), approaches the idea of a theme and variations fluidly and flamboyantly. The introduction and its seven loose variations each have a unique sentiment that is often richly intimate. The thematic vehicle of the waltz, considered risqué at the time as the partners danced with their bodies touching, is well suited to these sensualities. There are frequent moments of joviality, shown through the lively Introduction and the jocular Vals humoristico. Vals mariposa or the “Butterfly Waltz” and the swift Vals ideal, display virtuosic flourishes, with the latter being a “musical joke”; as it contains but a few bars of 3/4 time. The closing reprise returns the listener to the somber sonorities of the mélodico. Valses Poéticos remained one of Granados’ most performed works and was included in his final concert before he tragically drowned crossing the channel from England to France: Witnesses claimed that Granados, safely in a lifeboat, saw Amparo [his wife] struggling in the water and leapt in to save her. Still others said that it was Amparo who tried to save her husband and that they were last seen in each other’s arms before disappearing in the waves … (Enrique Granados: The Composer as Pianist, Pierian Recording Society, 2010) In contrast, Variations sur “Folia de España” et Fugue (1932), by the Mexican composer Manuel M. Ponce (1882 – 1948), is the most overt realisation of the theme and variations structure. The result of three years of intensive collaboration between Ponce and the Spanish guitarist Andrés Segovia, the Folia Variations burgeoned into its 25-minute length as the two musicians tirelessly focussed on creating a work that addresses the sonic, technical and musical capabilities of the guitar. Ponce disguises the theme with dextrous musical cunning, creating ample opportunity for virtuosity, but also reflecting his reserved, inward musical sensibilities. Segovia remained particularly fond of the work. In a letter written to Ponce in 1930, Segovia wrote “of all that you have written for the guitar, what I most love – a higher sentiment than I like, – is the Folia Variations.” (The Segovia-Ponce Letters, 1989, p78) From Kakadu (1994) by the Australian composer Peter Sculthorpe (1929 – 2014), is the culmination of the composer’s longitudinal re-imagination of themes inspired by Australian landscapes. Sculthorpe states: The terrain of Kakadu National Park, in the north of Australia, stretches from rugged mountain plateaux to coastal tidal plains. From Kakadu is the sixth work of mine that takes this terrain as its point of departure. Several of the works employ similar melodic material, and much of this work is based upon the main theme of my orchestral piece Kakadu (1988). (From Kakadu, 1994, p1) The four movements that comprise this work are the most introspective on Echo and Return, conjuring sentiments of deep contentment and intimacy. The spacious Grave leads into the dance-like, yet deceptively tranquil, Comodo. However, following the dark Misterioso, the sentiment culminates in the singing counterpoint of the concluding Cantando. The listener is left with just the lingering echoes of the melody, resonating openly and calmly on the guitar. Bleed-through (2013) by Melbourne based composer Samuel Smith (b. 1985) is thematically in step with the disc’s other works, but stylistically it is the most adventurous in its exploration of the theme and variations idea. Smith’s work in the field of notated acoustic music focuses on the integration of slowly unfolding process, instrumental colour and virtuosic gesture and has been variously described as “beguiling, mysterious and gentle,” (Canberra City News) and “glistening with totally gorgeous sonorities” (The Australian). Bleed-through is the product of an intensive, creative collaboration between Samuel and myself and this is the world premiere recording. Smith writes of the work: Ageing magnetic tape often creates a phenomenon known as “Bleed-through”, which occurs when the magnetic signal prints (or bleeds) across to adjacent layers of tape. The result is a ghostly prediction and recollection of the original signal, itself now significantly diminished. Conceptually, it conjures a certain nostalgia; a memory of a signal since deteriorated, recreated by echo and prediction. In Bleed-through, the solo guitar acts as an original signal, gradually becoming surrounded and consumed by the whale song of its own echo. (Smith, 2016) It is these very echoes and predictions that suggest “themes and variations” in Bleed-through. Callum Henshaw (Canberra, 2016) Callum Henshaw is an Australia-born classical guitarist. He began guitar aged six and has learned from a number of talented teachers, including Carolyn Kidd, Daniel McKay, and Minh Le Hoang. In 2013, he completed a degree in guitar performance with First Class Honours at the ANU School of Music, taught by the world-renowned guitar performer and teacher, Timothy Kain. Cal has won numerous awards both in Australia and internationally. In 2012, he won First Prize in the Cordoba International Guitar Competition in Spain. In 2013, he was awarded Best Performance of an Australian Work at the Melbourne Guitar Competition, and with duo partner Campbell Diamond, won First Prize in the Sydney Eisteddfod Instrumental Duo Competition. In 2014, he placed third in the Adelaide International Guitar Competition, and placed first in the Tirana International Guitar Competition in Albania. Cal has also released an EP, titled 2012, with works from J.S. Bach, Nigel Westlake, and Vicente Asencio.