Milos' new album 'The Moon and the Forest' is released on 30th April 2021
Hear an exclusive track on Scala Radio on Friday 26 February
Guitarist MILOŠ releases a brand new album on 30th April 2021, featuring two outstanding original concertos, both specially-commissioned for the musician – a testament to his outstanding musicianship and pioneering spirit, showcasing new guitar repertoire on the world stage.
And as part of New Release Friday on Scala Radio, we're playing a track from the album. Hear it from 11am on Simon Mayo's show.
'The Moon & The Forest' features works for guitar and orchestra by award-winning composers Howard Shore (Lord of the Rings, The Departed) and Joby Talbot (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Winter’s Tale). Inspired by his now legendary artistry and unique personal heritage, both Shore and Talbot worked closely with MILOŠ in order to create two distinctive, groundbreaking scores.
MILOŠ explained that he'd wanted "to challenge composers to write for the classical guitar," adding, "For centuries, this instrument has touched many people around the world and yet its repertoire remains very much underrepresented in the classical mainstream. It is exactly this that inspired me to seek new ideas and approach Joby and Howard in the first place. The Moon & the Forest, with two brand new concertos that I adore and can humbly call my own, is my personal fairytale come true.”
Best known for his epic scores to the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films, Howard Shore’s guitar concerto ‘The Forest’ reflects on the relationship between people and the earth. Montenegro and its dark forests have also inspired Howard and MILOŠ in the creation of the work, first commissioned by Canada’s National Arts Centre.
“The first time I heard the piece," said Milos, "I was moved by the honest simplicity of its harmonies, idiomatic writing and incredibly programmatic nature that makes you instantly dream up so many colours and sceneries in your head. The work is magical, just like the enchanted forest Howard wanted to paint with his unique musical brushstrokes.”
Joby Talbot's work - ‘Ink Dark Moon’- received its world premiere at the 2018 BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall. Its dramatic orchestration and guitar writing aim to challenge the perceived notion of what a guitar concerto can and should be. The piece showcases a wealth of influences drawing on Balkan-inspired dance themes and Talbot’s own characteristically relentless rhythmic propulsions.
The album also new arrangements for solo guitar of Ludovico Einaudi’s ‘Full Moon’ and Robert Schumann’s ‘Träumerei’ – two moving pieces from the Romantic and Modern classical repertoire. Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra and the BBC Symphony Orchestra feature on the recording, conducted by Alexander Shelley and Ben Gernon respectively.