The Evolving Score: A New Look at Joseph Achron’s Two Pieces for Guitar

This project centres on the world premiere realization of Two Pieces for Guitar, Op. 65 by Joseph Achron (1886-1943).

Achron’s Improvisation and Dance are a pair of solo guitar works that, despite surviving in multiple manuscript forms, have likely never been performed, recorded, or published. Through detailed research and artistic interpretation, I aim to reconstruct these forgotten pieces by navigating the contradictions between three primary sources: early sketches, the 1929 autograph manuscript, and a later version for viola and piano.

Beyond textual reconstruction, the project explores the collaborative spirit behind the works – both real and imagined. Initially dedicated to Andrés Segovia, these pieces were never taken up by the great master, and thus missed the kind of interpretative transformation typical of Segovia’s collaborations. In reviving them, I engage in a posthumous collaboration with Achron, seeking to unearth the expressive potential found in the lone guitar work of an author whom Arnold Schoenberg once called “one of the most underestimated composers of the 20th century.”

The project also reflects on the broader cultural moment of the early 20th century, when the classical guitar was emerging as a concert instrument and composers from diverse backgrounds began contributing to its repertoire.