Description
Stein-Erik Olsen and Egil Haugland are outstanding interpreters of the music written by the Ida Presti and Alexandre Lagoya duo; music considered to be the hub of guitar music composed in the 1950s and 60s in Paris, the golden age of the guitar.
In 2009, Stein-Erik Olsen presented premier recordings of music for guitar duo written by Ida Presti, to great acclaim from reviewers world-wide. This project inspired him to go deeper into the music of Presti and her husband and duo-partner Lagoya.
"It is simply masterpieces, all of it – without question among the best ever written for guitar duo. All the works on the album are written within the span of six years by composers who have their individual style and musical vocabulary. You immediately hear that these works are written for two equal performers with outstanding technical and musical abilities....A fundamental aspect in our way of playing is the joy of making music and emphasising musical intuition, creativity and fantasy. We allow certain differences in our musical dialogue by allowing different articulation and sonorities as a part of the artistic expression." Stein-Erik Olsen
Olsen has a long list of album releases, including collaborations with such prestigious orchestras as the St Martin in the Fields. Haugland is also a luthier and has numerous recordings as soloist and chamber musician.