Brahms - Intermezzo Op. 118 no. 2

This video is dedicated to the memory of guitarist Alex Dunn, who passed away in May. I met him several times over the past 15 years or so, and he was always smiling and very interested in what was happening over on my side of Canada as it pertains to the guitar scene. We had talked about working together, but sadly it never came to be. He was beloved by his students, and was deeply interested in exploring new works for the guitar, as well as arrangements. I think he really would have liked this Brahms arrangement, especially since it is filmed with his old student Simon Farintosh, who will be taking over Alex’s duties at the University of Victoria School of Music. It is a bittersweet opportunity for Simon, but the spirit of Alex, who had worked there since ’91 will live on. The piece itself is something I found irresistible to arrange, and I think it works surprisingly well on two guitars, however, one of those guitars needs 8-strings! This was filmed during probably the hottest night of the year in a church without air-conditioning. However, the church was booked and Simon was moving to Victoria so we persevered! Very special thanks to Ricci Ebron who endured the tortuous heat and helped to film this video. Guitars by Martin Blackwell and Jeff Sigurdson of B.C., Canada.