Those who arrived late to Nicholas Goluses’ 70th birthday concert at the Eastman School of Music last April were disappointed — it was standing room only. Many chose to hover in the back of Hatch Recital Hall so as not to miss hearing the guitarist (and Eastman professor) live in concert; a recording of that performance will be broadcast on public media stations around the country via WXXI Classical next spring.
In the meantime, Goluses has put together a new album, “Across the Horizon,” out September 19. In it, he showcases his greatest strength as a player — balancing technical mastery with warmth and charisma.
From the first notes of “Cinco Piezas Para Guitarra” by Astor Piazzolla, Goluses draws the listener in with fingers on strings. One can almost hear the beating of his heart. In the first pieces, the only ones for solo guitar by Piazzolla, he asks a series of gentle, persistent questions.
Two things sound clear — first, the sheer intimacy of Goluses’ sound (expertly captured by recording engineer John Truebger) and second, the total assurance of his technique.
In “Fantasia” by Eastman professor emeritus Bill Dobbins, Goluses ripples up and down the strings with a jazzy lilt. In “A Concerto of Colours” by Stephen Goss with the Eastman Wind Ensemble led by Mark Davis Scatterday, the guitarist shines as a soloist, evoking the blue, wide-open skies of the American West.
Whether he’s playing preludes by Brazilian legend Heitor Villa-Lobos or finishing the album with Andrew York’s 2016 simple solo “Home,” Goluses turns his guitar into a color machine. He swipes the fretboard, smacks the body and infuses love into each musical phrase.
This is a guy who found his thing, and spent a lifetime getting better and better.
Brenda Tremblay is WXXI Classical’s morning host and producer.
