Akiva, Hommage a Roland Dyens

Daniel Akiva
Hommage a Roland Dyens

for alto recorder and guitar

The composition was written in memory of Roland Dyens whom I was privileged to host in 2011 when he participated in the Guitar Gems Festival. It is a modest show of appreciation for an outstanding artist and creator who left his imprint on the musical world in general and the guitar world in particular.

A year ago I received a commission from Boby Rootveld and Sanna van Elst to write a work for their guitar-recorder duo, Duo Nihz. Duo Nihz also commissioned a work from Roland Dyens, but unfortunately he passed away before completing it. Therefore, I decided to dedicate their commission as work of homage to his memory.

The composition is based on Jewish themes. The first movement is "Kaddish," a prayer of praise for God also recited for the memory of the deceased. The second movement is based on a liturgical genre of the songs of Jews of Spanish origin, sung in the synagogue but also at events which are not liturgical.