Stuart Weber: Pieces of Road Stuart Weber

• 1 Anniversary Waltz 04:38
• 2 Pieces of Road: I. The Old Way 03:29
• 3 Pieces of Road: II. Sunken Highways 03:05
• 4 Pieces of Road: III. Sweetgrass Hills 02:51
• Total Runtime 14:03

Info for Stuart Weber: Pieces of Road

Stuart Weber's PIECES OF ROAD is a heartfelt, profound homage to the spirit of the American West. At once traditional and original, the classical guitarist manages to capture the essence not only of his native Rocky Mountains, but of nature and comfort at large.

Weber celebrates his landscapes in sound with the elaboration and care they justly deserve. It comes as no surprise that the guitarist claims to have been inspired by the long Montana winters to compose this music: if one were to imagine the perfect soundtrack for such a setting, this would be it.

Anniversary Waltz is a charismatic, warm dance with none of a traditional waltz's rhythmic rigidity, but all of its sentiment and musicality. This track features Weber himself on one of two guitars, along with Antigoni Goni, an internationally renowned Greek guitar virtuoso. The quartet is rounded off by sisters Angella Ahn and Maria Ahn— on violin and cello respectively— who are two-thirds of The Ahn Trio, a dynamic group advancing new compositions in the classical tradition. Anniversary Waltz makes for a fitting warm-up before the album's core, Pieces of Road.

Each movement traces a road that the composer traveled often in his youth. The Old Way bids tribute to the hard won routes that now lay abandoned alongside the new, highly engineered pavement. Sunken Highway describes a road bed forever lost to the rising waters of a reservoir. Sweetgrass Hills is a frolicking shot down the gravel road; cresting a dozen stomach turning, giggle inducing hills before finally coming to a stop at the grandparents' ranch.

Weber's impeccable playing contributes tremendously to PIECES OF ROAD. His ability to not only conceive, but also to perform the music to perfection is a great blessing – both for the artist as well as for the listener.

Stuart Weber, guitar
Antigoni Goni, guitar
Angella Ahn, violin
Maria Ahn, cello

Stuart Weber
is a fourth generation Montana native whose passion for the land equals his passion for the guitar. He is among a new breed of classical guitarist, one of today’s prophetic players shaping the future of the instrument. He performs the classics with uncompromising virtuosity while his original pieces interpret the natural environment with melodic inspiration and sensitivity. Honing his craft of guitar playing in relative isolation has produced a uniquely talented artist. Although his history with the guitar began at age eleven, he had no formal training until his apprenticeship with the legendary Christopher Parkening. In this fertile setting, Weber quickly developed classical sensibilities and techniques that would help define his individual style of guitar playing.

In addition to bringing to the concert stage guitar performances of traditional classical compositions including selections by Bach, Dvorak and Bartok, Stuart Weber’s ability to draw out the unique character of the West in his original compositions has earned him a reputation as an artist of musical landscapes. His musical creations like The Gallatin Jig, The Missouri Breaks and Red, White and Yellowstone reflect the relationship between artist and nature. The Denver Post praised Weber as "a Western original". He has been featured in several publications including Acoustic Guitar Magazine and The Christian Science Monitor.

This album contains no booklet.