RICHARD CHARLTON

Guitarist/Composer


Conducting at the FAME Festival in Brisbane 2024

MY LATEST NEWS!

"Songs of the Southern Skies" Vol 2 is out now. Katie Noonan & Karin Schaupp's latest set of songs from Down-Under reimagined by yours truly! I have done all but three tracks on their latest album. Get a taste of some iconic Aussie songs in brand new arrangements - here.

Recently out  - "Whenua o te Manu" - the latest CD by John Couch has my solo FEATHERLINES (a suite of Australian birds) together with works by Vincent Lindsey-Clark, Chris Norton, Marian Budos & others. This suite was commissioned by John back in 2018 (pre-pandemic) as a complimentay work to Vincent's suite of New Zealand birds - the title of the CD. The last movement of my work uses Phil Houghton's idea of a coin scraped over the frets - a Kookaburra laughing! Check it out (last track on the CD) Here.

"Bluetongue" on NAXOS! The latest Guitar Trek CD has all of Phil Houghton's quartets plus Nigel Westlake's Six Fish, a new work by Elena Kats-Chernin and my 8th Guitar Quartet: FIVE TAILS IN COLD BLOOD - Order now here

Something relaxing! Two duos for the ABC ClassicFlow Meditation Podcasts THE SWEET BREATHING OF FLOWERS (guitar & didgeridoo) and THE LEGEND OF THE RIVER RED GUM (guitar & shakuhachi) for Steve Allen, William Barton & Riley Lee. Listen here and breath out slowly . . . . The Sweet Breathing of Flowers & Legend of the River Red Gum

More exciting! Quintet for guitar & strings SHORELINES (Matt Withers and Acacia Quartet) just released on the CD Imaginations also available digitally here Listen to a fantastic live recording from the 2018 Melbourne Guitar Festival  Shorelines live

CONSONANCE is a CD featuring cellist Rachel Scott and my good friends the Agostino Duo. They have recorded three of my "Bach Constructs" along with a new version of my Klezmer arrangements. The disc also has Phil's gorgeous miniature "Adoration", Vincent Lindsey-Clark's folksongs and other fantastic Bach arrangements by Janet Agostino. See here for more details or to order

The SONATA OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS was premiered in New Zealand at the 2016 Taranaki Guitar Summer School. This is my latest solo sonata, commissioned and performed by Timothy Kain. It has been a privilege to work with Tim on many commissions over the years and together we have produced a fine body of work. This latest piece is in four movements with a slightly unusual tuning - E, G#, C#, g, b, e. Now, just released on NAXOS worldwide, Tim's new solo CD is titled "Forgotten Dreams". See here to order.

One of my recent ensemble works, "THE JOURNEY OF LIGHT & SHADE", commissioned by Christian Moritz for the Jugend Guitarren Orchester Hamburg was recorded on their new CD "Dedicated" and is also just published by Joachim-Trekel-Musikverlag in Hamburg. I was very pleased to meet the group and be at their CD launch. Their concert was the opening event of the 7th Hamburg Guitar Festival. Listen to the 2nd movement - HERE

I had the great privilege of conducting the Adelaide Guitar Festival Orchestra (AGFO) at the Adelaide International Guitar Festival in 2016. More than 80 emerging guitarists of all ages, and from across the country, came together under the direction of myself and my colleague, guitar ensemble specialist Dr Paul Svoboda for an exhilarating performance at the Adelaide Town Hall. We did the opening half of a concert featuring the Australian String Quartet with Slava Grigoryan, Karin Schaupp and Wolfgang Muthspiel. It all seemed to go very well - the audience gave us a standing ovation!

After being recorded quite a few years ago now, Mosaic has finally been released on an ABC Classics CD titled - Mosaic (Australian Guitar Concertos). Karin Schaupp is the soloist together with the Tasmainian Symphony Orchestra conducted by Ben Northey. The disc features all Australian guitar concertos with Peter Sculthorpe's Nourlangie, Ross Edwards' Arafura Dances and Philip Bracanin's concerto. Details - HERE


Australian publisher "Reed Music" has published all three of my song cycles - Songs of the Tide, Dust on a Butterfly's Wing & Statues. For more info or to order go to their online store - www.reedmusic.com

German publisher "Joachim-Trekel-Musikverlag" has published all of my mandolin ensemble music - Dances for the Mandolin & the Moon; Adventures of the Duyfken; A Day at the Circus; Meridian & Daintree. For more info go to - www.trekel.de


MY LATEST PUBLICATIONS OF GUITAR MUSIC . . .

"FIVE TEN & FIFTEEN" - for guitar solo. (Contains Five Short Pieces, Ten Exotic Preludes & Fifteen Elementary Studies) - many of these are listed in the latest AMEB Syllabus - beginner to intermediate level.

"COLLECTED THOUGHTS", contains both Afterthoughts Series plus other solos including "The Lady of the Lake" & "The Black Cockatoo".

Want to order some music? go to the ORDERS page or just email me.