by Daniel Hathaway
Italian-born guitarist Nicolò Spera, who has taught at the University of Colorado at Boulder since 2011, joined his faculty colleague, flut Christina Jennings, along with violist Matthew Dane, for an early Sunday afternoon concert of contemporary music on June 7.
A glitch in the air conditioning system in Mixon Hall provided the unexpected opportunity to check out the acoustic of CIM’s recently renovated Kulas Hall, a much larger space that nonetheless proved very friendly for Spera and friends.
The guitarist’s relaxed introduction from the stage set the tone for a program that visited a range of dynamics and colors and included several world premieres.
Roxana Panufnik’s Canto, originally for viola, breathed Spanish flair, with special effects like percussive taps on the instrument and twinkling harmonics. Playing with a full-bodied sound, Spera took advantage of Panufnik’s exploration of the entire range of the instrument
Two excerpts from Lorenzo Micheli’s The Book of Trees invoked taciturn denizens of the forest. “Quaking Aspen” is built on scalar themes with a grand arch. “Red Oak” is a simple song with an ambivalent affect and a story to tell — not entirely sad but not entirely happy either. It ends with an unanswered question.
Christopher Theofanidis’ Spring Verses for flute and guitar, written for Spera, is a set of six galliards and pavans: Christina Jenning’s flute and Spera’s guitar complemented each other’s sound in Theofanidis’ modern takes on ancient dances.
Galliard 1 Esubernate featured a snappy flute solo, while Galliard II Grazioso was graced by a lovely, slow guitar line that supported the flute melody.
Pavane 1 Elegante maestoso brought a sinister element into the mix, offset by Galliard III Energico giocosa’s bubbly melodic material and jaunty unison passages.
Pavane II (for Henry): Introspettivo, malinconico opened and closed with solo guitar with a middle section of plucked harmonics. The set ended with the lilting unisons and long pauses of Galliard IV Spiritoso.
After intermission came three movements of Carter Pann’s Cinque Pezzi per l’intuizione Italiana. The highly melodic “Vecchia Canzone” sports clever harmonies that don’t always go where they should. “Ruote della Gioia” commences with a grand strum, after which Spera made easy work of its technical passages. Full of emotion, the movement held your attention. “La Luce di Caravaggio” opened with a slow strum into the melody of a song seasoned with harmonics and percussion.
A set of pieces by Martin Bresnick having been cut from the program, Spera’s recital ended as it began with a work by Christopher Theofanidis, his Vague Stelle dell’Orsa for guitar, flute, and viola. Written for Spera, he described the piece, based on lines by Leopardi, as “a musical poem for his mom.”
Pizzicati between viola and guitar launch a nice arch to a piece with a through line that develops, then returns to its opening material. Then, amid trills, it’s all over.
A pleasant departure from the prevailing solo recital format, Nicolò Spera’s recital brought an immediacy and freshness to the Festival that was perfect for an early Sunday afternoon.
Published on ClevelandClassical.com June 10, 2026
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