New GSI Videos by Elle Davisson!

Elle Davisson, 16, recently visited GSI and recorded three videos. Elle Davisson studies at the California Conservatory of Music under Christopher Mallet. She has won top prizes in many guitar competitions. Most recently, she took first place in the Guitar Foundation of America International Youth Competition, Senior Division. Elle is one half of the Davisson Duo with her older brother Jack Davisson.

Elle recorded the first two movements of “Sonata Giocosa” by Joaquín Rodrigo. The first movement “Allegro Moderato” is brisk and rhythmic, immediately setting a joyful and energetic tone. It showcases Rodrigo’s ability to meld Spanish idioms with classical formality. This movement was recorded on a 2012 Marcelíno López guitar. This guitar, made in 2012, is a meticulously built copy of an 1851 José Pernas guitar. The second movement “Andante Moderato” provides a more introspective, lyrical contrast to the brightness of the first. It is meditative and song-like, displaying Rodrigo’s gift for creating evocative, expressive melodies. This movement was recorded on a 2003 Jean-Noel Rohe guitar. The sound of the guitar is incredible, plenty of power and a quick, immediacy to each note with a plump, rich sound drenched in controlled overtones.

Elle also recorded Tristan Manoukian's arrangement of "Sinfonia" from "Partita, BWV 826" by Johann Sebastian Bach. Elle recorded this piece on a 2013 Hermann Hauser III "Llobet" classical guitar made with spruce top and CSA rosewood back and sides. The piece is often described as a miniature fugue due to its intricate use of imitative counterpoint. The three voices (soprano, alto, and bass) weave a complex and lively texture, with the main subject introduced in one voice and then imitated by the others.