Eva Beneke Records Three New Videos at GSI

Eva Beneke is one of the most renowned European guitarists. She was born in Berlin and moved to Los Angeles in 2007, where she completed a doctorate at USC Thornton School of Music. Now she serves as an associate professor of the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo.

She recently visited GSI to record three videos, in a set that celebrates women’s impact on music in different ages.

A piece she recorded is “Prélude” from Suite no. 3 by Elisabeth Jaquette de la Guerre. This is a fascinating example of an unmeasured prelude in early French Baroque style, full of improvisatory character and expressive nuance. De la Guerre is one of the most regarded female French composers of the entire Baroque period. Eva performed this piece on a 2024 Silvia Zanchi guitar.

During her recording, she played “Serenade” by Russian composer Sofia Gubaidulina, a powerful work that distills her distinctive musical language into a concentrated miniature. With this piece she began to break away from socialist realism favoring more existentialist themes like spiritual intensity, symbolism, and unconventional sound color. Eva recorded this piece on a 2023 Paula Lazzarini guitar.

She also played her own composition “Insieme” (Together). This piece is characterized by a dreamy melody accompanied by an arpeggio and it is about harmony and love between people. She played it on a 1925 Domingo Esteso guitar.