Walter Abt & Gianfranco Grisi
Biography Walter Abt & Gianfranco Grisi
Walter Abt
The versatile guitarist and composer Walter Abt is remarkable for his flair and the delight he takes in discovering unusual and innovative musical avenues. His outlook was largely shaped by his collaborations with jazz and gipsy musicians. His performance repertoire and discography have earned him numerous awards and cover a broad spectrum ranging from Spanish and Italian Renaissance music and the classical guitar repertoire to flamenco and contemporary Latin American guitar music (viz. his pioneer records of Leo Brouwer´s music, sometimes with Brouwer himself, – or playing with the incomparable clarinet player Giora Feidman). Alongside his career as a soloist, Walter Abt is much in demand as a composer and arranger. His Concerto del Benaco owes its origin to a commission by the Italian province of Trentino, the area at the northern end of Lake Garda where Abt has chosen to live. Walter Abt was founder and leader of the Munich Guitar Orchestra and of the flamenco ensemble SOL Y SOMBRA, and was the founder and director of the summer school for guitarists which he set up at the Bavarian Academy of Music. He likes to surprise his audience with musical crests between classical music, jazz and worldmusic -as well as with ancient instruments like lute or vihuela. He is very welcome at numerous well-known international festivals.
