Music
Robert Clark Laidlaw
Classical & Improvisational Guitar
I've played classical and improvisational guitar since age thirteen. At age seventeen I had the honor of studying with Alexander Bellow at his home in New York City.
My repertoire spans from fifteenth century vihuela and lute transcriptions to twentieth century music written expressly for the guitar.
My improvisations blend classical, flamenco, and jazz ideas.
With master luthier Antonio Marîn Montero
Granada, Spain, September 2008
Left to right: Pepe Marín, me, Antonio Marín Montero, Stephen Marchionda, Jose Marín Plazuelo
Will & BLue
Improvisation in honor of Will Bostock and the BLue community that he founded
Brazilian improvisation
My first-ever video recording—an improvisation with elements of Brazilian music.
Tune for Nikko
Variation of a short A-A-B-A composition
Elkins Park, Pennsylvania
December 17, 2017
Robert Laidlaw, guitarist
© 2017-2018 Robert Laidlaw. All worldwide rights reserved.
Improvisations — Best of RCL
Kurzweil Sketches
TRT 23:49:14
Only recording of my synthesizer improvisations.
Various custom presets played on a Kurzweil MIDIBOARD keyboard with polyphonic aftertouch and a rack-mount Kurzweil 250 synthesizer.
Sometime in 1986?
Alea’s 20th Birthday
Improvisations recording in La Jolla, CA, for Alea Margaret Laidlaw’s 20th birthday while she was living in West Roxbury, Massachusetts
Robert Laidlaw, guitarist
© 2013 Robert Laidlaw. All worldwide rights reserved.
Castles of Spain
Composed by Federico Moreno Torroba for Andrés Segovia.
Robert Laidlaw, guitarist
© 2012-2018 Robert Laidlaw. All worldwide rights reserved.
Turégano (Serranilla)
Manzaneres el Real (A la Moça Femosa)
Alcañiz (Festiva)
Sigüenza (La Infanta Duerme)
Alba de Tormes (Trova)
Farewell
The last recording before moving to San Francisco in June 2012. All were recorded in a single take and then edited into individual tracks.
La Jolla, California
June 2012
Robert Laidlaw, guitarist
© 2012 Robert Laidlaw. All worldwide rights reserved.
Rêves pour Erzsi
Dedicated to Elisabeth Molnar Bergan
Improvisations recorded to digital recorder.
La Jolla, California
June 2012
Robert Laidlaw, guitarist & composer
© 2012 Robert Laidlaw. All worldwide rights reserved.
Rêves de la Nuit
Variations of Rêves pour Erzsi
La Jolla, California
July 2012
Robert Laidlaw, guitarist
© 2012 Robert Laidlaw. All worldwide rights reserved.
Renaissance Music
Transcribed by Frederic Noad in his book “The Renaissance Guitar”
Robert Laidlaw, guitarist
© 2012 Robert Laidlaw. All worldwide rights reserved.
Guitar Fiesta
House concert at 68 C/ Calatrava, atico 2, Barcelona
Barcelona, Spain
5 April 2008
Robert Laidlaw, guitarist
© 2008 Robert Laidlaw. All worldwide rights reserved.
Moments
All tracks improvised and recorded direct to two-track, reel-to-reel tape in a single take using the natural reverberation of the church.
University Lutheran Church, Cambridge, Massachusetts
October 1982
Robert Laidlaw, guitarist & composer
Bruce Bartone, audio engineer
© 1982 Robert Laidlaw. All worldwide rights reserved.
Senior Guitar Recital
February 26, 1974
Taft School, Watertown, Connecticut
Culmination of semester-long independent study
