King of Prussia, PA — Theodore Presser Company is proud to announce the distribution of two new original works for classical guitar from Editions Orphée. Il Silenzio del Pendolo (494-02870 — $9.95), by Cristiano Porqueddu, was the first prize winner of the 2010 Editions Orphée composition competition, in which contestants presented their variations on Lev Alexandrovich Schwartz’s Gorod Na Kame. Porqueddo’s work for classical guitar evokes the concept of silence and its importance with relation to sound. According to the composer, “at times there is this instance when everything that surrounds man stops vibrating, which enables the mind to hear one’s thoughts and give shape to one’s dreams.” In addition, Editions Orphée offers Sonata No. 1 (494-02876 — $9.95) from Alexei Agibalov. In addition to being a seven-string virtuoso, Agibalov is a forward-thinking artist in the territory of classical guitar in the former Soviet Union, searching for new modes of expression for the Russian guitar. This sonata for the seven-string guitar exemplifies his influences of the Kyrgyz folk themes, evoking the cultural dichotomies faced by Russian artists in the wake of the diaspora created by the fall of the Soviet Union. Both works are for advanced players.

Editions Orphée was established in 1978 by classical guitar pedagogue Matanya Ophee, an Israeli-born student of Richard Pick, Esther Bromberger, and others. Further studies in music theory were taken under Gérard Le Coat at the Conservatoire de Lausanne in Switzerland (1963), and in composition with Eli Yarden in Israel (1964). As a historian and musicologist, Ophee became recognized, among others, for bringing to light the biography and accomplishments of François de Fossa, Jan Bobrowicz, Antoine de l'Hoyer, Andrei Sychra, Ivan Padovec, Leonhard Schulz, and others. Editions Orphée is recognized internationally as a leading publisher of guitar music and books.

Offering music by today’s greatest composers and teachers, Theodore Presser Company is the leader in publishing educational and recital music. Theodore Presser Company is a full-range music publisher and distributes the music of over 30 publishers from around the globe, with a combined sales catalog that features over 60,000 available works. For more information about new publications from Theodore Presser Company or to locate a dealer near you, log on to www.presser.com or e-mail us at sales@presser.com. For review copies of the publications listed in this release, please contact Heidi Vanderlee at (212) 777-0900, ext. 230 or send an e-mail to hvanderlee@presser.com.