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GUITAR
2009
CLASSICAL
Editorial Consultant:
Colin Cooper
Features Editor:
Guy Traviss
Reviews Editor:
Tim Panting
Music Editor:
MARCH
Neil Smith
Managing Editor:
Maurice J. Summerfield
News Editor:
VOLUME 27, No.7 Thérèse Wassily Saba
PHOTO: DARIA DYLLA

4 Editorial
5 Classical Guitar News – Compiled by Thérèse Wassily Saba
8 Events, Festivals and Competitions
10 Concert Diary
11 Marcin Dylla – Interviewed by Colin Cooper
17 Carlos Martinez – by Sabastián Domínguez
20 Aalborg International Guitar Festival – by Paul Fowles Marcin Dylla – page 11.
23 Obituary – Lukas Foss (1922-2009) – by Colin Cooper
24 20th Wirral International Guitar Festival – by Paul Fowles
27 The Ivor Mairants Guitar Award 2008
28 Obituary – Charles Camilleri (1931-2009) – by Graham Wade
30 Andrew Rutherford – by Theodore Diehl-Peshkur
36 Concert Reviews
38 Book Reviews
39 Music Reviews
44 CD Reviews
48 DVD Reviews
50 Composers: Who needs them? –
Conference report by Thérèse Wassily Saba
54 Views from Everywhere – Compiled by Thérèse Wassily Saba
56 Gruppetto
57 Letter from New York – by Julia Crowe
59 Letters to the Editor
60 Classical Guitar Teachers
61 Classical Guitar Societies
COVER PHOTO: STANISLAW MARKOWSKI BECKY STAROBIN
Contributors:
Julia Crowe, Lawrence Del Casale , Zbigniew Dubiella, Paul Fowles,
Allan Clive Jones, Paul Magnussen, Oliver McGhie, Jorge Morel,
Matanya Ophee, Danielle Ribouillault, David Russell, Carlos Martinez – page 17.
Maria Isabel Siewers, Rico Stover, Maurice J. Summerfield,
Graham Wade, William Yeoman, Luis Zea.
Reviewers:
John Arran, Jane Bentley, Vladislav Blaha, Colin Cooper,
Julia Crowe, Chris Dumigan, Lorraine Eastwood, Paul Fowles,
Sandra Hambleton-Smith, Derek Hasted, Harvey Hope, Allan Clive Jones,
Linda Kelsall-Barnett, Stephen Kenyon, Steve Marsh, Emma Martinez,
Oliver McGhie, Tim Panting, Danielle Ribouillault, Neil Smith,
Thérèse Wassily Saba, William Yeoman, Fabio Zanon.
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Classical Guitar Magazine 3

EDITORIAL
‘TONALITY is dead’, declared Schoenberg. He prob- usage and seeing an exponential growth in a group
ably believed it at the time. So powerful was his of ‘friends’ that seems to be taking on a life of its
sense of the rightness of his cause that he could not own. We are talking about guitarists from almost
imagine that the ‘corpse’ would ever sit up and everywhere and for me to ‘meet’ them on an individ-
breathe again. ual basis, in ‘real’ time, would be impossible. The
His declaration irritated and alienated many peo- beauty of Facebook is that it is not something loom-
ple. In three words he had, by implication, accused ing grim reaper-like over the printed word and,
the huge majority of music lovers of necrophilia, of more importantly, Classical Guitar Magazine; its
unnatural congress with the dead. But composers relationship is symbiotic, and I will draw readers’
and painters tend to talk like that. They are cre- attention to a recent musical experience there which
ators, not consumers; they have an entirely differ- was exhilarating enough to make the hair on my
ent attitude. arms bristle. A guitarist I’d not heard before,
Most of us believe that good music, of whatever Cristiano Porqueddu (b.1975), appeared in a recital
age, can never die. It only waits for resuscitation by clip, playing the music of Angelo Gilardino; in all my
skilled interpreters, of the sort who issue from experience of listening to live classical guitar music,
musical academies year after year, equipped with Angelo’s music has not been a common feature in
enough technical and mental ability to breathe new concert programmes. After watching and listening
life into the music of the past - and the past, let’s to CP play, quite brilliantly, Jondo, and ‘Toccata’
not forget, is a vast period of time, beginning last from Tombeau de Maurice Ravel, I am convinced
week. Even Beethoven’s music is now regarded as that this revered composer’s exciting works are due
ancient. There are people living who were born with- for inclusion into recitalist’s repertoire as much
in a century of Beethoven’s death: they too must Brouwer’s. The clip of Porqueddu was originally
accept their description of ancient. But in that case, posted on YouTube but I discovered it on Facebook.
what do you call someone who lived a thousand The picture and audio quality is rarely perfect, espe-
years ago? Two thousand? A million? Longer? cially on the small screen of a laptop, but the elec-
Prehistoric, perhaps, though that’s not enough to tric atmosphere in this example in what appears to
describe millions of years of human life. To young be a church is a wonder to behold.
people of 18, anyone older than 40 is prehistoric. TIM PANTING
Words aren’t adequate to describe the history of
humanity.
In this context, the guitar music of someone like
Barrios does not seem quite so old as the harmony
often suggests. It flourishes within a wide spectrum
that includes Hildegarde of Bingen, Monteverdi,
Dowland, Bach, Schubert, Brahms, Wagner,
Debussy, Schoenberg himself, Britten, Cage,
Maxwell Davis and Adams, as diverse a collection as
you could wish for. To criticise any member of it for
not conforming to the ideals and principles of one or
more of the others is futile.
We don’t know how guitar music is going to devel-
op in this rich landscape. The guitar has its own
rules, seldom conforming to any other ideal or prin-
ciple. The future, as always, remains unknown ter-
ritory. Schoenberg must have known that.
COLIN COOPER
THE phenomenon of Facebook, which seems to

have risen inexorably to the top of the pile of social
networking sites on the internet, is something that
people seem to love or hate. It is hard to find an
indifferent response to something that has linked so
many individuals on such a spectacular scale. As
with YouTube, which has proved beyond doubt to be
one of the most useful reference sites for rare film
and music clips, otherwise near impossible to find
on the ground, Facebook is alive with musicians,
having fun with each other but also on a much more
practical level, sharing ideas, showing video footage
and announcing forthcoming events. As a tool for
keeping a metaphoric ear to the ground I have found
it indispensable. If I had a free pass to travel at will
around the globe, staying where I wanted, welcomed
by all I stumbled across, then I might eschew the
cyber concept, but that happening has similar odds
to winning the lottery so I am gradually refining my
4 Classical Guitar Magazine

CLASSICAL GUITAR NEWS COMPILED BY THÉRÈSE WASSILY SABA
John Williams’ transcriptions
John Williams has just launched a

website where he will be putting his
own compositions and transcriptions
for people to download for free.
Speaking about the website, in a
recent interview, soon to be published
in Classical Guitar in full, he said: ‘The
first piece I’m going to put on is Hello
Francis because a lot of people want
that and I might follow that with a
couple of the others, like Prelude to a
Song. Certainly during the middle of
this year, I’m going to put the arrange-
ment I do of the Vivaldi Concerto in D
which is a piece people hear me play
in concerts. The arrangement is based
PHOTO: THÉRÈSE WASSILY SABA

on Bach’s version for solo harpsichord
of the same piece. The two main pieces
are going to be that and Granados’s
Valses Poeticos.’
I asked him about the exciting fact
that it will be free to download his
scores, and he explained: ‘When you
publish music with music publishers,
the arranger, or the transcriber or even John Williams.
the composer sometimes, if a piece National Youth Guitar Ensemble
sells for £10 for example, they might
get 80 pence or something like that. The National Youth Guitar Ensemble
But that costs £10 in today’s econom- has reported a very healthy response to
ic circumstances, even before the lat- their call for auditions and had to
est crises, and for a young student in organise an extra date to accommodate
Indonesia or in Kenya or in Nigeria, it’s the increasing number of applications.
impossible. A lot of them get photo- It is open to guitarists aged 13–18 of at
copies when they can but a lot of them least Grade 5 Distinction standard. The
simply can’t afford it and don’t have NYGE with Musical ÕÌ>ÀiÊvvÕÃÊ«ÀiÃiÌÃÊ°°°
the music at all. Now the least I can do, Director, Gerald Garcia
after a long time of playing concerts have planned two resi-
and having a very nice life, thank you dential courses this year
very much, is to provide music which in April (Easter course at
they can get hold of for nothing. If a Quorn, Leicestershire)
performer, like a solo guitarist wants to and August (part of the
make a CD or perform it in public, the World Youth Guitar
usual rules of copyright apply; they Festival, Cheltenham).
have to pay copyright for that sort of Please see Events &
reproduction, but with the sheet Festivals.
music, for the sake of me getting an They have recently
extra 80 pence, it gives me much more released their first CD
pleasure that someone in Nigeria or called Festive Fizz and
Kenya or wherever, maybe here, in have some concerts lined
Wigan or Hull, if they want that piece up for 2009 featuring
of music, can easily have a copy of it.’ guest artist British gui- iiÌÊÕÃÊÊÌiÊÜiLÊt
It will be a non-response website, that tarist Carl Herring (for- ÜÜÜ°}ÕÌ>Ài`vvÕÃ°V
is, it is not for correspondence. Please mer NYGE member and UÊ>ìÊLÞÊ}ÕÌ>ÀÃÌÃÊ°°°ÊvÀÊÌiÊ}ÕÌ>ÀÃÌÃÊU
watch this news column for details of prize winner of the ÃÊvÀÊÕÀÊvÀiiÊiÜÃiÌÌiÀ
>J}ÕÌ>Ài`vvÕÃ°V
the website address! Julian Bream Prize and

Ivor Mairants Award). published; Julian Bream has applied
Please see Concert Diary. minor revisions for this publication.
For more information on
the National Youth Micheli & Mela
Guitar Ensemble, contact:
Coordinator, Liz Larner, The Italian duo of Lorenzo Micheli and
tel. 0773 683 9134. Matteo Mela have just released their
www.egta.co.uk/content/nyge first early music album on the theorbo
and baroque guitar, playing Andrea
Cem Durouz Falconieri’s La suave Melodia, 1650
London debut with Massimo Lonardi on archlute (CD
Stradivarius 33781).
The Turkish guitarist Matteo Mela and Lorenzo Micheli, who
Cem Durouz will give his are also known as SoloDuo, released
London debut recital at their new CD Noesis in February 2009
the Purcell Room on through the American label
Monday 16 March 2009 Pomegranate Music. Noesis – 19th
at 7.45pm. His pro- Century Masterworks for Two Guitars
gramme includes two (POM CD-1926) features the Grand Duo
Cem Durouz.
contemporary Turkish by Coste, Trauerlieder by Mertz, Duo
pieces by Koral Sazli and Berkir Concertant op. 34 no. 3 by Lhoyer and
Kucukay, works by the baroque com- Grandes Variations, op. 35 by Giuliani.
poser Marin Marais, Durouz’s own This new recording follows on from
arrangements of several Balkan and SoloDuo’s previous album Solaria - 20th
Turkish dances, such as Boslak, Century Masterworks for Two Guitars
Yuksek Yuksek Tepelere, Sultanniyegah (Pomegranate Records). Lorenzo Micheli
Sirto and works from the classical and and Matteo Mela will be touring from
traditional Turkish repertoire of the February until May, performing in Italy,
17th and 18th centuries, as well as France, the US and Mexico. Lorenzo
some of Durouz’s arrangements of Astor Micheli will be also be performing solo
Piazzolla’s tangos. recitals in Turkey and Holland, as well
The concert is being presented by the as in Germany with David Knopfler and
Latin American and Caribbean Cultural the Ensemble05 for the first German
Society (LACCS), in collaboration with performance of Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s
the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey. Morning in Iowa at the Koblenz
For tickets, tel. 0871 663 2500. International Guitar Festival in May
Future LACCS concerts are of the 2009.
Paganini Duo, an Ecuadorian duo of Noesis is Mela and Micheli’s eighth
violinist Jorge Saade Scarfe and gui- CD together; it follows De Fossa’s
tarist Julio Almeida, 29 June 2009 Quartets op. 19 (Stradivarius),
with music from Paganini to the Piazzolla’s Guitar Music (Stradivarius),
Andes. Lhoyer’s Duos (Naxos), Falconieri’s La
suave melodia (Stradivarius), the DVD
New Britten edition Live in Milan (Mel Bay), an anthology of
Giuliani’s works (Amadeus) and Solaria
Boosey and Hawkes have (Pomegranate).
recently published a new Their forthcoming recordings include
arrangement by Julian Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s 24 Preludes and
Bream of Benjamin Fugues, Ferdinand Rebay’s Sonatas for
Britten’s The Second Lute solo and two guitars and an album of
Song of the Earl of Essex, 17th century Italian music for voice,
from Gloriana, for voice theorbo and baroque guitars.
and guitar. The arrange-
ment of a song from Ramón de Algeciras (1938–2009)
Britten’s 1953 opera
Gloriana dates from The Flamenco guitarist Ramón de
1957. It was recorded by Algeciras (Ramón Sánchez Gómez)
Peter Pears and Julian died early on 20 January 2009 in
Bream and was often Madrid. Ramón de Algeciras is the
included in their recital eldest brother of guitarist Paco de
programmes. This is the Lucía and singer Pepe de Lucía. An
first time that the obituary will be published in our next
arrangement has been issue.
Savino on baroque guitar shops of more internation-
ally known guitar makers
Richard Savino has released a record- such as Abel Garcia, and
ing of six Sonatas from Capricci lesser known makers, as
Armonicci (Harmonic Caprices 1692) by well as some of the facto-
Count Ludovico Roncalli (1654-1713). ries. It is a fascinating doc-
Savino describes the music as “....pos- umentary, some of which
sessing Italianate lyricism combined was filmed during their
with a French textural aesthetic.” annual Guitar Festival and
Consisting of nine ‘suites’ organized by also features guitarists
key, it is one of the last publications of John Williams, Carlos
Italian music for the five-course Bernal and Alex Garrobe.
baroque guitar printed during this peri- Speaking to him about
od. The sonatas were first transcribed the documentary, he said:
by the Italian musicologist Oscar ‘I always hoped the film
Chilosotti 1881, and so are well known would go some way in rais-
to modern classical guitarists, although ing the town’s profile and
they have long been unavailable on helping it gain the recogni-
baroque guitar. Richard Savino per- tion it deserves. Due to the Richard Savino.
forms these works on an instrument by fact that it produces so many cheap,
José Espejo, copied from an original by popular guitars, the fact that world
Antonio Stradavari. (Sonatas for class instruments are also built there is
Baroque Guitar – Dorian Sono Luminus often overlooked. Abel Garcia is one
DSL-90804) good example of a top maker but he is
Richard Savino has been Professor of not the only one; José Luis Diaz, Rafael
Music at the California State University, Granados, Daniel Caro and many oth-
Sacramento for many years. He is also ers are also worthy of recognition.
on the faculty of the San Francisco Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to include
Conservatory of Music. His invaluable everyone in the film.
research has been published by I should probably add however that
Cambridge University Press, Editions it was not the quality of its guitars and
Chantarelle and the Indiana University guitar makers that struck me the
Press. most, but the way in which the guitar
was so uniquely implicated across all
Guildford Guitar Day aspects of daily life. As the documen-
tary shows for example, the local
This year’s Guildford Guitar Day is on CIDEG centre (Centre for the
14 March 2009 and forms part of the Investigation and Development of the
Guildford International Music Festival. Guitar) showcases some great young
The day begins with a recital by Xuefei guitar playing talent, and admirably
Yang playing works by Brouwer, Goss, advocates the importance of ensemble
Albéniz and Granados which will be fol- playing. A fantastic young
lowed by a public interview with John player named Alfredo
Williams. Michael Partington plays later Amezcua Janacua is defi-
in the afternoon, giving the première of nitely one to look out for.
a sonata by Michael Karmon alongside You may have noticed him
sonatas by Goss and Castelnuovo- in the film playing Fuoco
Tedesco. John Williams completes the by Roland Dyens.’
day with a full solo evening recital fea- Charlie Williams did an
turing his own compositions, folk MA in social anthropology
arrangements and favourites from his at the University of
solo repertoire. Edinburgh and during
www.guildfordinternationalmusicfestival.co.uk that time spent one year
in Mexico. His final thesis
Guitarmaking in Paracho DVD was on the town of
Paracho, so he knows his
Charlie Williams, the son of John subject very well. What is
Williams, has produced a wonderful 53- even more remarkable is
minute independent film called The that he has made this
Guitar Is Their Song, about the small documentary virtually on
town of Paracho which specialises in his own, acting as a direc-
making guitars in the state of tor, editor, photographer
Michoacan, Mexico. He visits the work- and he even wrote and
recorded the theme music for the documentary on house from his hometown Recife. I’ve managed to
guitar. insert most of his solo guitar music in my radio pro-
gramme; that has taken two programmes and a bit of
Sharon Isbin’s new album a third one.’ Here is the link to hear the first one
online:
Sharon Isbin’s new recording called Journey to the http://vcfz.blogspot.com/2006/06/25-marlos-nobre.html
New World (SONY Classical) which features Joan Baez Here you can find the second and third, but we
and violinist Mark O’Connor, will be released at the haven’t managed to put the audio in yet; that will
end of March. John Duarte wrote the Joan Baez Suite, take a couple of weeks. http://vcfz.blogspot.com/
Op. 144 for Sharon Isbin in 2002, however, this is the This second link gives you access to all my radio
first recording of the piece, which is almost 16 min- programmes, almost 200 of them. The Brazilian
utes long. Another première recording on the album is Series alone will have 148 programmes when it is fin-
Mark O’Connor’s Strings & Threads Suite, which he ished. Too bad it is spoken in Portuguese, but I am
arranged for violin and guitar for Sharon Isbin; he per- sure you can enjoy the music in between.
forms the work with Sharon Isbin on this recording. I am very satisfied with this series, as we’ve man-
The recording also includes some early renaissance aged to portray nearly all the significant guitarist-
pieces, Andrew York’s Andecy, an arrangement of composers of Brazilian popular music and I’ve man-
Wayfaring Stranger by Carlos Barbosa-Lima and a aged to commission recordings of very nearly every
transcription of Go ‘way from my Window by Sharon significant composition for solo guitar written in
Isbin, both performed by Joan Baez and Sharon Isbin. Brazil by established composers. There are many
world premieres – some 40 actually – including
Marlos Nobre’s 70th anniversary Marlos’ own Entrada & Tango and Rememorias.’
The Brazilian composer Marlos Nobre celebrated his David Russell Honorary Prize
70th birthday this year on 18 February 2009. The
Brazilian Post Office has even The 4th edition of the Honorary Prizes ‘David Russell’
issued a commemorative for Talented Young Performers at the Conservatorio
stamp in his honour. Fábio Profesional de Música in Vigo was held from 23–25
Zanon, who apart from being a January 2009. Eight prizes were awarded, three of
very busy touring concert gui- them to guitarists. The guitarists were: Andrea
tarist, has had a long-running Roberto (Italy), 13 years old, Tuur Segers (Belgium),
classical guitar radio pro- 14 years old and Anna Likhacheva (Russia), 15 years
gramme in Brazil, writes of old. The other prizes went to two exceptional violin-
Marlos Nobre: ‘I believe he is ists, a flute player, a bassoonist and a trumpet play-
performing here at the Santa er. The competition is open to players of any nation-
Isabel Theatre, the lovely opera Marlos Nobre. ality between the ages of 18 and 25.
EVENTS, FESTIVALS & COMPETITIONS

COMPILED BY THÉRÈSE WASSILY SABA
EVENTS email: northwalesjazzsc@aol.com.
5–6 March 2009: Manchester. MusicLearningLive!2009, www.northwalesjazz.org.uk
The National Festival of Music Education at the Royal
Northern College of Music. 22 July–1 August 2009: Chateau de Ligoure, France. The
www.musiclearninglive2009.net 32nd Guitar Course of the Chateau de Ligoure with
Tania Chagnot, Eleftheria Kotzia, Etienne Candella and
5–7 March 2009: Rome, Italy. Masterclass on Spanish Denis Pasquet. Contact: tel. +44 208 785 4054.
Music by Carles Pons I Altes and concert (Friday 6 March, email: eleftheriak@tiscali.co.uk
8.30pm) at Fondazione Arts Academy, Accademia www.guitarenfrance.org
Internazionale di Musica, Via G.A. Guattani, 17 - 00161
Rome, Italy. Tel. +39 06 4425 2303, mobile: +39 328 332 5–10 August 2009: Bagnoles de l’Orne, Normandy. Guitar
8689, fax: +39 06 4425 4767. France with Gary Ryan (Course Director), Craig Ogden
email: info@artsacademy.it and Gordon Dunn. Contact: Louise Holmes, Guitar France
www.artsacademy.it Administrator, tel. +44 (0)1689 840 076.
email: info@guitarfrance.com
9–14 April 2009: Quorn, Leicestershire. National Youth www.guitarfrance.com
Guitar Ensemble Residential Course with Musical
Director: Gerald Garcia at Quorn Hall International FESTIVALS & COMPETITIONS
Centre. Contact: Coordinator, Liz Larner, tel. 0773 683
9134. 14 February–26 March 2009: Aschaffenburger,
www.egta.co.uk/content/nyge Germany. Aschaffenburger Gitarrentage 2009
includes masterclasses with David Russell and Ivo
8–10 May 2009: Wrexham. A Jazz Guitar Weekend with Kaltchev, Four Rodrigo Concertos for guitar and orches-
Ulf Wakenius and Trefor Owen to improve your Jazz gui- tra (David Russell, Zoran Dukic, the Kaltchev Guitar
tar skills at Glyndwr University. Contact: tel/fax +44 Duo and Sebastian Montes, with Thüringen
(0)1745 812 260. Philharmonie Gotha-Suhl conducted by Hermann

Director, Erwin Rodríguez García. For the competition, Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie, Kristiin
contact: Daniel Camero Espinoza (Director Académico), Poska, David Knopfler, Lorenzo Micheli, Massimo Felici,
Calle Paseo Shiraz 988-10, Residencial Viñedos Sección Marcin Dylla, Alexander-Sergei Ramírez, Fabio Zanon,
La Rioja, C.P. 80063 Culiacán, Sinaloa, México. Joscho Stephan Quartett and guest Richard Smith,
email: camerodaniel@hotmail.com Aniello Desiderio, Wulfin Lieske, Konrad Ragossnig,
www.internationalguitarculiacan.com Hubert Käppel, Alfred Eickholt, Federico Moreno-
Torroba, Judicaël Perroy, Sonja Prunnbauer, Robert
6–22 March 2009: Malmoe, Sweden. The 14th Brightmore, Tadashi Sasaki, Zoran Dukic, Volker Höh,
International Guitar Festival with Duo Guitarinet, Dale Kavanagh, Steve Thachuk, Kaan Korad, Kürsad
Laurent Boutros, Timo Korhonen, Erik Steen, Stefan Terci, the Young Artists in Concert Series with Anatoly
Östersjö and Javier Garcia Moreno. Contact: Artistic Izotov, Goran Krivokapic, Vladimir Gorbach, Gabriel
Director, Carsten Grøndahl, Bianco, and the Koblenz International Guitar
email: carsten@carsten.nu Competition ‘Hubert Käppel’ 2009 held in three
www.migf.nu rounds with a free-choice programme in each, and no
limits of age or nationality. First Prize: 10 concerts in
25 March–3 April 2009: Monterrey, Mexico. The X Germany and €3000. Contact, the Director: Georg
Festival Internacional de Guitarra and the II Schmitz, Koblenz International Guitar Festival &
International Guitar Contest of Mexico 2009 is open Academy, Bahnhofstr. 58, 56068 Koblenz, Germany.
to guitarists of any nationality born after 15 March Tel. +49 (0)170 311 5446.
1977. Closing date for entry: 6 March 2009. Contact: X email: info@koblenzguitarfestival.de
Festival Internacional de Guitarra, Monterrey 2009, www.koblenzguitarfestival.de
Escuela Superior de Música y Danza de Monterrey,
Padre Mier No. 1720 Pte, Col. Obispado, C.P. 64000, 26–30 May 2009: Malibu, California. The Parkening
Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. International Guitar Competition at Pepperdine
www.guitarramonterrey.com.mx University with a total of $US55,000 in awards.
www.pepperdine.edu/arts/parkening
27–29 March 2009: Lake Konstanz, Germany. 2nd
Lake Konstanz Guitar Meeting. Contact: Andreas 16–21 June 2009: Ithaca, New York. The 2009 Guitar
Stevens or Gerhard Penn, Foundation of America International Convention &
email: andreasstevens-gitarrist@online.de Competition at Ithaca College with guest artists:
email: gerhard.penn@bluewin.ch Roberto Aussel, Daniel Binelli, Adam del Monte, Eden-
Stell Duo, Ismo Eskelinen, Nicholas Goluses & Bonita
10–13 April 2009: Patras, Greece. 18th Patras Festival Boyd, Eduardo Isaac, Lynn McGrath, Newman-Oltman
with Evangelos & Liza, Yannis Yakoumakis, Martina Duo, Elena Papandreou, Marco Pereira, Ryoanji Duo,
Schaeffer, Bojan Ivanovski, Virginia Amariotaki (winner Tango de Camera, Tantalus Quartet and Andrew York.
of last year’s competition), Georgia Papadatou, Yorgos Contact: Pablo Cohen, Convention Host.
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email: petar.culic@splitguitarfestival.com Festival of Ireland, Ballybannon, Milford, Carlow,
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email: info@gfi.ie
4–9 May 2009: Toledo, Spain: 18th Concurso www.gfi.ie
Internacional de Guitarra ‘Infanta Cristina’ 2009.
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Markneukirchen 2009 for guitarists born after 1
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25 May–1 June 2009: Koblenz, Germany. The 17th and concerts given by orchestras and renowned
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ONLINE Office, 17 Hyde Abbey Road, Winchester, SO23 7DA.
Browse the website - Pay by card using our Secure Server email: info@wygf.org
www.wygf.org
CONCERT DIARY 21 Saturday
Morrow, GA: JOHN WILLIAMS. Spivey Hall, Clayton State
University, 8.15pm. Tel. 678 466 4200.
MARCH 2009 New York: LOS ROMEROS – 50th Anniversary concert.
1 Sunday 92nd Street Y. Tel. 212 415 5500.
Langholm: SIMON THACKER & CLAIRE DEBONO (sopra- North Sydney, NSW: DANIEL MCKAY & ZOË BLACK (vio-
no). Buccleuch Centre. lin). Independent Theatre, 269 Miller Street. Tel. 02 9955
London: HAYLEY SAVAGE. Ealing Guitar Society, St. 6455.
Matthews Church Hall, Ealing W5, 7.30pm. Tel. 020 Sarasota, FL: MARCIN DYLLA.
8621 1394. 22 Sunday
2 Monday Cambridge: ELEFTHERIA KOTZIA. Gonville & Caius
London: DAVID LEISNER. Royal Academy of Music, College, Bateman Auditorium, Trinity St, 7pm. Tel. 01223
7.30pm. 332 400.
4 Wednesday Dallas: BRASIL GUITAR DUO. Dallas Museum of Art,
Oxford: DIMITRIS DEKAVALLAS. Hertford College. 2.30pm.
5 Thursday Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taff: JOHN & COBIE MILLS.
Birmingham: DAVID LEISNER. Recital Hall, Birmingham St Catherine's Church, 3pm.
Conservatoire of Music, 8pm. 24 Tuesday
6 Friday Penzance: JUAN MARTÍN MUSIC TRIO. The Acorn.
Sutton Valence, Kent: DIMITRIS DEKAVALLAS. Groves Philadelphia, PA: JOHN WILLIAMS. Perelman Theater,
Hall music school, 7.30pm. Tel. 01622 844 888. Kimmel Center for Performing Arts, 300 S Broad St, 8pm.
7 Saturday Tel. 215 569 8080.
Dunfermline, Scotland: FREVO QUARTET. Carnegie Hall, 25 Wednesday
7.30pm. New York: JOHN WILLIAMS. Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall,
Mickleover, Derby: DAVID LEISNER. Derby Classical 7.30pm. Tel. 212 247 7800.
Guitar Society, Cedar Park Centre for Music and the Arts, 26 Thursday
7.30pm. Newbury, Berkshire: MANDOLINQUENTS and friends
Oxford: DIMITRIS DEKAVALLAS with the HCMC (special guest: Belshazaars Feast). New Greenham Arts,
Orchestra conducted by John Hardie. 8pm. (Rodrigo’s 8pm, Tel: 01635 522 733.
Concierto de Aranjuez). 28 Saturday
Worcester: EDEN STELL GUITAR TRIO. Worcester Arts Denver, CO: LORENZO MICHELI & MATTEO MELA.
Workshop, Sansome Street, 7.30pm. Tel. 01886 832 715. 29 Sunday
Baltimore, MD: ALVARO PIERRI. Baltimore Museum of Ayr: SIMON THACKER & Ayrshire Symphony Orchestra.
Art, 8pm. Ayr Town Hall (Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s Concerto
New Orleans, LA: MARCIN DYLLA. no.1 op.99).
10 Tuesday Gainsville, FL: JOHN WILLIAMS. University Auditorium,
Glasgow: DAVID LEISNER. Royal Scottish Academy of University of Florida, 2pm. Tel. 352 392 1900.
Music and Drama, 7.30pm. Los Angeles, CA: LORENZO MICHELI & MATTEO MELA.
11 Wednesday Loyola Marymount University.
Santa Cruz, CA: UCSC CLASSICAL GUITAR ENSEMBLE 31 Tuesday
with special guest ERDEM HELVACIOGLU, directed by Oberlin, OH: LORENZO MICHELI & MATTEO MELA.
Mesut Özgen. UCSC Music Center Recital Hall, 7.30pm. Oberlin Conservatory of Music.
Tel. 831 459 2159.
12 Thursday APRIL 2009
Maidenhead: DIMITRIS DEKAVALLAS. Norden Farm 3 Friday
Centre for the Arts, 7.30pm. Tel. 01628 788 997. Monterrey, Mexico: ELENA PAPANDREOU. (Nikita
Welshpool, Wales: AGNEW-MCALLISTER DUO. Koshkin’s Concerto for guitar and string orchestra).
Welshpool Music Club, 7.30pm. Morrow, GA: DAVID RUSSELL. Spivey Hall, Clayton State
New York: PAUL GALBRAITH. Baruch Performing Arts University, 7pm. Tel. 678 466 4200.
Center, 25th St. and Lexington Ave, 8pm. Tel. 646 312
4085.
14 Saturday
Sherfield English: HAMPSHIRE GUITAR ORCHESTRA. St
Leonard’s Church, 7.30pm. Tel 01794 884 840. the TOTNES SCHOOL
Huntsville, AL: MANUEL BARRUECO & Huntsville
Symphony Orchestra conducted by Tobias Foskett. of GUITARMAKING
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Miami, FL: CHRISTIANO PORQUEDDU. St. Philips - 12 week comprehensive courses
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Avenue, Coral Gables, 8pm. - Full details, including photos, in our prospectus / on our website
Roverto, Italy: LORENZO MICHELI. Associazione C o l l i n s R o a d , To t n e s , D e vo n , T Q 9 5 P J . E n g l a n d .
Filarmonica. Tel:+44 (0)1803 865255 www.totnesschoolofguitarmaking.co.uk
Santa Cruz, CA: CATERINA LICHTENBERG (mandolin)
with LINDA BURMAN-HALL (harpsichord & fortepiano),
and MESUT ÖZGEN (19th-century & modern guitars).
UCSC Music Center Recital Hall, 7.30pm. Tel. 831 457
9693.
15 Sunday
Durham: JUAN MARTÍN MUSIC TRIO. Gala Theatre.
London: FREVO QUARTET. Spice Jazz, 7.30pm.
16 Monday
London: CEM DURUOZ. Purcell Room, 7.45pm. Tel. 0871
663 2500.
18 Wednesday
St Albans: EL MORENO. The Maltings Theatre, 1pm. Tel.
01727 844 222.
Chicago: JOHN WILLIAMS. Orchestra Hall at Symphony
Center.
19 Thursday
Fort Worth, TX: BRASIL GUITAR DUO. The Modern Art
Museum of Fort Worth, 7.30pm.
20 Friday
Hartford, CT: OSCAR GHIGLIA & ELENA PAPANDREOU.
Wallace Stevens Theater, 8pm. Tel. 860 249 7041.

MARCIN DYLLA
Interviewed by COLIN COOPER
MARCIN DYLLA was born in Chorzów, Poland, in
1976. Early ambitions to be a footballer were
brought to a end by the discovery that he had
glaucoma, an eye condition that if not treated will
lead to blindness. Extreme physical exertion was
ruled out, which was disappointing but it at least
had the effect of making him concentrate on anoth-
er interest, music. Guitar tuition from Wanda
Palacz in the State Academy of Music in Katowice
was followed by study with Oscar Ghiglia in
Basel, with Sonja Prunnbauer in Freiburg, and
with Carlo Marchione in Maastrict.
I first heard him play when he was a boy of
14; he was good, he was talented, but so were
many of his generation in Poland at that time.
And then, when he was 18, it suddenly became
clear that here was a fine guitarist in the mak-
ing. Marcin Dylla had become a young man to
watch.
That was in 1994. He has come a long, long way
since then, winning a large number of competi-
tions, beginning with the Edmund Jurkowski in
Tychy (1996) and including all the majors such as
Alessandria (2001), the Rodrigo in Madrid (2002),
the Princess Cristina in Madrid (2002), the
Printemps de la Guitare in Charleroi (2004) and
finally the GFA in Los Angeles (2007).
Some indication of the way he works, planning
the shape of his programme with meticulous care,
comes through in this interview, which took place
PHOTOS: DARIA DYLLA

the morning after his memorable performance at
West Dean.
You began your concert at West Dean with Ponce’s

Sonata Romantica. It’s subtitled ‘Homage to
Schubert’, but the richness of texture and feeling
Marcin Dylla.
on this occasion made it sound more like music
from the later Romantic period - on a level with ments. So it’s hard to find a nice balance. I
Schumann, perhaps. How did you approach the believe that people enjoy it.
piece?
This was a new piece in my programme, which I They certainly do. There’s also the texture: every-
started to organise in April this year (2008). To be thing was so clear and rich. Do you take each part
honest, I chose this piece because I love Schubert of it and work on it individually, and then put it
so much. I really enjoy listening to his music back? What do you do?
played by Krystian Zimerman on the piano. I Oh yes. You know, teaching showed me a lot
wanted to have something on the guitar, and I how to work by myself. Already, in my students,
like the Ponce so much because I think he man- I can hear that they don’t really care about the
aged to write a piece in the style of Schubert. The small details, they don’t care about the lines.
harmony he is using, the harmonic aspect, is And then, I work by myself: if you expect it from
very much like Schubert, and also the melodies your students, you must expect it from yourself
are very similar to Schubert’s. The melodies are also. They can see how important it is, for exam-
very easy and simple, but somehow they have a ple to play separating the melody from the bass
great deepness behind them. That’s what I enjoy line.You see how they co-operate together.
about Schubert’s music. Maybe that’s why, when I perform the whole
It was hard to find tension in the piece, because piece, it sounds very, very rich. That’s how I was
it’s quite long. The first movement is slow; it’s working on it: independent lines, which you put
dramatic in the middle part. Then comes the together. So I’m really grateful that you find it
Andante, which again is slow, and two fast move- like that.

Do you take the same approach with other new He was having a busy time, and he gave it to
pieces? Alvaro Company - he did the arrangement for gui-
Yes. If you work like this, you always know the tar. Segovia always asked Tansman for a happy
piece. You discover many things. Especially with ending, like Cavatina or Danza Pomposa. He was
modern pieces where the language is more always looking for happy parts, and this one
sophisticated. It’s very important when the doesn’t even have a happy ending.
melody lines are not so clear. You have to decide
what the melody line is, what the middle line is. Is this why Segovia didn’t play it?
Then it’s much more clear for the audience. If you I think he did, but when the piece was already
understand this, the audience will understand it published. So he didn’t change anything. I think
too. More or less, I do the same with all pieces. a happy ending to this piece would kill it. Of
Some people complained that in Sonata course, if the piece is strong and fast, with a
Romántica there are sections where you can see happy ending, people start to clap more loudly
that the composer did not know what to do. The and you have the feeling that they like it more.
very end, with a long chord section. I believe that I’m not so sure. I remember concerts after which
if you really believe in the power I didn’t want to clap at all: the
of these notes, the simple idea, music was so deep and so sor-
then it works. “The Rossiniana rowful. Clapping would destroy
is not a great everything.
You have just arrived back after
a tour in the United States. How piece, you know, There was a criticism last night
many concerts did the GFA when you think that your inclusion of the Giuliani
arrange for you after you won the Rossiniana weakened your pro-
prize last year? about the form gramme. All these strong. well
Over 60. It’s quite a lot. But I’m and so on - if you composed pieces, and then we
still waiting to feel tired with get a collection of Rossini tunes.
playing concerts. I was waiting understand that The Rossiniana is not a great
also for a great experience for Giuliani loved piece, you know, when you
me as a musician, to have the think about the form and so on
opportunity to play a concert Rossini and his - if you understand that Giuliani
almost every second day, to start music so much, loved Rossini and his music so
to improve. So I believed that at much, then it seems so much
the end of this tour it would then it seems so more like a happy piece. Also,
make me a different person. much more like a you know, I chose to play the
Rossiniana just because of these
In last night’s concert you played happy piece.” piano Variations I played after
Tansman’s Variations on a (Tansman’s Variations on a
Theme of Scriabin. Where did the theme come Theme by Scriabin) and the music I played before
from? (Maw’s Music of Memory). I thought, OK, in the
It’s from a piano prelude. It’s very beautiful. I first part I play music by Ponce and Nicholas
think that this piece shows what kind of a com- Maw, which is very nice high quality music - and
poser Tansman was. It’s very simple, and there’s very special. To open the second half with the
not even one variation which is a kind of show- Rossiana, very light and not sophisticated music,
piece. It’s very personal. would not be very bad. And then again, to end
with the Scriabin Variations and Junto al
When I first went to Poland, over 20 years ago, Generalife - that was my idea.
Tansman seemed to be thought of as a French
composer, perhaps because he lived in Paris. Some people want the highest level all the way
Although he remains international, it’s good that though, and feel strongly about it.
he is now re-established in his own country. I appreciate that very much, but still I believe
He should! Guitarists in Poland used to call him that it’s not so bad to play the Rossiniana. You
the Chopin of the guitar. Chopin was also living just have to understand the reason why Giuliani
in France and missing his country so much, and wrote the Rossiniana, and just enjoy it as it is.
Tansman used to say the same. It makes us For me, this was the second performance. I
happy to think of him like this. played it for the first time last Sunday, so it’s very
new. I think I will keep it in my programme for a
I”ve never heard his Scriabin Variations in a con- while. I think it makes a nice, refreshing start to
cert before, although I know there are various the second part of the concert.
recordings.
It’s not often played. It’s not a showpiece, it does- The other point was that Giuliani did write a lot of
n’t have a happy ending. Also, it’s very difficult good, serious music, and hardly anyone plays it.
for the left hand; there are many chords that are We keep hearing the same few pieces again and
very hard to play. Segovia never played this piece. again - the Grand Overture, Variations on the
Harmonious Blacksmith. David Starobin made time, even when the variations go far away from
that point when we were talking last night. He felt the theme. Because he repeats the theme, he still
that the Rossiniana did not match the standard of has his own mind in the memory. And to choose
the rest of the programme. music from Mendelssohn - he’s taking music
Maybe that’s why he was so strong with his opin- from the memory.
ion last night. He wanted to hear another piece as I really like this way of composing. Because
good as the others. that’s who we are, in the 21st century. We use
many modern themes, we live in a modern world,
At first I felt a bit disappointed that you weren’t but then we also enjoy the beauty of the past.
going to play the Sonata Giocosa.
You don’t like it so much? Modern technology has brought us a wide knowl-
edge of the past. We have heard far more music
I love it. But Junto al Generalife was wonderful than composers ever did before. Sometimes I won-
too, and not so familiar. Another pleasant surprise. der how modern composers manage to find their
I’m still looking for a piece at the end. Somehow I own way forward, they have so many other influ-
would like to have some Spanish music. I will ences.
keep some in my programme. Something very You know, I feel I would like to compose some-
nice to end the concert. thing, to produce some music. The main problem
For sure I would like to keep the Tansman is, you don’t know which way to go, what lan-
Variations. To play this piece, you must have two guage you should choose.
different pieces around it, other-
wise it would see too slow and Would you agree that Maw’s
too sentimental for concerts. “Several times, piece has overcome those partic-
It’s always hard to decide what after I’ve played ular problems?
to play - what would you like? Several times, after I’ve played
What fits your programme? Music of Memory, Music of Memory, people have
What would be nice for the audi- people have come come up to me and said, ‘I’m not
ence? It’s not easy. a musician, I’m a hairdresser’ - or
up to me and whatever - ‘but this music makes
Can we talk about Nicholas said, ‘I’m not a me cry’. It means that even if you
Maw’s piece, Music of Memory? are using a modern language for
Nineteen minutes - even longer in musician, I’m a your music, if it’s done right, peo-
some hands - but full of interest hairdresser’ - or ple enjoy it, whether they came
for me from start to finish. How for the music or just because
did you approach what has been whatever - they saw the poster. That’s proba-
called ‘a loose sequence of “med- ‘but this music bly very important. I became con-
itations” based on a theme from vinced that an audience of non-
Mendelssohn’s A minor String makes me cry’.” musicians can recognise it as a
Quartet (Opus 13)’? great piece. They can feel the dra-
It was very, very hard to learn this piece. I spent matic shape of the piece, they can feel the rich emo-
about two months, just to memorise it. It’s com- tions, and they enjoy it.
plicated and sophisticated music. Nothing
repeated, always a new idea. It was hard to learn Have you got your eye on other pieces of music?
it, but because it’s such great music, you know, What else are you going to add to your repertoire?
it’s not a problem to keep the tension in the piece. Oh yes! I’ve played Nocturnal, by Britten. It’s such
The clear shape of the piece somehow made it a great piece, and it’s on my list. So are Nuccio
easy for me to keep the tension. d’Angelo’s Due canzone lidie. Do you know the
From the very beginning, when I began to play Greek Duo Melis?They play a lot of French
the piece, people liked it; they say, ‘You know, it Baroque music. It’s so good on the guitar, and
was really something, I couldn’t have liked it for now I feel like I would like to do some transcrip-
only five minutes, it’s really rich music.’ tions myself. It’s great music and not so well
To be honest, after one month working at this known. Even in chamber music, many pieces are
piece, I almost gave up. I was in the middle of it, not played.
and I said ‘You have to learn it’. At that time I My feeling about what should be played, and
couldn’t realise how it worked, what the music is. then this wish to compose something, are both
If you don’t have the imagination of the whole very strong. If you have a strong imagination of
piece, you don’t really know how it works. I what kind of music it should be, the best solution
thought it was too difficult, and actually it was is to do it yourself. But I know that it costs a lot
not so great - I thought at the time! But I did it, of time and a lot of energy to so something very
and then I realised how good the piece is. well, but for sure I will try.
I really loved the idea of the theme coming sev-
eral times in the piece. I think he wants to keep Tell me about this guitar. It’s by Boguslaw Teryks,
the theme in the memory of the audience all the I believe.
This guitar is quite new. For three or four years If you are a teenager, or 20-something, to do a
I’ve been playing his guitars, but he’s making competition is just the very beginning. So it
such great progress. Each time I hear a new gui- shouldn’t be like this, the speculation and feeling
tar from Boguslaw I always beg him to give it to bad if you don’t win. I remember some Germans
me. Each one is better. I also like him as person, asking me what was the competition that opened
he is my very good friend. A pleasant, hard-work- the doors to a great career. I said there wasn’t
ing person. Right now he has this new idea, to really a competition like this. And they said, ‘Oh,
make a sandwich top out of spruce and cedar. that’s really a pity.’ I said, ‘No, it’s great. It’s
The spruce is on the top. At first I thought it was great, because it shouldn’t be like this. To be a
kind of crazy, but now I can hear both woods in musician is a long, long process. It shouldn’t be
the sound: the quality of the spruce, and at the like one day winning a competition and becom-
same time the power of the cedar. ing famous, great. Because it would be fake,
unreal.’
Everyone I spoke to loved it. But look who was I’m always saying to my young students, take
playing it! It wouldn’t sound like that if I played it. part in as many competitions as you can, then
Now, tell me about the GFA Convention in San you see what progress you are making, because
Francisco, where you were one of the judges. What of this motivation, the date you have to prepare
is your general impression of competition? for.
It was very exciting, and important. It was fine for When I was very young, someone said ‘There
me, because I’ve taken part in so many competi- are no losers in this competition, everyone is a
tions. And now they often ask me to judge. It winner.’ I said to myself, ‘Stupid! There’s just one
gives you a really different view on just what a winner.’ But now - now I realise that it was true.
competition is. Of course there were times when I Because what we win is the experience, the
was disappointed with what I did, but it never progress, the development. That’s what you win
took longer than two or three days. People, you in a competition.
know, they speculated: should I go there or And then, you know, I play a concert like last
should I go there, or because I won this one night. What does it mean that I won so many
should I go to that one? The problem is that they prizes? Nothing! People expect to enjoy the music,
don’t realise that to be an artist, to be a musician, so the prize I won means absolutely nothing. Of
is a very long process. Your whole life. The pur- course, maybe because of this prize I am able to
pose is to get better and better. play!
MARCIN IN CONCERT AT
WAWEL ROYAL CASTLE
DYLLA IN POLAND
This stunning DVD, especially imported from Poland, was
filmed in August 2008 in the Stefan Batory Courtyard of
the Royal Wawel Castle. The concert was part of the new
annual chamber music festival 'Wawel Royal Castle at
Dusk'. Dylla is a virtuoso guitarist whose musicianship is
much admired all over the world. THis concert, one of the
finest guitar performances currently available on DVD,
includes;
Manuel Maria Ponce (1882-1948) - Sonata Romantica.
Hommage a Franz Schubert
1. Allegro non troppo, semplice 7'27"
2. Andante espressivo 4'26"
3. Moment musical: vivo 3'04"
4. Allegro non troppo e serioso 5'55"
Nicholas Maw (1935) - Music of Memory 18'03"
Mauro Giuliani (1781-1829) 6. Rossiniana No. 1 Op. 119
14'24"
Joaquin Rodrigo (1902-1999) - Junto al Generalife 4'36"
Total time: 57'55" Sound: LPCM 24 bit, 48 kHz, stereo
Picture: widescreen PAL 16:9
Available now at RRP 15.99 Plus 10% post & packing UK – Plus 15% post & packing EC & Rest of the World
ASHLEY MARK PUBLISHING COMPANY
1 & 2 Vance Court, Trans Britannia Enterprise Park, Blaydon on Tyne NE21 5NH, United Kingdom.
TEL: +44 (0) 191 414 9000 FAX: +44 (0) 191 414 9001 e-mail: mail@ashleymark.co.uk Web: www.FretsOnly.com

CARLOS MARTINEZ
By SEBASTIÁN DOMÍNGUEZ
Carlos Martínez.
BY THE end of the 1980s and in our show De In his comprehensive collection of Yupanqui’s
Segovia a Yupanqui, on Radio Nacional, we were instrumental work, published by Acqua Records,
already able to assert that the young guitarist Martínez manages to maintain his own distinct
Carlos Martínez was Atahualpa Yupanqui’s finest style while capturing the musical essence of a
interpreter. The Yupanqui spirit was present in performer and composer of a lifetime. Narciso
all his performances, and it was surprising to Yepes once said that if a Yupanqui school could
find that such a young player – just 17 years old be established, we would all try to play in that
at the time – could possess this musical ability. peculiar and profound manner. Carlos Martínez,
Martínez recently validated this artistic skill with who is considered by critics and colleagues to be
the release of six CDs commemorating the 100th one of the most talented musicians of recent
anniversary of the great Argentinean poet and times, now offers his reflections on the quality of
composer. This tribute is presented in two box- these historical recordings.
sets and features compositions by Yupanqui him-
self as well as works by other composers. Sebastián Domínguez: Taking into account that
Yupanqui’s music displays characteristic Yupanqui never committed his music to manu-
rhythms from across Argentina, and in each we script, how did you come to play his music in the
encounter the musical value of vidalas, bagualas; first place?
the peculiar zambas, gatos, chacareras and the
brilliant beats of the huella or the malambo that Carlos Martínez: I started to study the guitar
identify the Argentinean Pampas. Aside from with Luis Gómez when I was 13 years old. At 15,
Yupanqui’s obvious compositional merit, he has He introduced me to the instrumental pieces of
also transformed pieces by Andrés Chazarreta, Yupanqui. Since then I was deeply involved with
Pablo del Cerro, Carlos López Buchardo, Julián that music and the magic it made me feel. My
Aguirre and the Díaz brothers, among others, teacher gave me his own transcriptions of the
into classics of the popular repertoire. These pieces because the Argentinean publishing houses
works can be found on the second set of discs. did not publish music for guitar.

So, when did you start making your own arrange-
ments?
Once I had my own recording material. The only
material I had to up until then was some arrange-
ments by Japanese guitarist Sonko Mayu and by
the Argentinean maestro Pablo Anapios. Others
had published Yupanqui’s music but it was only
for piano. I had to be patient, listen to the record-
ings and write down every note he played. So the
arrangements were obtained by ear.
How would you define his guitar compositions?

Harmonically, the pieces are very simple but this
is not to say that they lack a certain depth.
Yupanqui is one of the few popular artists who
studied an entire catalogue of guitar styles
belonging to an individual country; from the
Pampas in the Buenos Aires province and
Northern Argentina to Santiago del Estero,
Tucumán and Jujuy. He had a complete knowl- Sebastián Domínguez and Carlos Martínez.
edge of the various techniques that amateur
musicians from those regions would use in order That’s absolutely correct. Between 2006 and
to create music that would, say, evoke different 2007 I recorded four CDs dedicated to Eduardo
frames of mind or popular Argentinean legends. Falú and Abel Fleury. They had a big impact
Yupanqui made this vast volume of popular cul- upon their release and Acqua Records were taken
ture immortal through all of his works. by surprise. The fact that the first editions sold so
very quickly was a big encouragement. It con-
Which other elements of Yupanqui’s music affect firmed that I had chosen the right path, even
you? though I knew these composers aren’t particular-
His sound, that very peculiar vibrato and his ly fashionable. Consequently, those who are in
famous glissandos. These characteristics, so typ- charge of the publishing house have considerably
ical of string instruments, are sparingly used broadened their attitude by committing them-
nowadays, and there are few musicians who selves to the complete instrumental works of
maintain this attribute. Everything is played fast, Yupanqui. This too has been a great success, and
very fast, and there is no holding back which can it was very exciting to learn that the CDs are
make the piece sound considerably better. among the best sellers at Zival’s music stores.
Sometimes I think that musicians play so fast
that they are, in fact, getting nowhere… You have an extensive classical repertoire, per-
formed with the Chamber Orchestra of the
That reminds me of the time when a flamenco gui- National Congress and released several CDs
tarist visited Yupanqui in Paris. He played so fast including complete works by composers such as
that when he finished, Yupanqui said: “Young Abel Fleury, Eduardo Falú and Yupanqui. How
man, you play so fast that you suffocate the notes, have you managed to become such a versatile per-
if the music does not breath it dies. Just like former?
you…” All I try to do is keep to a daily study routine. You
Yes. A lot depends on the clarity and organisation cannot achieve anything without sacrifice. Talent
of the mind when one plays an instrument. I hear is not enough, and this we have heard time-and-
many popular guitarists who seem to forget this, time-again from the great masters of the guitar. It
so they end up distorting the real message. The is an enormous responsibility and personal com-
same happens with many young students from mitment to be an artist. Yupanqui wisely defines
classical music schools. this concept in his poem Destino del Canto:
‘Fuiste elegido para tu sacrificio, no para tu
I was surprised to learn that you used an old gui- vanidad’ – ‘You were chosen to make sacrifices,
tar from 1939 to undertake the enormous chal- not to be vain’.
lenge of recording over 100 pieces…
Yes, it was a Breyer guitar, I discovered it a few You made a big impact on the French public with
days before I started recording. It didn’t have a all-Argentinean repertoire for your performances
big volume but I was impressed with the sound, there in 2001. Do you think that you will be so well
so typical of the recordings of the old masters received in other countries today?
such as Yupanqui and Segovia.
Definitely. The pieces I perform cause excitement
It is quite unusual for a local recording company to because of the quality of their composition; and
support such a meaningful proposal… quality is recognized all over the world. They are
widely known in Spain, France, Germany, Belgium,
Poland, Russia and Japan among other places.
Which other composers are you most interested in

performing works by?
Everyday I become friends with Bach,
Scarlatti, Father Soler, Bacarissee, Barrios,
Tárrega, Sor and Aguado. They are always
with me. I rediscover them every day with
admiration and respect. They are musical
sources that nourish my soul and make this
modern life, so full of frivolity and unpleasant
news, much richer.
I wholeheartedly share that notion. Our beloved
instrument is so generous that it becomes a
haven for our inner-selves, a haven for Carlos
Martínez and for his privileged listeners.
Recordings:
-Estilo Pampeano / Arraigo – Arte y Cultura Criolla.
-Agua Escondida / Atahualpa Yupanqui / Sello
Independiente.
-Carlos Martínez Interpreta a Abel Fleury / Volumen I
y II / Acqua Records
-Carlos Martínez Interpreta a Eduardo Falú / Volumen
I y II / Acqua Records.
-Atahualpa Yupanqui / Obra Completa para Guitarra
/ Composiciones propias / Acqua Records.
-Atahualpa Yupanqui / Obra Completa para Guitarra
/ Versiones / Acqua Records.
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AALBORG INTERNATIONAL
GUITAR FESTIVAL
11-16 November 2008
PHOTOS: PAUL FOWLES

Finn Svit, Vladislav Blaha, Marek Dlugosz and Bernard Hebb.
IT’S NOT every day that a CG reporter becomes mix, the agenda was composition-based with
the subject of an SAS rescue. I refer to that fine Chick Corea making a cameo appearance amid
body of Nordic aviators whose full title is the the various original offerings.
Scandinavian Airlines System. For it was the Thus concluded a terrific opening move that
regular SAS service from Manchester to was warmly received by a near-capacity crowd.
Copenhagen, with frequent connections to Could this turnout have had anything to do
Aalborg, that saved my bacon after Denmark’s with the fact that Rehling has recently starred
low-budget Sterling airline flogged off its fleet of in a national TV commercial for a Danish bank?
patched-up Dakotas and duly filed for bank- Say what you like about the goggle-box, there
ruptcy. are times when its clodhopping influence actu-
There was a further silver lining insofar as the ally works in favour of live music.
SAS flight safely deposited me at Aalborg’s The père et fils team of Erling Moldrup (guitar)
small but pristine air terminal in ample time to and Toke Moldrup (cello) is a familiar sighting
witness the inaugural concert by Tine Rehling on the Scandinavian circuit, although their
(harp) and Mikkel Nordso (guitar). Past listings Wednesday evening performance was a first live
established that this was the same Mikkel encounter for me. Amid established fare,
Nordso who, fronting his all-electric band, had including the evergreen Bachianas Brasileras
delivered the crowning glory of the rock pro- No.5 by Villa-Lobos, their programme revived
gramme at Aalborg in 2005 (CG June 2006). such worthy obscurities as Soffren Degen
Despite the presence of a small PA system, (1816-85). Also present was a cello and guitar
Nordso’s performance in the company of the version of Libra (1973) by national big hitter Per
hugely talented Rehling, amid the monastic Norgard (b.1932). This is a specialist area for
surroundings of the Aalborg Kloster, was an the elder Moldrup, whose most recent CD is
essentially unplugged affair. But in stark con- devoted exclusively to Norgard’s guitar works.
trast with the lyrical and even folksy connota- It’s easily forgotten that Nikita Koshkin’s once
tions that the harp/guitar combination might ubiquitous Usher Waltz was originally written
suggest, what we witnessed tonight was a full- for Vladislav Blaha, a senior figure on the East
on dose of 70s-style acoustic jazz-rock served European guitar scene and driving force behind
up by two world-class practitioners. Although the Brno Festival. Blaha’s arrival at the Kloster
long improvisations were naturally part of the yielded a rare opportunity to witness the work

THE 18TH INTERNATIONAL CLASSICAL GUITAR FESTIVAL AND SUMMER SCHOOL
15 – 21 AUGUST 2009 Director: John Mills
Los Angeles Guitar Quartet Leo Brouwer
Graham Devine Duo Montes-Kircher

Widely recognized as one of the world’s greatest events of its type, the 2009 International Classical Guitar Festival and
Summer School features the following exciting line-up of names:
Celebrity Recitals by: Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, Graham Devine and Duo Montes-Kircher.
Three Public Masterclasses by: Leo Brouwer.
Tutors: John Mills, Gerald Garcia, Andrew Gough, Paul Gregory and Fiona Harrison.
Open Day exhibition by guitar makers and specialist guitar shops.
This year’s International Classical Guitar Festival and Summer School offers:
Ensembles — Individual lessons
Study sessions and workshops in ‘The Learning Zone’
Masterclasses — Celebrity recitals — Guitar ‘Open Day’
Informal performance opportunities for course participants
THE PROGRAMME is aimed at all levels including a beginners’ course.
West Dean College is set in a fine historic house on the South Downs, sur-
rounded by tranquil landscaped gardens and parkland. The College is well-
known for the quality of its teaching and facilities, its friendly, informal atmos-
phere and its comfortable accommodation and good food.
For further information and an

application form please contact:
THE COLLEGE OFFICE W EST DEAN COLLEGE

W EST DEAN, CHICHESTER W EST SUSSEX
P O18 0QZ
T: 01243 811301 F: 01243 811343
(9 am to 5 pm, 7 days a week)
E-mail: short.courses@westdean.org.uk

Gibson spotter probably, wasn’t. The combina-
tion of piano and straight classical guitar,
although not without its merits, will always be
one of limited scope. But the pairing of Wolters
and Bergmann established beyond all doubt
that the format has much to offer in a contem-
porary jazz context, their inspired account of
Bluesette by Jean ‘Toots’ Thielemans being one
of several items that charmed an appreciative
audience of local commuters.
In accordance with established Aalborg prac-
tice, the didactic part of the festival didn’t kick
off until the Friday evening. The sudden influx
of aspiring guitarists, some of whom had yet to
Bernard Hebb and Carlo Marchione. leave primary school, meant standing room
only at the Kloster for the triumphant return of
performed by its dedicatee. Also on the agenda
Carlo Marchione. To describe Marchione as a
were the shimmering textures of the Sibelius-
class act is a major understatement; his lyrical
inspired Elegy by Stepan Rak, a currently
yet dynamic account of Ponce’s sumptuous
neglected work by a composer who has become
Sonata III being one of the finest you’ll experi-
undeservedly unfashionable.
ence anywhere. Marchione can also be relied
Observing the proceedings was Amsterdam
upon to come up with stylish transcriptions of
luthier Jeroen Hilhorst, whose instruments
baroque and classical works nobody else has
Blaha currently champions. Noteworthy from
heard of. Tonight we witnessed a keyboard
Hilhorst’s latest crop was a newly finished pro-
sonata by Pietro Domenico Pradisi (Paradies)
totype with an ebony neck and weighing what
(1707-1791) and a violin partita by J.J.
felt like the equivalent of two Smallman guitars.
Vilmayr, about whom I can reveal no further
A road test in the hands of Blaha revealed an
details because he (or possibly she) doesn’t
outstanding bass and mid-range, although the
make the cut for Grove and even drew a blank
top end didn’t quite have the same clout.
on Google. But in the hands of Marchione, these
Hilhorst was encouraged by the results, and
forgotten relics were born anew and offered a
was in no doubt that the lessons learned could
pleasing diversion from more familiar fare.
be effectively applied as the concept evolves.
By the following morning, it was all hands on
Sharing the programme with Blaha was Polish
deck at Skipper Clement School, where Blaha,
guitarist Marek Dlugosz, who I first met when
Moldrup, Dlugosz and Marchione were con-
he used to drop in on the Manchester Guitar
ducting individual and class sessions at various
Circle as a shy teenage student. Interestingly,
corners of the building. Also on the teaching
the now thirtysomething Dlugosz appears to
roster were festival director Finn Svit and his
have benefited considerably from performing on
long-standing duo partner Bernard Hebb, who
cruise liners, an activity traditionally associat-
this year replaced the long-serving Per
ed with classical musicians whose careers
Christiansen on the festival committee.
either have yet to take off or are past their sell-
Elsewhere, specialist pedagogue Soren Bodker
by date. Mixing a medley of Tarrega Mazurkas
Madsen was drilling the junior ensemble in an
with his own flamboyant quasi-flamenco cre-
arrangement of Hall of the Mountain Kings,
ations, Dlugosz has matured into one of those
while senior bluesman Uffe Steen was honing
rare players who can successfully ‘work the
the improvisational skills of a keen body of ado-
room’ from a sedentary position. After hours, he
lescent rockers. The fruits of their labours
offered me a sneak preview of a dazzling new
Latin-based work by his compatriot Marek
Pasieczny. There can be little doubt that both
Mareks are names worth watching.
German fingerpicker Burkhard Wolters, who I
first saw in action at the Vallendar Gitarrentage
(CG July 2008), made what I believe was his
Aalborg debut with an early evening perfor-
mance at the Klavierstemmeren piano show-
room in the company of Sven Bergmann, a
young classically-trained pianist who has now
turned his attentions to jazz. Although the
Vallendar set was strictly acoustic, Wolters
spent most of the present innings brandishing
a splendid f-hole Gibson that looked like an
ES175, but, with my lousy batting average as a Erling Moldrup and Toke Moldrup.

would form the core of the participants’ concert just major BWV 825, colloquially known as Keyboard
one day later. Partita No.1.
In the meantime, a short stroll to the town library Returning to Skipper Clement, an alluring aroma
was amply rewarded with a lunchtime performance from the dining room indicated that David Svit, son
by Tim McVeigh-Pedersen, whose contributions to of Finn and the festival’s resident star chef, would
previous festivals had earned him the title Danish soon be serving a wholesome repast in preparation
Talent of the Year. Welcomed on stage by a massive for an informal evening featuring Leandro Riva
pair of trousers in which was concealed a woman from Argentina, who was also rejoicing in the title
librarian, McVeigh-Pedersen ticked all the right International Talent of the Year. A studious and
boxes by presenting two of PF’s favourite guitar unassuming 26-year-old, Riva is a textbook exam-
sonatas, namely those of Brouwer and Turina. ple of a serious artist whose personality is revealed
Mature and well-rounded accounts they most cer- through his music. Particularly memorable was his
tainly were, the inevitable background noise from dashing account of the Barrios Maxixe, although
people using the library for its primary purpose Riva had me seriously spooked when he
causing only a handful of minor distractions. But announced that the closing item was to be a tango.
can we please have a microphone next time? Mercifully, it turned out to be a harmless tradition-
A slightly longer trek to the Nordjylands al piece of the pre-Piazzolla type, so all was well.
Kunstmuseum found us in the company of Carsten As tends to be the case, the closing participants’
Linck from Germany and Aalborg native Carsten concert was a mixed agenda from which several
Grondahl, presenting a programme bearing the unexpected highlights emerged. Mathias Hoier,
title 22 Strings. So no prizes for guessing that they who I’d seen in classes but hadn’t heard in action,
were performing on a pair of those 11-string alto turned in a highly promising Elogio de la Danza,
guitars, built by the late Georg Bolin and primarily while a trio of very young players presented of won-
associated with Göran Söllscher, who I’m told derfully secure account of the haunting
might just be visiting Aalborg in 2009. Although Septembervise, composed by a clearly delighted
I’ve never been a great fan of oddball guitars with Soren Madsen.
battalions of extra strings one cannot possibly Given that Madsen’s protégés represent the gener-
damp, the Bolin alto guitar, with its specific renais- ation that’ll be providing the music when we’re all
sance/baroque mandate, remains a rare and being pushed to the concert hall in our bath chairs, I
notable exception. Most impressive of all was can’t think of a more positive note on which to end...
Linck’s transcription of Bach’s Partita in B flat Paul Fowles
LUKAS FOSS
1922-2009
THE German-born American composer Lukas
Foss, who died in February 2009 at the age of 86,
will be remembered by guitarists for his American
Landscapes for guitar and orchestra (1989),
which was premiered by Sharon Isbin and
recorded, together with other new concertos by
John Corigliano and Joseph Schwantner, by Isbin
with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra conduct-
ed by Hugh Wolff.
Other publications will no doubt cover exten-
sively Foss’s widely varied output, which includ-
ed a piano concerto (in which he himself was the
able soloist), symphonies, choral works, opera folk melodies. There is humour too: while the gui-
and much more, all in so wide a variety of styles tar improvises, the orchestra interrupts with
- he was a natural experimenter, innovator and America the Beautiful, in G major, while violin,
improviser - that critics found it difficult to pin piano and guitar continue to the end in E major.
him down. It is a pity that this fresh and original work is
The style in which American Landscapes is writ- not more widely known, or at least performed
ten is not a bad one to be remembered by. once in a while. To those of us who appreciate
Fragments of old American song, warmly melod- wit and humour, in music as in life generally,
ic, are interspersed with spiky modern interjec- American Landscapes serves as a testimonial
tions. The second movement is a set of variations both to the personality of its composer and to
on the white spiritual Wayfaring Stranger. The the spirit of modern America at its best.
finale has elements of bluegrass as well as the Colin Cooper

20TH WIRRAL INTERNATIONAL
GUITAR FESTIVAL
4-28 November 2008
PHOTOS: PAUL FOWLES

Tivoli Trio.
WHETHER it’s a one-off concert or a full-on inter- risen through the ranks to become a pillar of the
national festival, location is of paramount impor- management structure, a reassuring presence
tance. In this respect, sun-drenched antipodean when director Rob Smith is called to far-flung
events such as Darwin naturally find themselves corners of his ever expanding empire at Wirral
in pole position. Even relatively modest European Leisure Services.
gatherings like the Vallendar Gitarrentage can The core membership of the Liverpool Mozart
woo prospective visitors with panoramic views of Orchestra (LMO) is a regular sighting at Pacific
the Rhineland. But a Merseyside festival that Road, their November programmes usually pro-
takes place in darkest November is surely going viding a tie-in with the guitar festival. This year,
to finish up as last among unequals, isn’t it? they offered the Villa-Lobos concerto with Mark
Actually no, for many’s the time during the Ashford as soloist. With its bold opening figure
British summer’s brief but brutal heat waves and seductive central theme, the first movement
when I’ve caught myself murmuring the mantra is in itself a triumphant coda to Villa-Lobos’ gui-
‘roll on the Wirral’. Travelling to Birkenhead amid tar writing. Add to this the dazzling cadenza and
torrential rain and gale force winds undoubtedly rousing finale, and you have a textbook example
harbours many a mortal danger, but at least of a compelling creation whose rare outings indi-
drowning in your own perspiration isn’t one of cate that it has fallen victim to Aranjuez
them. Syndrome. I say this with no disrespect to
A cheery wave from a shadowy figure outside Rodrigo’s most celebrated work, but the box office
the Pacific Road Arts Centre confirms my suspi- certainty of the Aranjuez has inevitably caused
cion that the spectral outline is my old friend promoters to shy-away from risking almost any
Dave Tracey, who assures me he’ll put the kettle other guitar concerto, except possibly the low-
on as soon as he’s finished his cigarette. A sense maintenance D major Vivaldi. So all credit to the
of homecoming warms the heart, and even the LMO under the baton of Mark Heron for fielding
hands and feet start to thaw after a few minutes this under-exposed gem, and equal credit to
near the radiator in the staff kitchen. Dave, I Ashford who, not for the first time on these
should explain, has been working on the festival premises, emerged as a front man of the highest
for as long as anyone can remember and has order.

After Ashford had returned to the platform for a
dashing and unscheduled account of the first
Villa-Lobos prelude, the evening ended with
Symphony in D by Juan Crisósmo Arriaga (1806-
26). Despite being produced at a time when the
approaching shadow of Romanticism loomed
large, this uplifting work fully justifies the
labelling of Arriaga as the ‘Spanish Mozart’. And
yes, the unfortunate chap did indeed turn up his
toes just ten days before completing his twentieth
year, although in his tragically short life he
appears to have produced an astonishing legacy
of two operas, three string quartets, two sacred
works, two overtures, various smaller items and
the isolated symphony presented tonight.
The Williamson Art Gallery and Museum has for
many years been one of my favourite Wirral
venues, not only for musical reasons. Its now
sadly defunct motoring memorabilia section once
played host to a magnificent Sunbeam Talbot 90,
the current whereabouts of which I’d be very
curious to know. This year’s special presentation
was a striking and provocative exhibition of
paintings by celebrity zoologist Desmond Morris.
But the true reason for my presence here on a
damp Sunday afternoon was the lecture by
Graham Wade, followed by a recital from Wirral
regular Neil Smith, standing-in for the absent John Etheridge.
Stanley Yates. tion from the floor about Bream’s compositions.
Wade’s eloquent appraisals of Julian Bream’s Festival founder Brendan McCormack, who hap-
career have already been widely covered in the pened to be filming the day’s proceedings, was in
pages of CG, but this particular manifestation no doubt that he had witnessed Bream perform-
yielded an intriguing revelation following a ques- ing an original work on television during the 60s
and could even provide a thumbnail description
of the piece he heard. Does this footage survive?
A seasoned pro who can always fill in at a
moment’s notice, Smith charmed the small but
appreciative audience with a mainly Hispanic
agenda, together with such engaging rarities as
Three Moods from the Song of Solomon by Pieter
van der Staak. The real surprise, however, was a
semi-improvised take on the evergreen Danza
Brasilera by Jorge Morel. A backstage conversa-
tion established that the source was a broadcast
performance by the composer that is now pre-
served on a reel-to-reel tape, apparently predat-
ing by several years the definitive studio version
on the Guitar Masters LP from 1981.
An overlap of dates with the Aalborg Festival
(reported elsewhere in CG) meant I couldn’t be
around for the Wirral performances by Martin
Taylor, Gordon Giltrap and several other major
attractions. But I was back at Pacific Road for the
return of senior jazzman John Etheridge in the
company of double bass legend Arild Anderson
and ex-Soft Machine drummer John Marshall.
This time, I was greeted at the door by premier
league Merseyside sound engineer Tim Tapling,
who has been employed by the festival through-
out its history.
Etheridge may be best known to CG readers for
Neil Smith. his crossover collaborations with John Williams,

but his roots lie firmly in the revered tradition of
British jazz-rock. So it was a privilege to witness
him arrive on stage brandishing a solid-bodied
electric to present a stunning set from his spiri-
tual home ground, with Anderson’s ethereal com-
position A Song I Used To Play emerging as the
highlight of the evening. Some musicians are gen-
uinely bilingual and can drift chameleon-like
from one genre to the next. Others excel in their
foremost discipline but are decidedly under-
whelming in any other field. This has always been
the case with John Williams, and the world-class
brilliance of tonight’s offering established that the
same can be said of John Etheridge.
Come feast or famine, crisis or credit crunch,
there’ll always be a full house when Brendan
McCormack plays at the festival. This may in
part be the public paying homage to the man
under whose stewardship the event prospered
in its formative years, but a more likely expla-
nation is that Brendan is a superb all-round
guitarist and a natural entertainer. Performing
in the company of brothers John Byrne (violin)
and Nick Byrne (cello), the genial Liverpudlian Graham Wade.
delivered his customary quota of inspired
arrangements and related anecdotes. Starting Finally, a sincere tribute to my late father’s
with Every Breath You Take and moving seam- ancient but utterly dependable Toyota, which I
lessly into the vintage Del Shannon hit inherited last year and whose slender girth is just
Runaway, the ensemble collectively known as the job for those notoriously narrow lanes in the
the Tivoli Trio brought forth a brilliant yet lis- Mersey Tunnel...
tener -friendly array of Schubert and Paul Fowles
Boccherini, freely interspersed with Stairway to
Heaven and the Dambusters’ March. Unlikely
though it may sound, every item hit the target
dead centre, with no exceptions.
In recent years, the final Sunday evening slot
has been held in reserve for those ebullient South
African ethno-jazzers the Lucky Ranku Band. A
deft hand at quickfire runs and Montgomery
octaves, Ranku also displays a sense of spon-
taneity that is second to none. As Tim Tapling
remarked just two days before the performance:
‘It’s anybody’s guess who Lucky brings with him
- for all I know, I could finish up doing the sound
for an army of drummers and a five-piece brass
section’.
In the event, Ranku fielded a relatively compact
line-up comprising keyboards, electric bass,
drums and congas. Also present was a charis-
matic female guest singer, whose dramatic entry
was almost scuppered by the failure of a radio
mic. Fortunately, the voice channel used for
announcements was already up and running, so
all was not lost. But it certainly raised a smile
when a member of Ranku’s road crew, having
fixed the recalcitrant piece of kit, climbed on
stage and handed it to the good lady mid-num-
ber. I might also add that those intoxicating Afro
rhythms make Ranku gatherings one of the rare
occasions on which I lament the fact that I can’t
dance. But please don’t turn up at Pacific Road
with your camera, because it isn’t going to hap-
pen.
THE IVOR MAIRANTS
GUITAR AWARD 2008
NOW in its eleventh year, the Ivor Mairants Guitar wire. Stewart French (RAM) impressed everyone
Award, administered by the Worshipful Company with his professional poise and technical assur-
of Musicians, has emerged as the United ance in, perhaps, the most challenging pro-
Kingdom’s most enduring competition for the gramme, having elected to play the Miranda and
instrument. Its unique format, reflecting the life- Walton pieces. For the latter he had done some
long interests of its eponymous founder, encour- very interesting research on the original score and
ages performers at the outset of their careers to presented a version, which differed in several
explore the connections between classical and jazz areas from the printed edition, but carried convic-
styles and, thereby, grow as musicians. Since its tion. If his Miranda did not quite set the spirit rac-
inception it has attracted entrants from every con- ing as the composer intended, there was neverthe-
tinent and a number of its less a firm grasp of the musi-
winners have progressed to cal structure in this perfor-
recognition on the interna- mance, which augured well.
tional stage, and, in a few Unlike some of their younger
cases, major recording con- competitors, Stewart French
tracts. and Sanja Plohl, who was
As in previous years, each last in the line-up, found a
contestant is required to per- natural, unforced tempo for
form three items: a pre- the Mairants, allowing the
scribed movement from one music to make its point with
of Ivor Mairants’ Jazz rhythmic ease and appropri-
Sonatas, a piece of their own ate expression.
choice composed after 1920, Trained at the Royal
and a set work. The latter Conservatoire in The Hague
category usually, but not and more recently at the
necessarily, features a repre- Salzburg Mozarteum, where
sentative opus by a leading she is a student of Eliot Fisk,
British composer. This time Sanja Plohl brought to her
it was the turn of William performance a spontaneous
Sanja Plohl.
Walton and Richard Rodney identification with every
Bennett, both musical knights and past recipients phrase and sonority, which compelled the listen-
of WCOM honours. Their respective Bagatelles er’s attention and opened up the imaginative
and Impromptus have become well established in world beyond the text. Her Walton sparkled in the
the guitar’s concert repertoire; less familiar is outer movements and sang in the slow one, while
Appassionata, an extended, single-movement her sense of poetic involvement with the
work by the Brazilian Ronaldo Miranda which has Bogdanovic made light of its length and intrica-
inspired increasing advocacy in recent times. It is cies. There was a feeling of genuine improvisation
gratifying, therefore, to report that there was an here of which, the jury was sure, Ivor Mairants
approximately even balance in the selection by would have approved and deservedly earned Sanja
this year’s competitors from these three very dif- Plohl the first prize.
ferent compositions. The 2008 competition was held on 27 November
Given such a spread of age among the players, at the Coopers’ Hall in the City of London. As in
the jury on this occasion was faced with an inter- past years, the organisation was in the expert
esting range of options. If in the end it settled for hands of Margaret Alford, the Company’s Clerk.
experience, the decision was reached only after Current Master Petronella Burnett-Brown and
considerable deliberation. Pastmaster Adrian Davis attended as auditors.
At 19 both Laura Snowden (RCM) and Steven Sponsors included The D’Addario Foundation for
Hickey (RNCM) showed much promise and were the Performing Arts, Classical Guitar Magazine,
commended for their clear tonal projection and Mel Bay Publishing Inc., Onboard Research,
sense of communication. To merit one of the top Manuel Rodriguez Guitars, Chanterelle Verlag,
places, however, a more satisfying depth of inter- and Ediciones Joaquín Rodrigo. The panel of adju-
pretative insight was needed and this Georgina dicators comprised Court Assistant Michael Lewin
Whitehead (TCM), four years their senior, certain- (Chairman), with (in alphabetical order) Graham
ly achieved in the Bennett, which was most sensi- Devine, Richard Hand, Eleftheria Kotzia, Senior
tively phrased; her playing was well organised Warden Maurice Summerfield and John Taylor.
throughout but felt by the jury to lack that final Colin Cooper was, unfortunately, indisposed on
degree of flair to take her beyond third place. the day of the competition but his contribution to
The choice of winner came down to the final the IMGA Committee was warmly appreciated.

CHARLES CAMILLERI
(1931-2009)
CHARLES CAMILLERI, the national composer
of Malta, died on 3 January, 2009. Flags flew at
half-mast throughout the island, the leaders of
Maltese political parties expressed their sense
of loss for this composer of international
renown, and tribute concerts of his works have
been arranged.
Camilleri, a virtuoso accordionist in his
younger years as well as an excellent pianist,
began his musical career in light music. He
started composing at the age of eleven and soon
became immersed in researching and absorbing
the folk music of his country, writing the
orchestral Malta Suite when he was fifteen.
During his early development he lived in
Australia, England and the USA, his style
steadily evolving from diatonic and tonal music
to more dissonantly avant-garde styles. He
studied not only traditional Maltese music but
also Arabic, African and Asiatic cultures, as
well as being influenced by composers such as
Stockhausen and Stravinsky. In particular he
became interested in rhythmic experimentation
which developed concepts of beat and accent
beyond the normal structures of time signa-
tures and barlines. friendship blossomed and the following year, at
In the 1970s he taught in Canada and the the same Summer School, I played his evocative
USA where he met composers such as Cage, Four African Sketches and Three Pieces from
Carter and Feldman. Returning to Malta in Chemins, the latter originally for the piano ‘but
the early 1980s, he became professor at the written with the sound of the guitar in mind’.
University of Malta in 1992. His prolific out- Charles Camilleri was an affable and intense-
put of over three hundred compositions com- ly loveable personality, whose presence would
prises music for the stage, concertos, orches- light up a room. The range of his erudition,
tral, choral, and chamber works and many musically, culturally, and linguistically, was
instrumental pieces for organ, piano, guitar, immense and his experience of the world pro-
etc. foundly cosmopolitan. Yet his national roots
I first met Charles in the 1980s at the inspired and sustained his creative powers, or
Warwickshire Summer School organised annu- as he expressed it, I could not survive without
ally for the county’s music teachers. Having travelling, but I like to know that my home in
reviewed his ambitious but somewhat enigmat- Malta is always here to come back to’ and ‘I owe
ic guitar piece, Fantasia Concertante No. 5 (pre- everything to my country, its people, its language
miered by Alan Torok at the World Guitar and the sea that surrounds the island’.
Congress Toronto in June 1978 and awarded His musical vision was summed up by a quo-
the composition prize in Quest for New Music, tation from The Music of Charles Camilleri
promoted by the Toronto Guitar Society that (Christopher Palmer, Midsea Publications,
year) I mentioned my interest in the work on Malta, 1975): I have all my life been fascinated
our way from breakfast one morning. Charles and haunted by the stars – their apparent disor-
immediately suggested that I should perform ganisation gradually made me realise in later
the item that evening at his lecture. The com- years that in fact this is the very essence of their
poser would accept no evasion of his generous unity. I compare this vision to my music – a uni-
offer and I duly settled down to study the work versal type of rhythm made up of small, appar-
over the next ten hours. ently unconnected, units. Slowly I try to bring out
That night during his talk on compositional their essential unity –the one whole piece. The
concepts, I learned about the ‘atomisation of ultimate goal of these small rhythmic cells is to
the beat’, a topic which clarified various prob- form part of a greater type of rhythm – the uni-
lematical aspects of Fantasia Concertante No. 5. versal rhythm which in its turn forms part of an
After the performance, to a possibly bemused even greater rhythm, the rhythm of the universe.’
audience (for its three movements are dissonant Charles is survived by his wife, Doris, a
to the point of opacity), Charles inscribed my writer, his daughter, Anya, who works in the
copy of the score, ‘with many thanks for a great film industry, and his son Charles, a composer,
performance, bravo, warmest greetings’. From and we send them our sincere condolences.
this encounter with the man and his music, our Graham Wade

Manfred Fuchs
Gypsy Jazz Workshop
Lead- and rhythm guitar performed by Andreas Öberg.
35 930 incl. CD, ISMN 979-0-012-19850-5, ISBN 978-3-902667-14-4
This volume pursues two goals: on one hand it can
be used as a performance collection for beginning
gypsy jazz ensembles and contains, apart from
two famous standards, new pieces in this sty-
le. This is why each piece has not only the melody
part, but also a bass part – both written both in
notes and tablature – and chords and rhythms for
the accompanying guitar.
On the other hand, Gypsy Jazz Guitar provides the
player with an opportunity to improvise without
having detailed knowledge of music theory. The
diagrams and licks show, which notes on the fret-
board fit the chord progressions. These can also
easily be fitted to other pieces.
The included CD contains listening and playalong versions of all pieces performed
by Swedish guitarist Andreas Öberg. Transcriptions of Öbergs improvisations
included.
Michael Langer (Ed.)

Stars of Classical Guitar Vol. 3.
Play & Listen to the Stars on NAXOS Records
35 923 CD included, ISMN: 979-0-012-19708-9
This anthology contains both classics and rarities
of the guitar literature, arranged in order of
difficulty and furnished with fingerings. Includes
information on the composers and the individual
works, and suggestions for interpretation. The
enclosed CD contains recordings of all the pieces
by internationally known guitar virtuosos.
Book III – Masterpieces: With works by Alonso
Mudarra, John Dowland, Gaspar Sanz, Guerau,
Domenico Scarlatti, J. S. Bach, Domenico Cimarosa,
Mauro Giuliani, Fernando Sor, Franz Schubert,
Francisco Tárrega, Isaac Albeniz, Joaquin Malats.
Distribution for dealers: Music Distribution Service GmbH, Kundenservice, Carl-Zeiss-Straße 1,

55129 Mainz, GERMANY, Tel.: 0049 / 6131 / 505100, FAX: 0049 / 6131 / 505 115 / 116,
E-Mail: order@mds-partner.com, www.mds-partner.com
d Doblinger Music Publishing www.doblinger-musikverlag.at
ANDREW RUTHERFORD
An American luthier
By THEODORE DIEHL-PESHKUR
THERE has always existed a the end it is fair to say that
kind of deeply symbiotic the problems faced by lute
connection between contem- performers and builders
porary instrument makers alike are equally mind-bog-
and performers through the gling in size and difficulty.
centuries, as many docu- Add to this the problem that
ments and common sense lutes don’t age well, rarely
are able to attest. However, surviving in any kind of
in addition to those contem- playable or unaltered state
porary relationships, there which means that those few
also exists a particular vari- rare surviving instruments,
ant, a special and much however tantalising they are,
more difficult type of musi- can’t really aid us in getting
cal symbiosis between closer to experiencing the
builders and performers past, and it might seem that
that started unconsciously the problems facing lute
at the end of the 19th centu- makers and players are
ry’s early music revival and insurmountable. It remains
still continues to the pre- a wonder in my opinion that
sent. This is a far more com- we have been able to recon-
plex state of affairs, combin- struct as much as we have
ing detective work, research, with so little information.
testing and analysis - Despite all the unknown fac-
together with a large dose of tors that exist, all one can do
intuition and feeling - from as a builder or performer is
builders and performers. We forge ahead and get to work
are all keenly aware that the on solving whatever prob-
performance of early music lems you come across. One
has, like the history that of those unassuming indi-
describes it, gone through viduals quietly forging ahead
myriad changes and evolu- is the American lutemaker
Andrew Rutherford and the finished lute.
tion since those first Andrew Rutherford, who is
attempts to perform on early instruments and the hard at work dealing with the lute in all its various
copies created in their name, and that the devel- forms and with all of the questions it poses - for
opment is ongoing. builder and performer alike.
During that revival to the present day, a whole Rutherford is quite tall, and his height, in com-
different set of problems began to play a role in a bination with his blond hair parted down the
manner quite different from that which existed middle and eyes framed with wire-rims, gives him
between, let’s say, Bach and the violinmaker the mien of a 19th-century prairie preacher with
Jakob Stainer, a contemporary whose instruments a supplementary dab of Gothic Americana. One’s
Bach particularly praised. This natural connection initial impression is as if he had just stepped out
between performers and builders is of course an of an episode of Deadwood. Although at first a
eminently logical one, since all performers need an man of few words, uttering sentences containing
instrument to give a voice to their interpretations only a bare handful of syllables, he is in actuali-
of compositions whether from centuries past or ty an easygoing, talkative person once you get
present. However, with instruments like the lute, him going. Nonetheless, this stern visualisation I
this relationship is especially thorny due to the have made of him here befits the underlying seri-
multiple variables involved in reconstructing lost ousness of Andrew’s mission - the creation of his-
techniques for an instrument that has no continu- torically accurate instruments suitable for the
ous history and documentation to the present day interpretation of some of the finest and most
like the violin and organ possess. When you con- extraordinary music ever written for plucked
sider that we can dissect these large numbers of strings.
variables into an endless number of smaller vari- It wouldn’t be incorrect to describe Andrew
ables like those presented by wood, strings, thick- Rutherford as an introverted freethinker, with a
nesses, tone production, skin, interpretation, healthy, but not decidedly Bohemian attitude to
tempo, dynamics - the list goes on ad infinitum. In life, who more or less appeared out of nowhere in

Young Artists in Concert
Koblenz-Preisträger stellen sich vor. Jeweils um 16.00 Uhr.
27. Mai Anatoly Izotov (Russland)
28. Mai „Duo Cologne“ (Gorbach/Krivokapic)
29. Mai Gabriel Bianco (Frankreich)
KOBLENZ INTERNATIONAL
GUITAR SOCIETYe.V.
the New York lute scene in the late 1970s via a The school was not against such excursions into
rather curious and circuitous route. worlds unknown like the lute or viola da gamba,
At a young age he was already playing piano as but it was something foreign to the curriculum and
well as electric and acoustic guitar, (having even school attitude and it had to be done on your own
toured as a guitarist for a while with a black private time, since the violin family took total
Rhythm and Blues group called The Mighty precedence. He was given his first lute drawing by
Cobras), as well as being very active with painting, Stephen Gottlieb, wood to construct a lute by
graphic design and drawing. In fact originally Anton Smith, and received more ad hoc help from
Andrew had planned to become an artist and had various sources. Supported in this positive fashion
even received a full graphic arts scholarship to by those around him, he dove in, and decided to
study art at Cooper Union in New York City, but in concentrate mainly on researching and building
the end he found that study- instruments of the lute fam-
ing art and painting weren’t ily.
where his true aspirations After having built his first
lay and he ended up leaving lute and experiencing
after only about a month or another ongoing series of
so had passed. (I secretly more cross-country adven-
suspect that almost no tures, he ended up in New
school could really hold onto York City in 1979. This
him for long.) Having gained arrival out of the blue led to
this knowledge about what a fortuitous meeting with
he didn’t want, he went on Pat O’Brien, then and now a
what can only be described well-known and famed
literally as a life journey; nestor of the lute world. Pat
travelling through the USA was flabbergasted by the
playing acoustic and electric quality and sound of the
guitar in various bands, tak- instrument the young
ing up various odd-jobs in unknown had conjured up,
different states and seeing and this led to his talent
the world. He told me: ‘It’s being discovered in the New
funny, but there are a lot of York early music world,
similarities between pop marking his professional
music and lute music. Both entrance to the métier. Said
were the music of their time, Pat O’Brien, ‘It was clear to
and both require an ability to me when I saw his lute that
improvise. I started out this was a guy with so much
learning piano, and later talent, it was already obvi-
learned electric guitar by ear, ous he was going to be well-
followed by classical guitar known.’ O’Brien ordered a
and lute, although I only had Unfinished lute back. lute straight away (an 8-
an East German “lutar” at course instrument based on
that time, and had no notion of what I was miss- Hieber which he still uses regularly), and this was
ing in lute sound and technique.’ followed by another 20 orders for the same instru-
At one point during a job at a furniture maker’s, ment placed by students and others in the lute
he inadvertently lost the tip of one of fingers, but scene. This would have been the ultimate dream of
luckily was still able to play and perform. (The many an upstart young builder, but not for
more you talk with Andrew, the more you discov- Andrew. Having finally found his calling, so to
er, somewhat like a comfortable and rambling speak, Andrew quickly discovered that this kind of
house with doors and passageways you had never success, building the same lute repeatedly with
peered behind for some reason. Somewhere in the slight variations, was definitely not what he either
man is a novel, I’m sure of it). In the end, all of wanted or needed, and he felt it imperative to stop
these musical and artistic meanderings finally led for a while and re-think his approach. POB: ‘He
to his entering the Violin School of Utah in Salt saw that making the same instrument over and
Lake City and this led in turn to his contact with a over again was not the life he expected as a
teacher there, Anton Smith, who had previously lutemaker. He really needed the variety and chal-
built lutes for Julian Bream. A visit by Paul Beier, lenges that would be available by following his
a former student of Diana Poulton’s, with his instincts.’ Andrew is perhaps less known for this
ensemble to the school was an eye opener for reason than one might naturally expect after more
Andrew. Beier introduced him to the essence of the than a quarter of a century, because after that
lute: tone production, historic building practice, brush with fame as a builder he decided to only
and performers the likes of Paul O’Dette. When accept orders for instruments that interested him
Andrew discovered these aspects of the lute, a or that he found challenging in his particular
whole new world of challenges opened up for him. way. Even today, if you do get a hold of him and
wish to place an order for a lute, it might be a lit- maker from the past or present, I was collecting
tle difficult for you to get exactly what you want. the best quality woods for future use, and most of
POB: ‘One time, I wanted to order a baroque lute the wood I have now was already aged to begin
after Edlinger from him, but he refused, saying it with. Funny, actually it was so long ago that I
was boring, preferring a Jauck type instrument began stockpiling that now most of it is now about
with stepped pegboxes instead. He built that for 30 or 40 years old. Luckily, lutes are not very big,
me and it was magnificent, so I was glad I listened so a large stockpile doesn’t take up too much
to him.’ (Later, in a roundabout way, Robert Barto, space. I agree with those builders who think that
for a number of his recordings would use this split soundboard wood is important, but even
same instrument). more important in my view is that the grain is real-
All this interest led to Andrew’s eventually set- ly well quartered.’ Also an active performer on the
ting up shop and taking root in New York City, Renaissance lute, Rutherford’s approach to re-cre-
where he began building all variety of lutes whilst ating a sound for an instrument is down to earth -
studying Renaissance lute performance. POB: ‘At listen to everything very carefully, follow your
one point we shared some space together on 1261 instincts and gather knowledge from original
Broadway; he was building as well as playing lute instruments and each completed instrument. And
and in the other half I was giving my lessons. It if you are a player as well, you can use that knowl-
often happened that you would leave at the end of edge for making sure the action is perfect for other
a long day, then come back the next morning and player’s fingers.
suddenly see this marvellous Materials are just the begin-
painting that he had conjured up ning; Andrew feels it important to
between his lute building - just “For a while I get an intuitive feeling of the
because he felt like it. Those
artistic roots seem to have
had a fully wood’s strength and flexibility by
tapping and slightly bending
always stayed within him.’ organised shop, each piece as he chisels, planes,
Although his work has certain-
ly been well known within the
but working cuts, bends or thicknesses it
and, perhaps of greatest impor-
United States since that period, it mainly at home tance, he understands that
was mostly in the course of the
last several years that recogni-
was more moment when something should
be left alone and further fiddling
tion of his instruments really practical in won’t achieve any musical
took flight, in particular via the
amazing series of Weiss record-
the end” results. Pat O’Brien summed it
up a different way: ‘Andy has this
ings by Robert Barto and most Zen-like thing of working freshly,
recently Bach by Paul O’Dette, all of which made directly and quickly with wood without going over-
him more well known as a builder to a wider lute board on a super perfectionism as a goal in and
audience. It is in fact via Barto’s recordings that I unto itself. In this way his instruments in my opin-
got to indirectly know Andrew’s instruments, ion are much closer to the originals in every way,
which in turn led to my ordering one for myself, they too also had this al fresco aspect in finish and
ending up finally meeting the man himself in New sound. An instrument’s construction has to have a
York city for the first time last year. kind of easy finesse in its construction in order to
In the 9th Street Espresso cafe, surrounded by a be able to breathe and sing.’ An analogy with the
group of tattooed, slightly stoned and pierced rock action of a artist writing Japanese characters in
musicians, evidently in for a latte after an early swift brushstrokes is what came to mind during
morning gig, we got into a discussion about what the conversation with Pat O’Brien, and many per-
it was like creating lutes in the midst of the hectic formers have the same feeling about his work.
life of New York City. AR: ‘I’m lucky that most of In 2008, Andrew and his wife Anna moved to
the work involved in lute making is done only with upstate New York, (by the way, not so far from
hand-tools, so the neighbours didn’t have too where Hopkinson Smith was born and raised),
much to complain about. The few operations that to a fantastic 68-acre country property with an
require a band-saw or other noisy machines can old and comfortable house with a wide front
be done elsewhere. For a while I had a fully organ- veranda that had been a family retreat for many
ised shop, but working mainly at home was more years. Now, Andrew’s work continues in an idyl-
practical in the end.’ Materials are also a difficult lic setting within a small but cosy old barn
question, especially for someone working within located between the ancient trees of the proper-
the confines of a Greenwich Village apartment, ty. Besides the peace and quiet of the idyllic sur-
since making lutes requires a large supply of aged roundings, which seems only to be broken by
wood. I started off the discussion mentioning the the sound of a wild turkey searching and
dating of the soundboard wood from a number of screeching for a mate whilst positioned under
lutes made by members of the Widhalm family, your window at 6 in the morning, and the hun-
showing that the woods they used were already gry ticks that wait to attach themselves to your
quite old before being used for instruments. AR: soft bits if you meander off the beaten path in
‘From when I started building, like any serious the woods, the only thing lute insiders would
gather about the move is that the labels in his
lutes now sport a different address.
The virtuoso lutenist Robert Barto would likely
agree de facto with Andrew’s approach to lute-
making as well, since he uses Rutherford’s instru-
ments for his world premiere undertaking of
recording the complete works of Weiss for Naxos.
RB: ‘We really have no exact idea how old lutes
must have sounded back then, and it’s always a
guessing game. However, for me Andy’s instru-
ments have a beautiful roundness in their sound
combined with a string action and layout that feels
just right - and which is very difficult to achieve.
You really need that as a player when performing
difficult and complex music such as that com-
posed by Weiss, which often tests the outer limits Finished lute back and neck.
of the lute’s capacity.’ This kind of comment dove-
tails into the symbiotic relationship between great taper has on the sound and action, perhaps even
players and makers mentioned above. However, at the lute’s stability, but I feel that attention to this
the centre of that relationship is the fact that the aspect is really quite important. In addition to this
better the performer is, the more demands will be is a more well-known taper going from the bass to
put on the builder, and at the same time the the treble side of the fingerboard (from the lowest
builder is empowered by these demands to hear to the highest strings), which is also changing in
musical aspects regarding the lute’s sonority, reac- cross-section from the area near the pegbox joint
tion and ability to deal with difficult passages that up to the highest frets. One can easily ignore some
might normally remain hidden from perception. changes or anomalies in these tapers from one
AR: ‘Robert Barto is an amazing player, but also original instrument to another as a mistake or an
a very demanding one. When I show him a new unconscious effect, but I found that it is something
instrument, he will invariably play over the entire quite well planned out by the old builders.
range of the instrument touching on every possible Following these aspects in my view is really impor-
note and chord whilst making commentary on the tant for achieving a really good action, and indi-
sounds produced by each. You can see that he is rectly a good sound, on a baroque lute. Since the
really evaluating everything and comparing it to an majority of Renaissance lutes have flat finger-
ideal sound concept that he has in his mind that boards and are more straightforward in their
he really wants to achieve and hear realised. For a design, this is less of a predicament. For me any-
lute builder this kind of approach can be a nerve- way, getting the neck of a lute and the complicat-
racking experience, but in the end it is highly ed tapers and arching taking place in so many dif-
instructive and makes you more than keenly ferent directions absolutely perfect is among the
aware of how each note in the music counts dur- greatest challenges in lute making. The sound-
ing a performance, and also how someone on the board and body are also tricky in their own way,
stage with only your lute in their hands relies on but comparatively easy to keep track of and con-
you as a builder to provide them a vehicle with trol during building. Of course the greatest chal-
which to communicate their ideas and emotions. If lenge for any lute-maker remains achieving a good
you think about that, it could easily make anyone sound.’
nervous. For me as a builder in any case, the plus As mentioned above, it is often the relationships
point of making an instrument for Robert Barto is between performers and builders that help define
the fantastic sound he gets out of my instruments, an instrument’s character and possibilities since
hearing him play is a joy.’ they are able to go to the extremes of what the
In conversations with me, both Robert Barto as instrument can really achieve, what sonorities and
well as Paul O’Dette have repeatedly commented depths it has hidden within the wood. Without that
on the kind of action Andrew achieves with his push from the performers, builders can easily get
instruments, and when I asked Andrew about it, stuck in a particular way of building that does not
he mentioned to me that this aspect ended up necessarily match the needs of the music. Think
being something he indeed spends a lot of time on for instance of the concrete example of a harpsi-
during a lute’s construction. AR: ‘You know, I’m chord that has a beautiful sound perfectly suited
regularly travelling to museums to look at and for Bach; but with a sluggish keyboard on which
measure instruments even today after all my trav- performing trills and ornaments is a nightmare. A
els. It is really unusual, and many people don’t builder might only discover that problem when a
realise or notice it, but many of the old baroque good performer puts his finger on the sore spot, so
lutes possess a kind of very small lengthwise con- to speak. AR: ‘As a builder, you are always balanc-
cave taper measuring only some millimetres in the ing between two extremes. Take the problems of
middle section of the neck just under the finger- thicknessing for example. If you make a lute
board. I’m still not sure exactly what effect this soundboard too thin, the sound becomes loose
and a little “crazy”. If it balances towards being too means the sound develops immediately without
thick, you generally get fewer overtones, and that delay and this is important when you want to cre-
in turn can affect the listener’s perception of pro- ate clear contrapuntal lines.’
jection. You need to strike a balance between both Andrew loves making all kinds of lutes, but
of these aspects to create a good sound. Many tops finds baroque lutes the most challenging. ‘The
of old instruments are unbelievably thin, they have baroque lute has more of bass/treble orientation,
lots of overtones, but this usually expresses itself melody and accompaniment as it were, and a
with a number of wolf notes. So, in the end you will really singing treble is very important. On the
always need to use a certain amount of intuition other hand the Renaissance lute is more homoge-
and experience, maybe even a little dose of super- nous sound-wise from top to bottom. In terms of
stition and prayer to get it exactly right each time.’ construction, the Renaissance lute’s flat finger-
Paul O’Dette is another performer who has a few board uses a simpler action; the baroque lute has
things to say about lute performance, and when I a really complicated set of contours to get the fin-
spoke with him about Andrew Rutherford, he sud- gerboard and action exactly right, like I men-
denly waxed poetic and went into great detail tioned. It is intriguing. I find it mind-boggling
about what he liked about Andrew’s instruments. thinking about how sophisticated the neck of a
He had met Andrew via Pat O’Brien in the early baroque lute really is. Perhaps because of my
1980s and has three lutes from him - a 13-course interest in those kinds of details, many people see
baroque lute, Renaissance six-course and an arch- me as a baroque lute specialist. In any case, I
lute. POD: ‘Andy’s instruments have lots of colour don’t really want to be pigeonholed in any partic-
and a multilayered sound, with the complexity of a ular direction; at the moment I am very taken up
great wine. Many of the modern lutes I come with the English guitar, and am experimenting
across today often will sound good in principle, but with them and performing on them, having found
they possess what I would call a one-dimensional some nice originals. One thing I do know: even
sound that you can’t do anything with. And there after 28 odd years, lute making still remains a
2
are many aspects behind just the sound. In poly- tremendous challenge. However good one gets at
phonic music like Bach’s for instance, Andy’s it, there is always something new to learn with
instruments come into their own because they every instrument you build. And as long as there
4
have what I would call a certain quickness of is something new to learn, I’ll keep making lutes
speech. If an instrument speaks quickly, that - that’s for sure.’
nd
intternational
international
guitar competition
co
ompetition
michele
m ichele pittaluga
pittaluga
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premio ccittà
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alessandria
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26 sseptember
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A new master has arrived! TTotal
otal ccash
ash prizes:
Extensive concert
Extensive
prizes: ` 30.000
concert tour
30.000 - Final
tour - CD
Final w
CD recording
recording by
with
ith o
by NAXOS
orchestra
rchestra
NAXOS Company
Company
Few guitarists today can match Anders Clemens Øien. Deadline 3
Deadline 1A
31 ugust 2
August 009
2009
Øien plays astonishingly well. His playing is so
Piazza Garibaldi, 16 - 15100 Alessandria
exceptional that it actually takes this reviewer ’s TTel.
eel. 0039.0131.253170 - 0039.0131 1.251207 - Fax 0039.0131.253170
0039.0131.251207
breath away... concorso@pittaluga.org - rules
r on www w.pittaluga.org
.
www.pittaluga.org
www.nordicsound.no
Distribution: www.musikkoperatorene.no member
member o
off w
world
orld ffederation
ederation o
off international
international music
music competitions
competitions

CONCERTS
DAVID RUSSELL The concert ended with three an arrangement for guitar and vio-
Kings Place, London light works by Roshegar, Waltz lin, with the violin of course taking
30 October 2008 No.7 and Lullaby. The third piece, the part for voice.
In this recital we heard the pre- Good Luck Waltz is dedicated to Each of the performers played
mière of El Llanto de los Sueños, a David Russell. solos. Katie Stillman, a Canadian
work written for David Russell by This concert was my first at the violinist who like Dekavallas has
the British guitarist and composer recently-opened London music won a string of awards and is
Stephen Goss, who is professor of venue called Kings Place, which is experienced both as a chamber
Composition at the University of very close to Kings Cross Station, musician and soloist, played an
Surrey. Stephen Goss has been built on Regent’s Canal. The com- absorbing interpretation of the
writing a number of solo works plex is now home to two of Allemande and Sarabande from
lately which have been dedicated London’s renowned orchestras, Bach’s Partita for solo violin No.2 in
to performers, such as The London Sinfonietta and the D minor, BWV 1004. She has a par-
Chinese Garden and Raise the Red Orchestra of the Age of ticular way of leaning into the end
Latern which were written for Xue Enlightenment, and is also the of the phrases which is quite dis-
Fei Yang and premièred at the headquarters of the Guardian tinctive and completely absorbing
Wigmore Hall in 2007. This latest newspaper. There were no train to listen to. In her solo the volume
piece, El Llanto de los Sueños, is in noises, despite our closeness to increased considerably, which
three movements: Cantiga, the international train terminal at meant that in duo she was very
Madrugada and Alborada and St Pancras, the building sits on mindful of the more limited volume
draws its inspiration from the rubber shock absorbers, that of the guitar and adjusted her
poetry of Federico García Lorca, clearly do the job very well. playing accordingly – a guitarist’s
including Las seis cuerdas (The Six Thérèse Wassily Saba dream partner for chamber music.
Strings) and La Guitarra. The Dimitris Dekavallas gave a
Cantiga began with dream-like DIMITRIS DEKAVALLAS sunny performance of Albéniz’s
arpeggios and David Russell was & KATE STILLMAN (violin) Sevilla with plenty of drive and
particularly nurturing in the tone St Thomas’ Hospital, London momentum, and a moving inter-
quality here, creating a honey- 10 November 2008 pretation of the melody line in the
sweet melody. Madrugada had all Although the Central Hall of St slow section.
the expectant, and yet unsure Thomas’s Hospital is not the qui- The music making continued to
eerie ambiance of that time before etest place to give a recital, I must be pleasing into the last piece, the
dawn. The music was gentle with say that I thoroughly enjoyed the History of Tango by Astor Piazzolla,
some nice harmonic choices, but excellent music-making of this vio- which was as impressive as the
all very understated. The final lin and guitar duo. The March et rest of the programme. Dimitris
movement, Alborada (Dawn), was Scherzo Op.33 by Napoleon Coste Dekavallas’ rhythm was solid,
much longer and livelier. Every was elegant salon music and playful and exciting with the nec-
new work needs to be played in Dimitris Dekavallas had a particu- essary magical interplay between
and fortunately David Russell larly warm tone and lyrical expres- the performers that makes
plans to keep this piece on his pro- sion on his new Smallman guitar. Piazzolla’s music really come to
gramme for the coming year. This piece and Les Regrets, life. As a duo Dimitris Dekavallas
Couperin can be quite demand- Cantilene Op.36 were originally and Katie Stillman were an excel-
ing and one really needs to have written for oboe and guitar by lent match. They both manage to
his impressive technique to make Coste but worked well on violin be deeply involved in the music
these transcriptions of David and guitar. It was calm and sooth- that they are playing at the same
Russell’s work so well on the gui- ing music, appropriate for a recital time as closely following what the
tar. He played three pieces: Les in a hospital’s hall, where the other is doing, with a feeling of
Barricades mistérieuses, an ele- music was enjoyed by hospital equality.
gantly ornamented Les Silvains staff and visitors. Thérèse Wassily Saba
and the technically impressive Les Villa-Lobos’s Distribution de
tours de passe-passe, which Fleures is in some ways a very BERTA ROJAS
appropriately translated as ‘sleight primitive sounding piece; it is sim- Purcell Room, London
of hand’, as the hands need to ple but with absolutely seductive 27 November 2008
work like magic. melodies on both instruments. Berta Rojas has recently released a
The two pieces by Albéniz, Katie Stillman relaxed into the rather special DVD performance of
Mallorca and Malagueña were timelessness of the piece with ease Barrios’s works, with each piece
very pleasing for the detailed care and we could appreciate even more set in a place of incredible natural
taken in the individual voices the beauty of the tone quality on beauty. This concert, entitled
which allowed you to hear the the very long notes on the violin. ‘Berta Rojas: Paraguay According
beauty of the composition with That atmosphere continued in to Agustín Barrios’, had a large
great clarity. The Malagueña had Villa-Lobos’ Bachianas Brasileiras screen above the centre of the
a good balance of delicacy in the No.5, a piece originally written for stage and the scene for the concert
upper voice over a strong, rhyth- voice accompanied by eight cellos. was set by the opening of the DVD
mic foundation. Here it was beautifully played in with Berta Rojas sitting in a bar

playing Barrios. Although it may necessitating him to have to hold an engaging performance of the
seem an unusual approach for a on in quite a different way to the Paganini Andantino Variato where
classical music concert, the result normal. When asked afterwards he his choice of tone qualities in the
was very effective. We all relaxed stated that it gave him much more different voices showed his empa-
and even more so when she did freedom to move with the music as thy with the work. This, as with all
start playing ‘live’, with her other instrumentalists can, and the pieces on the programme, was
remarkably relaxed technique and usually do, but we, the guitarists, played with a very secure tech-
distinctive phrasing which works normally cannot. Fair enough, it nique which was absolutely at the
so well in the Barrios because, certainly did not detract from his service of his interpretation. The
despite its very classical style, his playing in any way. Egberto two movements from Sonata BWV
music also has folk music influ- Gismonti’s Agua e Vinho was slow 1005 by Bach were arranged by
ences. In her own career Berta and hauntingly played whilst the Hatzinikolaou. They worked very
Rojas has performed both the seri- chôro Quebra Queixo (apparently a well on the guitar and harmonical-
ous classical guitar repertoire and type of gummy, chewy sweet) by ly speaking provided much plea-
has also performed Paraguayan Celso Machado flowed beautifully. sure. The Largo was a majestic,
music in various ensembles. Her Francis Poulenc’s quirky stately piece and the Allegro assai
most recent collaborations in duo Mouvements Perpetuels followed, a was a fast-paced but very long
with Carlos Barbosa-Lima show composer whose music is always a movement which was well struc-
her ability to work with ease in pleasure to listen to, so fresh and tured in terms of pace and phras-
both styles. tangy as it is with so many sur- ing, and therefore was very excit-
Each group of pieces was intro- prising details, and then ing to listen to. Four pieces by
duced by Berta Rojas, giving snip- Debussy’s solo flute piece Syrinx Barrios followed including a very
pets of biographical information which gave Aisling Agnew a chance intimate performance of Prelude in
about Barrios. Although this can to show how lucky the flute is to C minor. In Barrios’s Mazurka
be disturbing in some perfor- have a composition by Debussy, Appassionata again we saw
mances, here it seemed to fit per- and how unlucky we guitarists are Hatzinikolaou’s skill at shaping
fectly with the atmosphere she had not to. It was all at once wistful long pieces, so that it feels capti-
created, which felt very intimate, and exotic and could have been vating, as if listening to an epic
despite the large film screen just written by no one else. The Carmen story. For a complete contrast of
behind her head on the stage. The Fantasie of Francois Borne, based styles, he played Roland Dyens’s
programme included El Ultimo on Bizet’s original melodies closed Saudade No.3 and here even more
Canto, Aconquija, Maxixe, Choro da the first half. The fireworks were did we experience his broad range
Saudade, Julia Florida, Las hugely in evidence as both players of expressive tone qualities and
Abejas, La Catedral – all favourties met the piece’s extreme difficulties timbres, and the rhythm was solid.
of the Barrios repertoire. It was an with disarming ease. He ended this thoroughly enjoy-
unforgettable performance. For The last two movements of able recital with an equally
those who may not be lucky Bach’s Sonata in E minor impressive performance of Sonata
enough to hear Berta Rojas play in BWV1034 were followed by Giocosa by Rodrigo.
concert, then it is some consola- McAllister’s solo version of Peter Antonis Hatzinikolaou has been
tion that one can purchase the Maxwell Davies’ Farewell to a prizewinner at the Koblenz
DVD, however, both are the ideal. Stromness which was a stunning International Guitar Competition
Thérèse Wassily Saba arrangement not apparently com- ‘Hubert Käppel’, the Ivor Mairants
mitted either to paper or yet to a International Guitar Award and
AGNEW AND MCALLISTER DUO recording, a factor which he won the coveted Julian Bream
Ilkley Manor House. West should rectify as soon as possible! Prize. Since completing his post-
Yorkshire, 28 November 2008 Three of the four movements of graduate studies at the Royal
Flautist Aisling Agnew and gui- Piazzolla’s Histoire du Tango were, Academy of Music, he has
tarist Matthew McAllister had the as always, a pleasure to hear live remained living in London. We
ideal setting for their concert on and proved a fitting end to the hope to hear more of this fine
this very cold and blustery Friday concert proper, except for the young performer.
night, namely the art gallery and encore piece Arisaig a slow Scots Thérèse Wassily Saba
occasional concert venue that is Air that could not have been more
Ilkley Manor House. The room was beautifully played. Altogether this
of moderate size but surrounded was a fabulous concert of wonder-
as we were by all manner (no pun fully diverse music played by a Concert Reviews printed in
quality duo that deserves to be Classical Guitar are written
intended!) of pots, glass objects
solely by the magazine’s own
and pictures it seemed all the more heard by anyone interested in
staff. We regret that we can-
intimate. good music.
not accept unsolicited reviews
Libertango by Astor Piazzolla Chris Dumigan
for publication, and cannot
proved a very good opener, imme- undertake to return any thus
diately establishing the musical ANTONIS HATZINIKOLAOU submitted. Concerts outside
credentials of this fine duo that St Martins-in-the-Fields, London the brief of our writers will con-
made its intricacies seem very easy 23 January 2009 tinue to be mentioned in
indeed. The first thing I was made This was an excellent lunchtime ‘News’, ‘Society News’ and
aware of was the rather unusual recital by the Greek guitarist ‘Views From Everywhere’.
sitting position adopted by Antonis Hatzinikolaou, who TIM PANTING,
McAllister, who placed the guitar offered well-balanced and con- Reviews Editor
on top of his lap almost vertically, trasting repertoire. He opened with

BOOKS
MENDELSSOHN your perception of Mendelssohn. andantes and minuets in his inim-
By Neil Wenborn There is charming story that itable style. It was not the style of
Naxos Books, 2008, 230pp when Mendelssohn visited today, or even of the quartets of
ISBN 978-1-84379-232-1 Buckingham Place, Queen Victoria yesterday - you only have to listen
This year sees two prominent sang one of his songs - though to the old recordings of the Lener
anniversaries in mainstream Mendelssohn had to admit it had String Quartet to realise that. But
music. The great Haydn died on 31 been written by his sister Fanny, great music allows a variety of per-
May 1809; and Felix Mendelssohn included in his collection for rea- forming styles; you pays your
was born on 3 February of the sons of family solidarity. In Danny money and you makes your choice.
same year. Naxos has marked and Joan Abse’s entertaining book More recently, guitarists such as
these occasions with two notable The Music Lover’s Literary Jukka Savijoki and Erik
biographies. Each is accompanied Companion (Robson Books, 1988), Stenstadvold have struck sparks
by two CDs, showing a representa- Mendelssohn himself describes out of some of the early music, and
tional range of works. Both books how, before she sang, the Queen Paul Galbrath has recorded a cou-
are well-researched; the com- said: ‘The parrot must be taken out ple of the sonatas, with great
posers’ lives as well as their music or he will scream louder than I can effect. There have been others, and
are set out in a clear and readable sing’. there will be more.
manner. Each has a glossary of Whereas the death of Schubert Joseph Haydn’s output was
musical terms, though rather more went largely unnoticed, that of enormous. As well as the 100+
useful is the annotation of the CD Mendelssohn provoked a wide- symphonies, there were over 80
tracks. spread sense of tragedy through- string quartets, more than 400
Very few composers could match out Europe: fame in his own life- sacred works (including 38 mass-
Haydn in terms of volume and time had seen to that. Schumann es), 30 divertimenti, several orato-
quality, but the young composed a touching piano piece rios, and innumerable smaller
Mendelssohn had obvious genius - in tribute, impossible to play with- chamber works, some of which
the overture to his wonderful inci- out feeling the sadness of a great have been lost. A giant of a com-
dental music for The Midsummer talent brought to an end far too poser!
Night’s Dream is played in full soon. There is a glossary of musical
here, but the equally remarkable Colin Cooper terms, which most musicians will
Octet, written when he was only know already and which non-
16, is limited to the first movement HAYDN: HIS LIFE AND MUSIC musicians may, or may not, care to
only. Had he not had the shocking- By David Vickers learn. The informative volume also
ly bad fortune to die at only 38, he Naxos Books 203pp includes two CDs of Haydn’s
might have gone on to compose a ISBN: 978-1-84379-213-4 music, well performed and of
wealth of good music. As it was, Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) was unfailing interest and occasionally
his output was pretty substantial: one of the greatest classical com- sheer delight.
symphonies, piano music, songs, posers of all time. Any musician David Vickers’ book is very wel-
chamber music and oratorios with an ear for construction who come.
flowed from his fertile brain. has actually played his music Colin Cooper
There’s not much for the guitar knows this, and finds it hard to
in all this. Segovia used to play a understand why he isn’t revered as
movement from a string quartet, the equal in stature of Mozart, le BARNEY
Availab
and another movement, from the Beethoven and Schubert. My par- Now KESSEL
E L
Y KESS A Jazz
BARNE
Op.13 Quartet, appears (and reap- ticular favourites are the string Legendby
A Jazz Legend
pears) in Nicholas Maw’s intriguing quartets, most of which I played in ld
J. Sum
merfie
Maurice
Music of Time. Arrangements of the my twenties and came to love, as
Songs Without Words abound, how- Mozart did: not for nothing did PAPERBACK
EDITION:
ever, for solo guitar, for two gui- Wolfgang Amadeus dedicate six of UK £20.00. USA $39.50
tars, for flute and guitar, and no his own quartets to his spiritual HARDBACK
EDITION:
master. But there is so much else:
by
doubt more. UK £30.00 FOREWORD by
HOWARD
MAURICE J.
SUMMERFIELD
The music provides the ultimate Haydn’s symphonies, over a hun-
ALDEN
test of a book like this. If it doesn’t dred of them, many of them mas- Available from Book and Music Shops everywhere.
In case of difficulty available direct from the Publishers.
appeal to you, you are hardly like- terpieces; the works for piano, the Add 10% to cover Post and Packing.
ly to enjoy reading the text. trios in particular, the oratorios ASHLEY MARK
Nevertheless, taken together they (including the staggering Creation PUBLISHING COMPANY
make a powerful combination. and the delightful Seasons), the 1 & 2 Vance Court, Trans Britannia Enterprise
Naxos are on to something here. songs, and the operas, which were Park, Blaydon on Tyne NE21 SNH, UK.
Most of the old favourites make largely unknown until fairly TEL: +44 (0) 191 414 9000
FAX: +44 (0) 191 414 9001
an appearance, even if only in recently. He wrote nothing for gui- e-mail: mail@ashleymark.co.uk
truncated form. What is surprising tar, though arrangements for that Web:www.ashleymark.co.uk
is the quality of some of the music instrument have been played from Exclusive distribution of the paperback edition
time to time, notably by Segovia, in the USA and Canada –
that is not so familiar. Listen to Hal Leonard Publishing Inc., Milwaukee.
these CDs, and you may well revise who performed one or two

MUSIC
FIVE PIECES left hand, certainly nothing in would be taking far more time to
for solo guitar which the player of around grades get through the book than he does.
by Stephen Kenyon 6-7 would have any difficulties with This rapidity in many of these
Published by Jacaranda Music whatsoever. works could make the student of
03-001. 5pp. The music is well presented and the intended technical level suffer
Here is a nice little set of Grades 4- very expertly fingered. with a sensation of inadequacy if
5 pieces each one having enough Recommended. they could not match up to level
melodic and rhythmic invention to Steve Marsh heard on the CD. Pity about that.
hold the interest and all serving an Steve Marsh
instructive purpose covering mat- FEEL THE SUN
ters of articulation, slurs, phrasing, for solo guitar CHRISTMAS COLLECTION TWO
sonority, position changes, etc. by Michael Erin for guitar ensemble
Of particular note is the poignant Pub by Zimmermann, Frankfurt. by David Burden
Celtic-flavoured piece, The Island, a 16pp + CD Garden Music.
deceptively simple-sounding piece This is a well planned and enter- 20pp plus one duet part
where the importance lies in bring- taining new production aimed This is a pleasing collection of
ing out the several voices through- towards the student of around the Christmas trios and quartets, but
out the work. Intermediate level. Within the list of the vagaries of getting the music
The wonderfully-titled Balkan 12 titled pieces there is enough out for ‘road-testing’ and back into
Fidget, with its’ quirky 7/8 rhythm musical variety to keep the interest the queue for publication mean
and staccato feature is another level sustained throughout the that this review will probably arrive
which captures the imagination whole book, that is, there are no in a heatwave. No matter – this can
well. pieces which seem just included as be the first Christmas advertise-
Elsewhere there is the renais- ’fillers-in’, each one stands on its ment for 2009! The ‘plus one duet
sance-styled Fancy; Dancing Under own merit. part’ needs explaining. Every piece
the Trees, a piece invoking a tradi- The musical styles cover a range is a trio or quartet, and has one line
tional folk dance; and the gentle of influences including blues, folk, marked that will produce a pass-
melodic work Song for Rhiannon, Spanish, popular/trendy and able duet with the tune. These lines
written for a baby’s naming cere- Celtic and each study has a peda- have been extracted onto a single
mony. gogical function (listed at the back folded sheet so that the book and
There are brief, but informative of the book) including playing an this sheet together allow a duo to
and useful notes from the compos- apoyando melody over an arpeggio; play with a music stand each. For
er concerning each piece and the legato; position shifts; bar chords; the ‘real’ arrangements, more than
music is well presented, well fin- harmonics, etc. As an additional one copy of the book will be needed,
gered and contains much thought- supplement to the usual array of and the warning about photocopy-
provoking musical directions student studies, this is a worthy ing is very clear, so you’ll need to
throughout. contender and I can well imagine buy four copies of this book. Two
Steve Marsh the music going down well, espe- pieces have page turns that could
cially at the younger end of the have been avoided by relocating
CANZONETTA market. some one-page pieces and using
for solo guitar The slight disappointment with one more sheet of paper.
by Stephen Kenyon this new production came with the The 15 pieces are nearly all well
Published by Jacaranda Music listening to the recording of the known and only the top part tends
03-003. 2pp. music by the composer on the to go up the neck. Unfortunately,
Presented in a very simple, plain accompanying CD. Although he this apparent simplification of the
and no-nonsense front cover, performs with full technical securi- lower parts is lost in some pieces
Canzonetta is far from all that; for ty, it just seems that Michael Erin because they are set in the key of E,
here is a particularly attractive cannot play slowly. Several of the meaning big, buzzy stretches on
tremolo piece of the musical quality compositions are marked Andante the lower strings. All in all though,
one usually expects from some- and there is no way that listening the pieces are simple enough for
thing of a higher technical stan- to his performance of these pieces novices to want to tackle, and sat-
dard. one would ever consider that partic- isfying enough that intermediate
The work is in two sections of the ular tempo marking. Similarly players will want to tease some
E minor/E major variety and the there are other tracks where the extra musicality out of these
tremolo concerns itself entirely playing speed just ruins the piece - arrangements, especially the one or
with the first three strings. Apart Country Girl for example - a lovely two less-familiar pieces that make
from the fact that there are some little work spoilt by an over-zealous this collection all the more satisfy-
really nice melodic lines and har- performance. As the composer he ing to own.
monies throughout the work, the obviously knows what he is after, The typesetting is clear, although
extremely good news is that once but if the CD was not there to not without some quirks – the use
the (admittedly, demanding) tremo- measure the speed against, I of string names instead of numbers
lo technique has begun to emerge, would guess that most players is unusual, and some of the finger-
there are no real problems for the working through these works ing is not optimal – piece number

four has a shift from V to III and complicated, and the use of F dou- Riu, Riu, Chiu, so often sung at
back up that’s easier remaining in ble sharp instead of G natural on a Christmas, is really rather special.
V, the tune in piece number seven descending chromatic line conceals All tuned down to D, with tambor
doesn’t need to shift position; the a simple A7 chord and scares most and pizz and slides and accents
Common Time symbols in the full novices. and triplets, this is a sleeves-rolled-
score become 4/4 in the part score. Jamaica Farewell, the concluding up let-me-at-it piece. There’s a
But these are proof-reading slips, piece, is an original arrangement of ‘rass’ that probably means ‘rasg’
not errors, and they don’t detract a well-known piece that will be an underpinning what is almost a
from what is a good, solid collection audience pleaser and a lovely end Bach-like half-speed version of the
of playable and enjoyable pieces, to the suite. Competent arranging tune. I liked it. Probably needs the
arranged very effectively. Buy early makes this a good suite. maturity of Grade 5-6 to give it the
for Christmas! To save paper, the part scores are ‘oomph’ it cries out for.
Derek Hasted in small type and it becomes clear The part scores are easy on the
that sometimes the dynamics eye, but I think 15 staves is too
TRAVELLING IN STYLE aren’t chased through – a forte fol- much for one face of paper, and
CELTIC SUITE & lowed by a cresc. to a forte, for splitting each part score onto three
CARIBBEAN COLLECTION example. But the addition of cues is faces of folded A3 instead of two
for guitar quartet welcome. Novices will love playing faces of A4 would have increased
by David Burden catchy rhythms and haunting the legibility massively for a few
Garden Music. 14pp plus parts melodies. pence. That closing item is good
These two four-movement suites Derek Hasted though.
are original works and they’re Derek Hasted
clearly intended for novice players. TRAVELLING IN STYLE
Celtic first… SPANISH FOLK SONG SUITE TRAVELLING IN STYLE
The Seafarers’ Tales has a rather for guitar quartet APPALACHIAN ALBUM
lovely nautical feel to the melody. It by David Burden for guitar quartet
is interesting that the right hand Garden Music. 12pp plus parts by David Burden
has more fingerings than the left; This four-movement suite is a Garden Music. 12pp plus parts
I’m not sure some of them are pleasing mix of the familiar and the This four-movement collection from
needed. The top part moves into not-so-familiar. the ‘Travelling In Style’ series is not
second position (though third posi- Ay Linda Amiga opens with three as straightforward as the compan-
tion would be much easier) and parts in harmonics wrapped round ion books, but the additional har-
then into the lower register. The tune in ninth. But why does it say monic complexity makes the pieces
other parts are technically more D string and not ninth position, that little more delicious on the ear.
modest. Nice tune. and where does it go after that? The The Riddle Song has an unusual,
Killarney Jig is very atmospheric, fingering stops just as quickly as it haunting opening that delays the
but with some fast notes that might started. No matter. The liberal use arrival of the familiar melody,
trip up an inexperienced player of harmonics makes this an atmos- asserted in the top part, echoed in
producing an otherwise good per- pheric piece and a lovely opener to the bottom and shared about with
formance. the set. an almost fugal treatment. The har-
Echoes Across The Cove lilts Zapateado is naturally more monies are chromatic and pleasing.
peacefully but with a very odd fin- ebullient; rather than dart from There are some position shifts in
gering. I think the teacher might second to seventh to ninth position, the bass part that aren’t needed
get a pencil out here; there are two why not start up the neck? As writ- and will probably squeak as writ-
better ways of doing bar 12. ten it’s a recipe for flying up high ten.
Going Down To Bantry is superbly and missing. I couldn’t get on with Come Life, Shaker Life, is pizz
rhythmic, but needing some double the fingering at all: strings as let- throughout and sometimes
stopping. A nice piece to teach two- ters, and sliding from third to first involves the thumb strumming
note playing! when there’s no need. It spoiled my three inside strings at once; it’s
The Celtic Suite is lovely and enjoyment and there were errors apparent that a considerable arse-
straightforward with four contrast- too – the G on fret 8 of string 2 was nal of technical competence is
ing pieces, and it’s fun to play, fun indicated as on the G string. needed, as well as a leathery
to listen to. Ignoring that, the piece is good – thumb. Or it will be leathery by the
Now we’re Caribbean bound… melody and countermelody, sitting end. The tune is a little sparse and
Hot And Spicy Calypso intro- astride a simple bass and some it will be a good ensemble that can
duces a key change. With the cen- very playable three-note chords on deliver a tight and not-to-woolly
tre of each bar being rather obvi- the off-beats. accompaniment with the chord
ous, it didn’t quite swing enough The familiar El Noi De La Mare notes all equal volume. I couldn’t
for me, but novice players will find has one guitar tuned down to D make it come alive.
the arrangement easier to lock and is a restful and rich arrange- I Wonder As I Wander is a
together this way. ment that delights the ear. There leisurely 6/4 – almost a chorale;
The Melon Seller, though, does was one harmony sequence that the reprise of the diatonic melody
take the middle of the bar away in didn’t work for me, but the aug- is in natural harmonics, so it’s all
places and it’s an enjoyable and mented chord soon after performed over the fingerboard. Clever
cheeky piece to play. its poignant wince-making deli- though the writing is, I think I’d
Kingston Calypso needs the abili- ciousness that melted away nicely opt for artificial harmonics for the
ty to manoeuvre in and around as the bass went deeper and deep- tune. Again the bass lines are
three strings, so it’s a little more er. Slurp! doing unnecessary shifts on the

wound strings in the opening sec- So what’s in it for a classical gui- any of us who play piano and/or
tion. tarist? bass guitar would find transposing
The Curst Farmer’s Wife is a fun There’s a solo with 6=D and 5=G, in the head a stimulating and fun
little jig in D minor with ligados which is a glorious fingerstyle folk job. The rest of the lines fit guitar
here and there to articulate the piece, but it does sound better on well, though some of the double
piece very effectively. After a verse steel-strung guitar. There’s a man- stops are a handful and might best
of straightforward fun, there are dolin/guitar duet that’s again be deleted. Of course everything is
some strummed chords taken with intended for acoustic guitar, so that an octave down and a lot more mel-
middle and thumb on the down- the tone is more uniform across the low than the original.
stroke and upstroke. Parts two and instruments. The next solo is for With 14 different pieces in all
three are in consort here and tidi- guitar tuned DGDGCD. sorts of orchestrations, this book is
ness is needed, but this interlude This really isn’t the sort of book a leviathan. But if you love folk
prefaces some adventurous sharing that a classical guitarist is going to music as music, it’s a delightful
of motifs and chords, in a harum- buy. collection of glorious tunes that
scarum passage that piles into But let’s turn it on its head. If could, with ingenuity, be crow-
some tambor and then some repris- you’re an open-tuned steel-strung bared onto classical guitar.
es of the opening. The chords give a guitarist in a mandolin ensemble, My biggest reservation is about
loud and effective finish to the buy it – the music is fantastic. mixing tab and score so that even if
suite. Or you could be laterally minded you photocopied the parts (rather
The standard is between Grades and try some of the mandolin-only than dismantling the book), they
5 and 7, though the second piece quartets on four classical guitars. wouldn’t fit on a music stand.
will be a tough nut to crack even The mandocello is in bass clef, but Derek Hasted
then.
The parts are slightly smaller font
than I’m comfortable with and
there are typos. One part has a
crescendo on a single long note;
some bars have rests inside the
stave and others up in the gods. It
looks like the full score was
checked and the part score extract-
ed automatically and never read
through. It’s a shame, but they’re
cosmetic and not faults in the notes
on the page. It’s a nicely contrast-
ing set and stylistically fresh for the
audience too.
Derek Hasted
TRADITIONAL FINNISH
FIDDLE TUNES
for guitars and mandolins
by Petri Hakala
Sibelius-Akatemian.
168pp including parts
Some review music just begs to be
played immediately. Some needs to
be read and inwardly digested first.
But I wasn’t even sure what to do
with this... Everything’s in one spi-
ral-bound volume, the parts don’t
come out, each part is score and
tab making some part-scores 6
pages long instead of 3, and a lot is
written for mandolin ensemble
only. Most pieces don’t have a full
score.
I kept putting the tome down and
then coming back to it.
Eventually I decided to put on the
CD in the back of the book.
Goodness – what a delight!
Although the CD is multi-
tracked, it works really well; it
reminds us guitarists just how
nimble other instruments can be
and how it seems to be only gui-
tarists who are scared to improvise.

CELLO SUITE No. 1 by J.S. Bach in the first place – there was still SOLO ON DON GIOVANNI
Transcribed by Tilman Hoppstock too much that would be lost under partly from Thalberg’s piece
Prim-Musikverlag Darmstadt. the pressure of fingerboard realisa- by Giulio Regondi
19pp. tion. Doblinger. 10pp.
I have not come across this pub- In 1993, Tilman Hoppstock Hard on the heels of Stefan
lisher before, though it has quite a made a version of the suite for solo Hackl’s comprehensive discussion
large catalogue of guitar music, cello, thereby of necessity going far (CG September and October 2008)
largely edited by Hoppstock. In further in the reduction of the tex- comes the new edition of a newly
this edition he takes the novel ture. This meant reversing, as it found Regondi piece from the
approach of presenting two ver- were, the process by which Bach Hudleston collection. A substan-
sions of the suite, the second ver- himself had taken, for example the tial introduction covers much the
sion having a greater complexity of 5th cello suite, and expanded it same ground as those articles;
the usual ‘expand and add voices’ into a fuller sound with bass notes briefly, Regondi knew the pianist
approach, and a corresponding and more chords. We see this Sigismund Thalberg, rival to
increase in technical demands. process lived out all the time in Franz Liszt; this work is a part-
The editor explains himself guitar versions of cello suites transcription, part new composi-
decently in the preface. The usual (including the recent ones from the tion, based around Thalberg’s
key of D with D tuning is retained, same editor reviewed separately) “Opernfantasie” Grand Fantaisie
and the first version shows close to and it touches on one of those Op 14. Given that the whole point
the minimum expansion of texture taken-for-granted things about of Thalberg’s pianism (arguably!)
and voicing usually taken. Even so guitar – the relationship of dura- was the display of amazing techni-
a mature and secure intermediate tions written to those durations we cal prowess, it is nothing short of
technique is required, as there is actually keep. What makes my old staggering that Regondi, then
no attempt to simplify the material transcription too stressful is the aged 17, should even think about
and the faster movements will still insistence on the voicing Bach playing it on the guitar.
need to romp along. writes in – and none better after It goes without saying that this
The second version shares some all! – with frequent piquancy of piece, for the guitarist, is an
of the material with the first, but harmonic effect. Historically, gui- absolute monster. The composer,
produces quite a number of extra tar music has taken various apparently, made it sound won-
ideas, the great majority of which approaches to how literally you derful, and he included it in
work very convincingly, though take the written durations, and recitals throughout his career. I
one or two seem slightly fanciful. I Hoppstock in his solo guitar ver- would love to hear the greatest
have a slight impression that the sion uses an approach allied to the players of our day play it too. The
inventiveness has greater rein as old-style reduction of different rest of us might like to buy this
the suite progresses. voices into one voice, as part of his edition to see how it’s done, but
Overall the second version is of means of making the work there is no fingering present to
similar technical level to the classic playable. help the imagination.
Duarte setting. The first is trickier He also uses a different key, D Bracing and astonishing and
than the Yates/Mel Bay version let minor (the original key was C very much of its time.
alone the new Wright/Cadenza edi- minor) against the E minor pre- Stephen Kenyon
tion, both of which are in C. The ferred by the other published edi-
fingering is often left to the player, tion by Vingiano, and mine. CONTRAPUNCTUS No. 1 and
with only occasional moments fin- The first six pages are taken up CONTRAPUNCTUS No. 23
gered. with a three-way comparison of by J.S. Bach
This edition is well worth consid- the cello, guitar and clavier ver- (published separately)
ering, whether as a first or extra sions of the Allemande. We then transcribed for two guitars
edition, provided the upper-inter- get the normal presentation of the by Tilman Hoppstock
mediate technique is there, and Allemande, the Courante (which is PRIM Musikverlag Darmstadt.
the extra-basses approach is really a Corrente), Sarabande, Air, Score and parts.
sought. Menuet (there’s another Menuet The Art of Fugue was the final
Stephen Kenyon not included for some reason) and musical statement of a composer
the Gigue that reminds so much for whom fugue had been a life-
FRENCH SUITE No. 2 of the one from that 5th cello long concern of the greatest
by J.S. Bach suite and its lute expansion. importance. With his eyesight
Transcribed by Tilman Hoppstock Hoppstock has made a very failing Bach set out on a project to
Prim-Musikverlag Darmstadt. good case in his approach, and it write a set of exemplary fugues
14pp. makes for a new, playable Bach and canons in many different
This process of reviewing some- suite that is easier than any of technical aspects, a project that
times throws up strange coinci- the ‘lute’ suites, but harder than lay incomplete at his death in
dences. In 1992 I went to the trou- most if not all guitar versions of 1750. The instrumentation is
ble of making a solo guitar tran- cello suites. If I still struggle with largely unspecified, in Bach’s
scription of this suite, helped by it for historical reasons that script, and the work’s compilation
the then fairly novel resource of should put you off if you have the and publication history is some-
computer notation to try out differ- means to approach its technical what confused with various com-
ent keys. This project was eventu- demands. If you do you won’t peting views on what to include.
ally abandoned, due to the feeling miss the obvious typo at the end From this great work Tilman
that despite its light texture of the Air. Hoppstock has arranged the first
–which had drawn me to the work Stephen Kenyon and last fugues for guitar duo.

They are published separately but Being practical for a moment, are easier but the overall techni-
are covered here together because the technical requirements for cal level of the book requires a
so many things apply to both edi- Contrapunctus 1 suggest quite very advanced technique to do the
tions. advanced players, bearing in mind music justice.
You may have read elsewhere of the need to decide one’s own fin- While the title of one piece – Ah,
Hoppstock’s cello suite and gering, for guitar two to tune to C Today is a Gloomy Day – goes
French suite solo guitar editions sharp and for both to maintain some way to summing up the
in which were discussed the vari- two independent voices for most of mood of the book, that probably
ous issues arising from making the time. Each part fits comfort- goes a bit with the territory. The
guitar versions from the cello, ably enough on a double page concluding surprise number by
where normally you expand tex- spread. The second item is in a Angelo Gilardino seals our fate
ture, and keyboard, where nor- different league altogether. The with a dolorous piece based on
mally you contract texture. The parts are printed much smaller L’Homme Armé that is at once the
present works are a useful exten- and only just fit on two double most restrained and transparent
sion of this question. The music spreads – you do your own copy- item here, and the most intelli-
is transcribed for two guitars – so ing, and go and fetch another gently written.
texture can be more freely main- music stand. While the physical This edition recommends itself
tained – and the music is fugue, in demands of pinning notes onto automatically to players with
which probably everything in that strings is not that much greater, access to a Russian 7-string gui-
texture is critical and cannot nor- the sheer scale and at times, tar, and as always is beautifully
mally be either expanded or con- strangeness of the work suggest presented.
tracted. that only very accomplished duos Stephen Kenyon
The main questions the tran- would find this a good experience.
scriber is set are the choice of key, Performing both fugues together, TROISIEME FANTAISIE OP 10
the assignment of up to four parts for players up to the task, would SUR UN THEME DE
between two players, and any be perfect because the subject of BEETHOVEN
matters of fingering. Hoppstock the first comes in to close the sec- by Francois de Fossa
has elected to move the key from ond, in the reconstructed ending. Editions Orphée. 10pp.
D minor to A minor, giving a C Everything in these editions and Dating from around 1825 and
sharp 6th string to one guitar in others from this publisher is per- dedicated to the future Mme de
Contrapunctus 1 and the common fectly legible but I must say the Fossa this piece uses a theme
D in no. 23. In the main the voic- engraving could be quite a lot bet- from Beethoven’s trio Op 8, a
es maintain their integrity and ter aesthetically, and more in work that was transcribed by
change guitars when they are keeping with the quality and Matiegka some 20 years before. A
resting, the exceptions to this depth of thought that has gone grand introduction justifies its
being well managed and unobtru- into them. sub-title of Introduzione Capriccio
sive. There is no fingering what- Stephen Kenyon and the theme is followed by eight
soever. variations, the last of which
The editor has to intervene in SELECTED CONCERT WORKS dances off into a Coda.
the case of Contrapunctus 23 how- for the Russian 7-string guitar It is necessary to remember that
ever, as Bach left this piece unfin- in G open tuning de Fossa was not Sor or Giuliani,
ished. Firstly I should raise the Edited by Matanya Ophee or indeed Aguado, and his writing
point that all my sources describe Editions Orphée, 40pp. does not feel or sound like theirs.
the final unfinished fugue as The Russian 7-sring guitar is Like Sor one has the impression
Contrapunctus 14, not 23. But tuned D’, G’, B’, D, b, g, d’, so no this was written, at least partly,
this is a fugue on three subjects, matter how much you love the away from the instrument, but
and it is understood that the sub- sound of Russian music don’t go there is more use of colour than
ject from Contrapunctus 1 was to buying this unless either you are Sor often gives us (a major excep-
appear shortly after the manu- going to get an appropriate instru- tion being Op 9).
script stops, and then be comment, you want to see how any The key is D but we remain in
bined with the three other sub- recorded versions of these pieces standard tuning and so there is
jects. Many different attempts at are done, or you want to be nice to some impression of tightness.
completion have been made; Matanya. The back cover does Every so often there is a harmon-
Hoppstock has chosen to adapt hint that a standard guitar can be ic moment that one wonders
that by Helmut Walcha into a fur- used but I can’t see it being worth about, but at least he is giving us
ther 35 bars of conclusion. the trouble, without that extra D something to think about, and a
Even in its incompletion this string. texture and discourse that
fugue is longer than any the com- There are 16 pieces of various remains carefully wrought
poser actually finished, the lau- sizes and shapes in this book. An throughout. This adds up to a
rels for longest completed fugue interesting version of the prelude fairly high technical level, and
usually going to that from the C from the 1st Bach cello suite (my while keen amateurs are recom-
major solo violin sonata. The I’ve seen a few of those lately!) mended to give it a go if they can
symbolism and gravity of this starts us off. There are variously do, say Sor Op 9, it doesn’t play
undertaking can therefore hardly long or short 19th century pieces itself in that kind of way and will
be under-estimated and there are by the likes of Vyssotsky and take a seriously persuasive musi-
few other guitarists one can imag- Sychra, the long ones largely sets cal mind with advanced tech-
ine making so satisfactory a of variations. The shorter, per- nique, to do it justice.
result. haps second-encore type pieces Stephen Kenyon

CDS
THE DEVIL’S TRILL piece of available hardware willing we are introduced to the pure
TARTINI: Sonata in G minor Op.1 to take up the challenge was an style of Pia Gazarek-Offermann,
No.4 (“The Devil’s Trill”); Sonata in ancient laptop purchased from a with the raga inspiration of a
G minor Op.1 No.10 (“Didone factory surplus warehouse and great 20th-century guitarist/com-
Abbandonata”); Largo (from running on Windows XP. Hurrah poser.
Sonata in E minor Op.1 No.5); for cutting-edge technology! The entire record is dedicated to
Sonata in A major Op.1 No.13 And now let’s finally get around original 20th-century guitar
(“Pastorale”); Grave in D minor. to the performance which, as music; a collection representative
VERACINI: Sonata in A major Op.1 expected, is of the highest order. of guitar-inspired music by con-
No.7. We all know the story of the temporary artists.
The Palladians Devil’s Trill, but it’s not that often Some of them, Verdery and
Linn KCD 292 we get to witness the work in all Domeniconi for example, are gui-
Did you spot the subtle change? its satanic glory. Nor do we enjoy tarists who write for their instru-
That’s right, the established and regular encounters with the cre- ment - sometimes with great vir-
respected Palladian Ensemble ative legacy of Francesco Maria tuosity - and others such as
have quietly and without fanfare Veracini (1690-1768), whose Britten or Henze, discovered new
relaunched themselves as The cantabile violin style is said to ways of composing for the instru-
Palladians. have caused the young Tartini to ment.
Does it really make the slightest storm out in a frightful fit of self- Listening to this record we find
difference? After all, the group’s loathing, emerging after an in both cases an attempt to cap-
many admirers have probably extended period of solitary prac- ture, with six strings, a spirit of
been using this slightly abbreviat- tice with a longer bow, thicker our time; sometimes through ori-
ed title in conversation for many strings and new manner of play- ental philosophy, as in
years, in much the same way as ing not dissimilar to that of Satyagraha or in Domeniconi’s
followers of Pink Floyd refer to Veracini. Koyumbaba; sometimes by the
their heroes as The Floyd. But This and other related anec- way of a meditation about death
whatever they choose to call dotes are vividly recounted in the in Verdery’s Let Go or Britten’s
themselves, an hour in the virtual superb programme notes by Nocturnal (death as a long sleep);
company of this first-rate baroque Palladian archlutenist and other pieces evoke the past with
chamber outfit is always welcome, baroque guitarist William Carter. the precious, lydian mode as in
although I hope I don’t live to see As the fan club will already be Nuccio d’Angelo’s Due canzone
the day when representatives of aware, Carter is now the only lidie, or abstracted items like the
the music press are invited to remaining founder member, the ‘sweet colour blue’ in Hans
evaluate a slick new release titled personnel on the present release Werner Henze’s Drei Tentos
Rock Your Baroque with “The being completed by Rodolfo (Holderlin’s poem) and a diffuse
Pals”. Richter (violin), Susanne Heinrich sensation given by nature in
But the reason why my heart (bass viol) and Silas Standage Takemitsu’s Equinox...
sank on receiving this all-new (harpsichord). The prodigiously What is present in each piece -
2008 offering had nothing at all to skilled Richter remains in the hot whatever its language: tonal,
do with names, for despite the seat for most of the proceedings, atonal, modal and many other
striking cover illustration depict- although the equally adept possible combinations - is a deep
ing Tartini’s much-discussed Heinrich has the final word in feeling for life and an authentic
dream, it was impossible not to Tartini’s valedictory Grave in D sensibility and intelligence.
notice that the disc is housed in a minor. Here there are some of the best
fussy and fragile plastic package A pointless rebranding and an examples of the art of the guitar
calling itself a Super Jewel Box. unstable format destined for the during the last 50 years. Pia
That can only mean that we’re in same fate as the Betamax video, Gazarek-Offermann’s interpreta-
the presence of yet another hybrid but a terrific innings all the same. tion is at the same level - excel-
SACD, one of those supposedly Paul Fowles lent. She offers a very convincing
clever products whose purveyors performance that contributes to
insist they ‘can be played on any SATYAGRAHA our understanding and love of
standard compact disc player’. VERDERY: Satyagraha; Let go. this music. She is truly outstand-
Needless to say, the fully-func- DOMENICONI: Koyunbaba. ing – even if she’s not very well
tional CD player that had just HENZE: Drei Tentos. D ANGELO: known on the international scene.
spent an entire morning cheerful- due Canzone Lidie. TAKEMITSU: You may well ask why but
ly dealing with new releases on Equinox. BRITTEN: Nocturnal. because there are so many play-
the Naxos, Stradivarius and Pia Gazarek-Offermann ers today, it is possible to over-
Pilfink labels spat this one out Aurea Vox Krefeld look, unwittingly, some excellent
and remained resolute in its From the first notes you know ones. Also, perhaps it’s harder if
refusal to co-operate. After open- what the atmosphere of this you are a woman.
ing and closing various other recording will be: poetic and deep. Listening to this exquisite play-
plastic drawers without success, I Opening with Benjamin Verdery’s ing, you understand who Pia
finally discovered that the one Satyagraha, the eponymous title, Gazarek-Offermann is. She has a

great sensibility in her phrasing everything out of the water. My The Walrus Tree is anything to go
and she has her own special preconceptions have been joyous- by.
sound, extremely pure. This helps ly scuppered! Avast there land- The Tárrèga threesome is a nice
her to convey to the listener a lubbers...there be another South start to the programme and is
world of inner poetry. American, Brazilian guitarist great to hear on disc the rarity,
She is nothing but a true artist more precisely, headed your way, Grand Vals (the origin of the
who never wants to show off but and by the cut of his thumbnail Nokia ring tone). Capricho Arabe
aims at speaking to us, something (glued on) he will be taking no is given a good interpretation here
we need today more than ever. prisoners. and also allows the player to dis-
Indeed, we need a music that Nothing is original; originality is play his Segovia-style vibrato to
speaks about our time: us, our an inexplicable conglomeration of full extent. The Recuerdos is
questions and feelings about the past, as dazzling as to warrant pleasant enough but there are
truth, tenderness, depth or deli- the ‘O’ word. I mentioned Costa’s better versions with clearer
cious lightness. And she delivers cherubic countenance in the pre- tremolo on many other record-
that. Let’s listen. vious review, please investigate ings.
Danielle Ribouillault this on YouTube; he is a musician I love the fire and force Durrant
who embodies the auras of a stel- puts into his arrangement of the
MAFUÁ lar list including, Garoto, Bonfá, Bach Prelude (from the fourth lute
YAMANDU COSTA: El Negro del Baden-Powell, Toquinho, already suite), a power he achieves with-
Blanco; Elodie. ARMANDINHO mentioned Tapajos, Gismonti, out having to resort to too much
NEVES: Mafuá. Y. COSTA: Samba gleefully plucking from the styles high velocity playing which some
pro Rafa; Zamba Tuerta; of the whole plethora of Latin players resort.
Bachbaridage; Bostemporânea; American guitar players. Yet he The same energy is given to
Choro Loco; Caminho de Luz. ZÉ sounds remarkably fresh and parts of the beautiful Japanese
GOMEZ: Quem é Você. Y. COSTA: new. Not too far from Raphael classic Sakura but Durrant also
Ressaca. LALÃO: Lalão. Y. Rabello yet with the surprising manages to illustrate his more
COSTA: Tipo Bicho. punchy audacity of the great subtle and emotional side within
Yamandu Costa tanguero from Argentina, Juanjo several of the variations in this
Acoustic Music Records. Best nr. Dominguez. I mention these composition.
319.1396.2 names because listening to When a player has proved on
If there was such thing as visual Yamandu is like hearing all of previous tracks that he has a
review where you could see the them in a hall of mirrors; exciting. beautiful command of warm, lush
reviewer’s first reaction to a Yamandu Costa is a wonderfully tone, it then seems a strange idea
recording, perhaps a glimpse into vibrant guitarist, with a huge to begin the highly romantic
the future of publishing, then you range; from a subtle whisper to a Cavatina, in a hard ‘ponticello’
would have seen a Reviews Editor full-out thrash and in between sound, as he does on this record-
skipping down the road; his sweet and joyous musical aban- ing. Although a richer tone is
ecstatic strides almost breaching don. Like Peter Finger I have restored later I’m not convinced of
the confines of common decency, become a fan. Please buy this the merits of beginning in this
his MP3 player bouncing on his superb recording straight after fashion.
chest, manic grin, as Yamandu reading this message. In Richard Durant’s own
Costa’s debut with Peter Finger’s Tim Panting arrangement of Asturias he has
astounding Acoustic Music taken a few liberties from the orig-
Record company travelled via the RECUERDOS - inal piano score, modifications
Sennheiser in-ear headphones GUITAR CLASSICS which you will either love or loath,
into his brain, opening up a realm F. TÁRREGA: Recuerdos de la I go for the latter I’m afraid.
of senses he had all thought were Alhambra; Grand Vals; Capricho This recording may not take the
quite dried up, yet now sizzled Arabe. P. TCHAIKOWSKY: Dance guitar world by storm but, with
with the drama of a full blown of the Sugar Plum Fairy. J. S. just a few personal reservations, I
Amazonian electrical thunder BACH: Prelude in E. R. DURRANT: can say that it is emphatically
storm. Not since hearing The Walrus T ree. Y. YOCOH: worth a listen.
Sebastião Tapajos for the first Sakura. S. MYERS: Cavatina. D. As a bonus, this is a double-
time have I heard such musician- SCARLATTI: Sonata in A K322. I. sided disc with the conventional
ship and guitaristic naturalness; ALBÉNIZ: Asturias. recording on side ‘1’ and the same
if this man was an archer in a Richard Durrant recordings on the second side but
past life, his name would have LongMan 049DAVD this time with the music playing
been Robin Hood. I had ‘heard’ Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, in a 5.1 surround sound audio
Yamandu before...recommended The Walrus Tree, Grand Vals … mix containing still images of the
by the encyclopaedic guitar hardly guitar ‘classics’ as the CD player performing on his unusual,
genius Stuart Blagden...I sought title implies; but it has to be said but attractive Gary Hearn guitar.
him out, and indeed reviewed a that they are nicely performed Steve Marsh
fantastic GHA release (Ida e Volta here and especially pleasing is
GFA 126.060) of his work with a Durrant’s own short-lived compo- PORTRAITS
trio. The release of Mafuá, which sition: a moody work with flamen- I. ALBÉNIZ: Asturias. E. SATIE:
Peter Finger freely bows to co/latin/jazz connotations’ Such Gymnopodie No. 1. ANONYMOUS:
Yamandu’s jaw-dropping instru- a shame he did not feel fit to alter Go From My Window. A. BAR-
mental powers, and where Costa the title of this recording and RIOS: Julia Florida. J. L. MER-
steers an entirely solo path, blows include more of his originals, if LIN: Evocacion. F. SOR:

Introduction and Variations on a The Jose Vinas composition these three tracks were repeated
Theme of Mozart. J. DOWLAND: Fantasia Original is here played on my CD player several times
Melancholy Galliard. TRADITION- with energy and verve and shows before I let the disc run on. Then
AL: Wild Mountain Thyme. J. Ayala to have a rather acceptable it happened again … the next
VINAS: Fantasia Original. J. S. tremolo, but unfortunately there track being a totally unfamiliar
BACH: Toccata and Fugue in D are too many ‘clipped’ and buzzed work by the Cuban composer
minor. P. M. DAVIES: Farewell to notes to enable one to sit back Julian Orbon, a composer of
Stromness. and enjoy the music. whom Aaron Copland once
Gabriel Ayala Seeing the next two, thankfully described as ‘Cuba’s most gifted
Canyon CR7086 final, items on the programme composer of the new generation.’
Unfortunately, the programme made my heart sink and I can Barron gives a totally convincing
begins on a low note. If you are to honestly say that I was not disap- presentation of this composer’s
record one of the most recognised pointed. One must I suppose, Afro-Cuban styled Preludio y
works in the guitar repertoire, i.e. congratulate Ayala for tackling Danza, another piece I felt the
Asturias, you need to firstly get the Bach organ masterwork in urge to hear several times.
the notes right (many are miss- the first place, but really this ver- On the negative side, Barron’s
ing) and also attempt to say sion is just nine minutes of waf- tremolo on Tárrega’s legendary
something which other record- fle. The Peter Maxwell Davies study for this technique is good,
ings do not; this performance fares better only in that it is a but I’ve heard better, and I’m not
certainly tells you something but much shorter piece. really convinced by the rather
regrettably it is the wrong mes- I can only surmise that the exaggerated ‘rit’ in Villa-Lobos’
sage. recording engineer on this project second prelude. The trio of
Nowhere on this disc can I find must have been asleep at his post Barrios’s compositions are finely
the name of the arranger of some during the sound balancing on performed but I felt that there
of these pieces, so I must assume this disc as on several occasions I was room for more charm here
it is Gabriel Ayala himself. His had to reach to adjust the volume and there.
treatment of Erik Satie’s most control. Unfortunately (and I The three 19th century pieces
celebrated piano work is nice realise that I’ve used that word by Sor which conclude the pro-
enough, as is the following several times during this review - gramme are an absolute delight
anonymous lute piece. not the best of signs) there is not and it is so refreshing to once
As regards the Barrios master- much to recommend this disc for, again experience a performance
piece, Julia Florida, it is here not even the player’s tone can of these works.
given a bland and lacklustre per- come to the rescue. In conclusion, this is a record-
formance and is not a track I Steve Marsh ing which has its merits but the
would have an urge to return to. more celebrated works do not
Although Ayala gives a creditable SPIRIT OF THE GUITAR present any competition to many
presentation of the lovely opening ISAAC ALBÉNIZ: Asturias; Cadiz. other recordings. On the strength
movement from the Argentinian JOAQUIN RODRIGO: Sarabanda of the performances of the
composer Jose Luis Merlin’s Lejana. FRANCISCO TÁRREGA: Bogdanovic, Orbon and, indeed,
suite, it would have been nice to Recuerdos de la Alhambra. the player’s own composition, I
have the whole suite. DUSAN BOGDANOVIC: Jazz would have much preferred a pro-
The Sor Introduction … begins Sonatina. BEN BARRON: Ode to gramme of lesser-known guitar
in fine flamenco style with fff Christopher. JULIAN ORBON: Five works.
chords - just a pity it’s not fla- Preludes. AGUSTIN BARRIOS: Steve Marsh
menco - and then gets underway Julia Florida; Maxixe; Villancico de
proper with a fairly poor perfor- Navidad. FERNANDO SOR: Rondo ANDRÉS SEGOVIA AND HIS
mance, both musically and tech- in C; Estudio in A; Estudio in CONTEMPORARIES
nically of this celebrated guitar Thirds. Vol. 8 Segovia & Oyanguren
piece of which in the sleeve notes Ben Barron Part II
Ayala writes ‘To perform this Groove Tonic Media GTM-1072 Doremi DHR-7794
piece a guitarist must achieve the Throughout this album of mostly Vol. 9 Segovia &
uppermost levels of technical and famous classical guitar reper- Regino Saínz de la Maza
musical virtuosity.’ - Indeed. toire, American guitarist Ben Doremi DHR-7804
Listening to Ayala’s recording of Barron does justice to the music Vol. 10 Segovia &
the Dowland masterpiece, I for the majority of the programme José Rey de la Torre
thought that here he was putting in bold and confident perfor- Doremi DHR-7854-6
in a decent performance and then mances, although it has to be This series should be prescribed
lo and behold, a fluffed note rears said that I found the more unfa- listening for guitar students at
its head at the half-way point. miliar items so much more enjoy- Colleges of Music and universi-
Although not credited as such, I able to listen to than I did with ties as the recordings encapsu-
have a suspicion that the version the frequently visited ones. The late the spirit of the early guitar
on this disc of the traditional three-movement Jazz Sonatina by traditions of the 20th century
Scottish song Wild Mountain the Serbian composer Dusan now frequently misunderstood.
Thyme is the one which Scott Bogdanovic (with whom Barron Only recently a reviewer in these
Tennant recorded (and pub- studied at the San Francisco pages described Segovia’s style
lished) - a lovely arrangement Conservatory of Music) for as ‘idiosyncratic’ as if such an
indeed and played very nicely instance. This performance made adjective were sufficient to bring
here. such an impression on me that us closer to an understanding of

what the Maestro represented. In like manner the playing of Segovia’s special magic emerges
The Doremi series opens our ears Oyanguren, recorded on like a blazing beacon. His record-
to the essential ‘idiosyncrasy’ of Columbia and Victor between ings reveal a more intense level of
the entire generation of recital- 1937 and 1941, comes at us with preparation, more refined quali-
ists from the 1920s to the 1950s, some latent awareness of aspira- ties of sonority, a unique shaping
before the Bream/Williams revo- tion but achieving less pinpoint of phrases, and constant striv-
lution ushered in new concepts of precision than we would now ings towards perfection. But it
interpretation, technique and expect. The preferred types of was Segovia’s overall under-
repertoire. guitar then were of course the standing of the aesthetics of
Younger players hearing these bass heavy traditional models music and mastery of technical
tracks may encounter a certain (and - before the 1940s - with gut resources marshalled in service
culture shock. For the concert strings), not the perfectly of a supremely poetic imagina-
performers of the early 20th cen- homogenised and evenly toned tion, which elevated him beyond
tury followed a different philoso- machines of modern makers with any competitor in this early
phy of the guitar, enveloping both vastly improved string reso- phase of 20th century develop-
their method of presentation and nance. Yet Oyanguren’s choice of ment. In certain wayward
everything that evolved from that. repertoire is still surprising - rhythms and timings, similarities
A DVD of the playing of José Rey Giuliani’s Grande Ouverture, between players can be observed
de la Torre on Vol. 10 (recorded something of a rarity for many - this was a characteristic of gui-
for CBS along with an unctuous years, and Cimarosa’s Sonata in tar styles of the period. Segovia’s
interviewer and flamenco items A, preceding Bream’s advocacy of domination of every aspect of the
from Carlos Montoya), will give this composer by nearly 20 years. instrument is what establishes
much food for thought. For one At the same time he offers lol- him as a ‘great’ player, able to
thing, de la Torre’s performances lipops such as Rodriguez’s La transform the musical landscape
(filmed in 1957 and 1962) are not Cumparsita, Parga’s Alhambra, and influence all that followed.
note perfect and sometimes give and his own Andalucia, works By the time the new movement
the impression of studied casual- that no self-respecting adult arrived (the glorious revolution of
ness. would nowadays expend much Bream, Williams, Yepes, Diaz,
His chosen repertoire (Sor’s time or energy on, whether listen- etc,) it was not possible to com-
Variations Op. 9 and Study in B ing or playing. The guitar in this pare like with like - subsequent
minor, Falla’s Homenaje a context seemed caught between interpretative considerations
Debussy, Pavane by Luis Milán, the instrument’s popular café being radically at odds with the
Turina’s Fandanguillo, Asturias- associations and the player’s pre- concepts of earlier recitalists, ini-
Leyenda by Albéniz, Choros 1 and tensions towards the seriousness tiating substantially different
Study No. 11 by Villa-Lobos), is of the concert hall, a somewhat approaches to performance,
sufficient to return us, as in a schizophrenic mix with often repertoire and the reading of
time capsule, to those hopeful, regrettable consequences. musical texts. The situation
pioneering days. The interviewer Similarly we listen to the play- became slightly confused histori-
appears concerned whether audi- ing of Regino Sáinz de la Maza, cally because of Segovia’s
ences had even heard of ‘classical recorded 1935-48, with our his- longevity as a recitalist, going on
guitar’ while Rey de la Torre feeds torical cap on. This includes his for decades after his style had
in some slightly off-beat glosses premiere recording of the become representative of a
on guitar history, suggesting, for Concierto de Aranjuez, a seminal bygone epoch, the era of
example, that the guitar devel- moment in guitar history. His Pachmann, Kreisler, Landowska
oped generically from the lute or performances of pieces by and Casals. But when the playing
the Moors introduced the guitar Tárrega, Recuerdos de la of Segovia is juxtaposed (as in
to Spain. But in the actual play- Alhambra, under the title of these recordings) with that of his
ing we discover the essence of the Evocación, Sueño (subtitled contemporaries the nature of his
old style - a personal touch, a Reverie), and Mazurka, provide excellence shines out. It was that
reticent, unflashy presentation fascinating interpretative which stimulated later genera-
and a sweetly lyrical sound insights for Sáinz de la Maza, tions rather than the aspirations
appropriate to his choice of first studied guitar with Daniel and abilities of so many less
Simplicio and Hauser guitars. Fortea, a devoted Tárrega stu- capable colleagues.
There is something endearing dent. Regino Sáinz de la Maza It is not possible to understand
and quietly passionate about the himself remained for most of his the intricacies of guitar history,
performance, the revealing of a life at the heart of Spanish cul- or the essential greatness of
specific guitaristic voice, small tural activities, being the son-in- Segovia’s art without some
but plaintive, poignant but law of Concha Espina, the novel- awareness of what was going on
undemonstrative. The guitar ist, and close friend of both Lorca in those early decades of the 20th
then was not a pseudo-keyboard and Dalí, as well as giving inter- century. Thus ‘Legendary
attempting to break the bounds national recitals and encouraging Treasures’, as the series is
of its intrinsic limitations. The Rodrigo to write a concerto at a called, should be the prescribed
playing appears somehow more time when very few guitarists listening of younger players who
informal than nowadays, the were capable of sustaining a pro- wish to understand the legacy of
expressiveness lying close to the fessional career. the 20th century classical guitar
heart of the recitalist and draw- Despite the manifold virtues and how we arrived where we are
ing us into the sounds unobtru- and historical significance of the today.
sively and intimately. other recitalists featured, Graham Wade

DVDs
CLASSICAL GUITAR METHOD acoustics and the occasional whole agreeable but rather soporif-
GRADE 1 by Stanley Yates split-screen and close-ups work ic. The sense of cosy predictability
Published by Mel Bay wonderfully well. I thoroughly is further enhanced by an ongoing
Publications. MB21548DVD. enjoyed Yates’s approach to this series of cross-fades to pictures of
This DVD has been released to be subject and anyone taking up the people dressed in national cos-
studied alongside the book of the guitar, especially for those study- tume.
same name. Although the book ing without a teacher, would be The one isolated and welcome
does have a CD supplied with it, recommended to consider this exception is the splendid Eskimo
this DVD serves a most useful pur- ‘package’. Dance by Piotr Panin, which had
pose letting the student actually Steve Marsh all the makings of an international
see demonstrations of hand posi- hit when it first came out but
tions, chord placement, tone pro- AROUND THE WORLD somehow never got there and is
duction, etc. Uros Dojcinovic now all but forgotten. So it was
Stanley Yates presents the pro- Mel Bay MB21668DVD great to hear it so vividly revived
gramme very informally (open neck It’s now more than ten years since here, but did we really need that
shirt, jeans and trainers) sitting in I last saw the Serbian guitarist / shot of three guys paddling around
front of a black backdrop. In the composer Uros Dojcinovic in per- in kayaks?
introductory talk he does seem son. So it was pleasing to note from A modest but original offering
very slightly ill at ease, not making the cover shot on this 2008 release that would have been of greater
much eye contact with the viewer that he still has one of those won- interest as an audio CD with print-
but as things progress over the derful faces that somehow manage ed programme notes.
next 1 hour and 45 minutes he set- to look permanently surprised. Paul Fowles
tles down and one begins to quick- As seasoned viewers of concert
ly warm to his friendly and relaxed DVDs will know, a convention has STORIES OF LOVE –
personality. Although it is obvious emerged whereby the performer The Birth of Bossa Nova
that he has prompt notes out of initiates proceedings by formally Directed by Paulo Thiago
camera and he has a set series of acknowledging an unseen audi- Producers, Vitoria Producoes
subjects to discuss, his presenta- ence. But this one differs from Duration 1hr 45mins approx.
tion appears almost ad lib and many insofar as it claims to be a Warner Vision International
unscripted resulting in a very genuine live recording, the cam- 5144280632
genial mood as if you are in the eras and microphones having As 50th anniversaries go, this
same room together. eavesdropped on a performance summer release will have aficiona-
Subjects covered include pos- Dojcinovic gave in Belgrade during dos salivating and could well con-
ture, warm up exercises, using a the summer of 2004. Hidden vert those who may have been
metronome, tuning, chords, behind what look like the flood- indifferent to the gentle, swaying
strumming, thumb technique, lights from a top-of-the-range and undeniably cool music that
integrating thumb with fingers, Subbuteo gift set, Dojcinovic’s pub- carries the name Bossa Nova.
chord swopping, fingernail advice, lic are only permitted to show their If the sound of The Girl from
arpeggios, daily exercises and appreciation at the start and finish Ipanema being played on a
many others. of his 53 minute innings. Bontempi electric organ is your
Between topics Stanley Yates In the meantime, he presents a experience and expectation of what
plays small extracts from the gui- pleasant and undemanding Bossa Nova is then prepare to have
tar repertoire (presumably to sequence of ethnically-driven your notions somewhat rearranged.
encourage the student) and finish- miniatures. Half the programme The main narrators in the docu-
es off by discussing and perform- is of Eastern-European origin, mentary are Carlos L yra and
ing the larger repertoire at the con- and few of the items are widely Roberto Menescal; two utterly styl-
clusion of Book 1 of this series. At known. In fact, hardly anything ish gentlemen, who show that
nearly £10.00 for the printed book on the track listing is likely to growing older and greyer means
and almost £14.00 for this DVD, it ring any immediate bells, at least not losing that swing. Their ami-
could appear to be rather an not until you discover that Aires able banter and lovely guitar play-
expensive treat to purchase both Nacionales Espanoles, jointly ing takes us from the earliest days
items, but considering that the attributed to Tárrèga and Arcas, and nights when students would
student is most likely to be work- is a reheated version of the Gran gather and jam. But these were no
ing through this method for sever- Jota with a few bars of rasgueado garage-band rock-and-roll gather-
al months, the initial outlay for thrown in and the customary ings, but sophisticated soirees with
both products seems well worth finale omitted. middle class kids trying out new
the initial outlay although to be Elsewhere, the mood is decidedly harmonies and developing styles of
fair, I have not actually seen the understated. As tends to be the rhythmic accompaniment never
book so cannot comment on its case with Dojcinovic’s original heard before; it’s fascinating to
merits. compositions and arrangements, hear the subtle differences of play-
Mel Bay Productions have done there’s much crossing of hands ing styles.
their usual high class presentation and tinkling of harmonics. But I’m Copacabana and the beach
here; the DVD is well filmed, clear afraid I found the experience as a lifestyle run hand in hand with the

birth of Bossa Nova where early body full on from the front or makes for a very enjoyable 70-
creators like Johnny Alf, who is from the player’s left hand side. minutes’ worth of entertainment.
still going strong, produced a This simplicity of approach is Given that this programme
sound that was hypnotically very much more preferable than contains virtuoso performances
rhythmic but had a witty lyrical the ‘clever’ and supposedly arty of music of the absolute highest
quality that lifted it above mere shots one encounters in many quality, Zanon’s first words on
‘pop’ music. Brazilian music is a other presentations where the the DVD: “Hello, I’m Fabio
constantly developing entity and director has the viewer looking Zanon and I’m going to play
one hears rumblings from the from eccentric and unnatural some nice pieces for you.” - goes
30s; Ary Barroso’s harmonies, angles at the player’s fingertips, to show that not only is he an
Pixinguinha’s rhythms. It is more legs, nostrils, etc. We’re not talk- absolute master of ‘all things
samba than jazz for instance ing ‘Fellini’ here, thank goodness guitar’, he has also conquered
although jazz had a strong influ- for that; the viewer/listener can the tricky art of the grand
ence on almost everything; just enjoy the music for its own understatement.
Anibal Augusto Sardinha or sake and watch a performance as Steve Marsh
‘Garoto’ as he is more familiarly if viewing from the audience in
known was a guitarist and com- an auditorium - except more GUITAR MASTERS LIVE
poser who directly influenced closely. Jorge Morel
Bossa luminaries such as L yra As stated on the front of the Mel Bay Publications.
and Menescal and of course João box, this is a ‘live’ performance MB97213DVD
Gilberto. with seemingly no editing and Originally planned as a series of
It is wonderful to hear Billy the very occasional slight video releases in the 1990’s
Blanco reminiscing and singing, ‘muffed’ note (these are few and under the title ‘Artist Series’, this
likewise João Donato’s wonderful far between it has to be said) has DVD comes from that particular
Bossa Nova piano playing; his been kept in, a fact which goes a collection which presented some
tune Amazonas was lifted by long way in the appeal of this of the finest players shown per-
Peter Allen and his camp compo- project; one really does get the forming in a live performance sit-
sition I go to Rio and similarly effect of a live recital, an impres- uation in warts-and-all recitals
Barry Manilow’s travesty passion which is often lacking in (although we’re only talking the
tiche Copacabana. ‘perfect’, often edited, recordings. odd freckle here and there in sev-
Space does not permit a list of The programme is a striking eral of the programmes).
the fantastic array of artists who assemblage of styles and moods, The Argentinian guitar virtuoso
appear on the disc and generous with music ranging from Zanon’s Jorge Morel introduces and per-
bonus tracks. Needles to say that transcription of Bach’s four - forms nine Latin American guitar
‘Tom’ Jobim features and there movement solo violin work, the solos made up of mostly his own
are wonderful renditions of his Sonata in A minor BWV1003 and compositions and arrangements,
songs by his son Paulo, who the almost frivolous fantasia on the exceptions being two works
bears an uncanny resemblance themes from Donizett’s opera by Agustin Barrios, Julia Florida
to Alain Delon. ‘Lucia de Lammermoor’ by Mertz, and Danza Paraguaya and one
It is the way the story unfolds through to the Brazilian compos- by Morel’s former guitar teacher
that makes this documentary er Alexandre de Faria’s remark- Pablo Escovar, the captivating
special; apocryphal, half-heard able ‘meditation on death’ Chopi. The rest of the programme
stories are cleared up, such as Prelude - Eyes of a Recollection features some of this performer’s
where the term Bossa Nova came written for Fabio Zanon. most engaging original composi-
from, and one comes away from Sandwiched in between Zanon tions: Choro, Pampero, Danza
the experience wanting to hear gives remarkable performances Brasilera, Bossa en Re and
much more of the artists. of the beautiful Old Song by Rapsodia del Sur and his excel-
Not just highly recommended Oscar Lorenzo Ferandez, the lent celebrated arrangement of
but one of those essential pur- highly charged Appassionata by Bustamente’s classic piece
chases. Ronaldo Miranda, and three of Misionera.
Tim Panting Domenico Scarlatti’s sonatas, Listening, and watching Morel
numbers 11, 144 and 391. in this performance, one really
FABIO ZANON - Throughout, Zanon states his comes to appreciate just how
CLASSIC GUITAR SOLOS case with absolute authority, clever a tunesmith and maestro
Mel Bay Publications. seemingly utilising his complete of rhythmic intricacies he is; this
MB97280DVD arsenal of technique and musi- is guitar music of the highest cal-
Presented as a no-frills, no fuss cianship and exuding a complete ibre and deservingly, has become
programme, this DVD from Mel understanding of the stylistic part of the standard repertoire
Bay’s ‘Guitar Masters Live’ series, requirements for each piece. His for the instrument.
does what it says on the tin - articulation and subtle nuances This DVD is a must if you wish
here is a world-class virtuoso of dynamics in the phrasing of to see one of the legends of the
guitarist playing superb music in these works raise the music to guitar performing in his own
a sublime manner. The direction even greater heights. inimitable style. The sound qual-
- or lack of it - is simply reduced Both the picture quality and ity and general direction is very
to three shots: face full on look- sound reproduction are com- good and Jorge Morel’s brief
ing straight into the camera as mendable and watching and lis- introductions to each piece are
the player introduces the music, tening to this astonishing musi- clear and informative.
and, when in performance, either cian at the peak of his powers Steve Marsh

COMPOSERS: WHO NEEDS THEM?
– Composers and the Community
A Report by THÉRÈSE WASSILY SABA
Sir Peter Maxwell Davies CBE - Master of the Queen's Music.
ON WEDNESDAY 8 October 2008 The brought up many issues with regard to the
Worshipful Company of Musicians, in associa- relationship between composers and their audi-
tion with The British Academy of Composers ences, composers and performers, and most
and Songwriters, presented a conference under emotionally debated, the relationship between
the title of Composers: Who Needs Them? – composers and critics. There were a number of
Composers and the Community. There were a discussion panels. The first was presented with
number of guest speakers including Sir Peter the question: ‘Why do we need more New
Maxwell Davies CBE – Master of the Queen’s Music?’ Louise de Winter, Director of the
Music, and there was a very full audience in National Campaign for the Arts, thought it an
attendance with a good number of distin- odd question, but said that the only way to
guished composers there as well. answer was to say that the arts need to replen-
The conference, which was aimed at politicians, ish themselves all the time. We were fortunate
civil servants, broadcasters, journalists, profes- to have some leading critics on the panel, such
sional musicians, educationalists and of course as Richard Morrison, chief music critic from
composers, was introduced by Leslie East, Master The Times newspaper, who seemed to think
of The Musicians Company. This was followed by that composers in general had alienated their
the Chair of the Conference, Prof. Gavin audiences by being too self-indulgent over
Henderson CBE, who was Principal of Trinity recent years and are now paying the price for it.
College of Music, London, for many years and is He also believes that the ‘restoration attempt to
presently Principal of the Central School of Speech put music back into schools over the last 4–5
and Drama. Gavin Henderson jokingly announced years has been too little and too late.’ Professor
his view that ‘as a trumpet player, the world would Frank Furedi, professor of sociology at the
be a better place if it were run by trumpet players!’ University of Kent, was also disturbed by The
On a more serious note, he believes that as musi- Music Manifesto, which is a government-support-
cians, it is ‘a time to examine our values, and see ed campaign to improve young people’s music
what we can bring to the world to cheer it up.’ education in the United Kingdom. He thinks it is
The question of whether we need composers about a lot of things, but not about music: ‘it is
may seem ridiculous but the discussion music deconstructed without totality of cultural

experience.’ He felt that there has
been no attempt to develop taste,
and so was ‘pessimistic from a soci-
ological point of view and by the
status music has in our own soci-
ety’. Peter Kingston of The
Guardian newspaper, who has con-
vened and organised The
Guardian/BBC Proms Young
Composers’ Competition which has
managed to survive a decade with
an impressive list of young and
junior winners, was more opti-
mistic.
Richard Morris of the ABRSM
(Associated Board of the Royal
Schools of Music) made the point
that the government ‘has got it dia-
metrically wrong. Everyone here
would argue that every child needs
music education in school. The Gavin Henderson.
government has decided that every-
one should be a performer, so you get 25 trum- the visual art world and the contemporary
peters in a room together.’ (Gavin Henderson, music world. He contrasted the approach of the
interjecting, thinks that sounded like a very Tate Modern Art Gallery in London with con-
good idea!) Richard Morris believes that chil- temporary composers’ ‘reticence to embrace the
dren need to be taught music appreciation. wider world’. He believes that the ‘Tate Modern
Peter Kingston understands that there has been is a huge success story. The contemporary arts
a push on composers in schools, but he finds are easy to grasp but by and large contempo-
the notion that there is too much playing in rary music isn’t like that yet.’ He also considers
schools is not right. David Stoll, a former Chair that, ‘there is an unwillingness by young com-
of the British Academy of Composers & posers to communicate their message directly.’
Songwriters, described music as educational, Composer, Judith Bingham, addressing her
whether you were in education or not. He feels comments to the critic Richard Morrison said,
that guiding people into listening is crucial for ‘You can’t compare music to the visual arts. You
society in everything it does. ‘Investing in music cannot ‘own’ music. ‘This is an issue she comes
is a very small investment for a very big return.’ across when she is commissioned by people to
Music in education was not the only item on write a piece of music for them; they ask her
the agenda – or something like that!, there was whether they will ‘own’ the piece and she must
also a presentation of a number of works pro- explain that that is not possible.
duced by school students, with filmed record- Contributing to a discussion which asked: Who
ings of recent educational projects education, are we writing music for?, the composer Sally
presented by Lynne Plowman who has been Beamish believes that there is a relatively small
working as a composer in residence in sec- proportion of people who want to listen to music
ondary schools. The difficulty of the current sit- and be intellectually challenged by it. She said that
uation for composers was highlighted by the we must think about this if we want our music to
shocking news that the London Mozart Players, be commercially viable and relevant. Frank Furedi,
who are well-known for commissioning a lot of however, does not think that it is the job of the
new works and doing a lot of work in schools, composer to divide themselves. Composers, he
have had their funding cut. Other valuable says, have to create their own audience and this is
observations from Lynne Plowman’s experience what distinguishes New Music from conventional
of working in schools is that she believes chil- music which already has an audience. Richard
dren are all using computer notation software Morrison added that he is ‘pleased to see the
at the beginning of the composition process younger composers go to new venues and find new
instead of at the end. audiences.’ Agreeing with this Frank Furedi said
Gavin Henderson commented that the 20th that new music has to think about its renewal,
century has turned music into a commodity, so and he doesn’t think that new music is comfort-
ironically the advance has created a heritage able in Wigmore Hall. Practical points were also
culture because you had a collectable experi- raised by composers Debbie Wiseman, Graham
ence. He continued, ‘Visual art doesn’t have the Fitkin and Errollyn Wallen, who work in quite dif-
recording industry; to experience a new play, ferent fields of composition.
you have to go to see the play.’ Richard Some topics came very close to the bone for
Morrison is intrigued by the contrast between me, particularly when the discussion moved

This is the first book to present a detailed account of the
le
Availab musical achievements of Julian Bream. In a wide-ranging
now celebration of his artistry the book offers essential per-
spectives on vital elements of twentieth century guitar his-
tory and reveals how Julian Bream succeeded in establish- The Art of
The Art of M ing the instrument as a uniquely expressive force on the
JULIAN BREAM
L I A N BREA contemporary scene.
JU b y
As well as his phenomenal success in inspiring com-
M WADE posers such as Britten, Tippett, Walton, Arnold, Berkeley,
GRAHA Henze, Brouwer, Takemitsu, etc., to write for the guitar,
Bream is also renowned as the twentieth century’s greatest
lutenist and a passionate advocate of Elizabethan music.
Julian Bream’s influence is apparent in every area of the classical guitar repertoire. He transcribed
Baroque works by Scarlatti, Buxtehude, Cimarosa, etc., and is acknowledged as one of the great inter-
preters of the music of J.S. Bach. He revitalised awareness of the early nineteenth century works of Sor,
Giuliani, and Aguado, while bringing to the public the music of Spain from the sixteenth century to the
present day and breathing new fire into Latin American music by composers such as Villa-Lobos, Ponce
and Brouwer.
Bream, over the years, revolutionised the guitar concerto, inspiring new works in this genre at the
same time as performing the perennial favourites. Through concerts with Peter Pears, George Malcolm,
Peggy Ashcroft, John Williams, and the Julian Bream Consort, he demonstrated his unique versatility,
offering new interpretations of both early and contemporary music. by
This broad canvas is represented here in terms of Bream’s concerts, recordings, and editions. The GRAHAM
book also includes many photos, a comprehensive list of his musical publications, a discography, and a WADE
bibliography.
FOREWORD by JOHN MILLS
OVER 200 PHOTOGRAPHS AND ILLUSTRATIONS CLASSICAL MUSIC/REFERENCE LARGE FORMAT

240 PAGES - HIGH QUALITY PAPER - 297 mm x 210 mm
HARD COVER ISBN 978-1-872639-67-3 SOFT COVER ISBN 978-1-872639-66-6
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towards the role of the music critic. Richard standards is perceived as a threat, then we are
Morrison said that music criticism is of value ‘as already in a disaster area.’ In case it might have
long as it triggers a reaction’. He believes that, ‘if appeared that he was attacking teachers, he
it is not written about in the press, then there is explained, ‘I have discussed dumbing-down in
not the recognition to say that it is happening.’ politics, religion and art, rather than in music or
Frank Furedi thinks music critics are no longer music education. This was purposeful, as I do not
taken seriously but he thinks they are essential. wish to tread on colleagues’ toes, but, by implica-
Carol Barratt, speaking of a recent première of a tion, I hope my gist is clear.’ It was a powerful and
work by her husband the Welsh composer Karl inspiring speech from someone who has dedicat-
Jenkins, who has attracted huge audiences ed his life to being a composer in the community.
through his many works such as Adiemus, com- This very successful conference was organised
mented that although the 3,000 people in the by Leslie East on behalf of the Professional
audience gave the work a standing ovation, the Musicians Advisory Panel of The Worshipful
critics canned it. Company of Musicians and was devised in col-
The composer Sarah Rodgers said, ‘We desper- laboration with the British Academy of
ately need people to play the music that we have Composers & Songwriters. There were many
been writing for the past 30 years and that don’t more ideas and quotes that I could have extract-
get repeat performances.’ On the topic of the dif- ed from my endless pages of notes, however,
ficulty of programming contemporary music hopefully I have provided you with some of the
Nicholas Riddle, Managing Director of Peters ideas and arguments facing music and musicians
Edition Ltd and a member of the Council of the in the 21st century that were discussed. The
Royal Philharmonic Society, relayed a conversa- whole session was recorded and is being collated
tion he had had with a concert organiser for one for presentation to various government bodies
of the major London orchestras. If the organiser and arts councils in the hope of positive action.
programmed Beethoven’s Symphony No.9, he The Worshipful Company of Musicians
could fill the concert hall; but if he just men- website: www.wcom.org.uk
tioned that a contemporary piece will also be on
the programme, he would lose 30 per cent of his
audience. Fortunately, he noted, the annual BBC
Proms concerts are an exception to this because British Guitar Makers
they have an established tradition of program-
ming new works and premières.
DAVID MERRIN
The Keynote Speech was given by Sir Peter
Maxwell Davies. He said, ‘Over the last decades,
since Thatcher, every commodity, including cul- FINE CLASSICAL GUITARS
ture, not only has to be approachable, but, above AND RESTORATION.
all, have a measurable market, or commercial “ High quality concert guitars” Graham Devine
value, and must be demonstrably accessible to www.davidmerringuitars.com 01234 711821
the largest spread of public.’ He continued,
‘Politics has dumbed itself down to almost below
the horizon, with the public given no credit for
intelligence or intellect, while, ironically, ever
fewer people trouble to vote, such is the disillu-
sion and disgust. Could there be warnings for our
profession here?’
Education was on Sir Peter Maxwell Davies’
agenda as well: ‘Many have commented on the
dumbing-down of education, on the standardisa-
tion of teaching, on policies of inclusion which
result in the promotion of the ordinary and the
exclusion of the exceptional.’ Further, he said,
‘This attitude, where the lowest common denom-
inator is the rule, where nothing music be chal-
lenging, where blandness is all-pervasive, where
students at all levels must feel good, confident,
and at all costs never be allowed to imagine they
could ever, if they don’t work, be considered a
failure, - is all well and good, except that in my
experience young people respond to challenge. If
as teacher or educator you expect the lowest
standards, this is what you will get. If as teacher
you are not trained properly, so that a student
who responds with something beyond the lowest
VIEWS FROM EVERYWHERE
FRANCE
THIS SUMMER I had the opportu-

nity to enjoy another excellent gui-
tar summer school in the
enchanting Château de Ligoure,
set in its own parkland in the
Limousin countryside, near
Limoges. The guitar course, one of
the oldest in Europe, was founded
in 1977 by Carel Harms and for
the last 20 years was directed by
Jean-Marc Roulet and Raymond
Giraud.
In August, 2008, Eleftheria
PHOTOS: THÉRÈSE WASSILY SABA

Kotzia took over the direction of
the summer school, known as a
‘stage’ in French. Twenty partici-
pants from France, England,
Algeria and Japan gathered for
ten days of stimulating guitar
playing. This included individual
guitar lessons every other day at
the appropriate level for each Jean-Pierre Billet (guitar) and Antoine Billet (cello).
person, as well as courses in
ensemble and orchestral playing. Eleftheria The setting was idyllic. The three-storey Château
(Ellie), who teaches at the Royal Welsh College de Ligoure is a fine nineteenth-century house,
of Music, and Jean-Pierre Billet, Guitar standing in its own parkland. The reception rooms
Professor at the Conservatoire National in the part of the chateau where the courses were
Regional of Clermont-Ferrant, provided a high held, offered a faded fin-de-siècle elegance, which
standard of tuition in the different fields. The added greatly to the unique atmosphere of this
level of playing ability varied from accomplished course. The accommodation was rustic in a
players to relative newcomers to the guitar. The charming French way and the cost of the full ten-
atmosphere was very friendly, supportive and day course was extremely reasonable.
fun. Eleftheria’s delightful sunny personality, pro-
There were a series of evening concerts, Nuits fessionalism and her established teaching meth-
de la Guitare, during the course. Ellie played fiery ods, and Jean-Pierre’s impressive depth of musi-
Mediterranean and Greek music which was a cal knowledge and dry sense of humour, made
delight. Jean-Pierre Billet and Antoine Billet, his them a very effective team. I have now attended
son, played romantic guitar and cello duo music, two courses at Ligoure and can highly recom-
and Jean-Marc Roulet performed a programme of mend the experience. After ten days there was a
Spanish music in duo with the singer, Ann distinct feeling of having made progress. The
Elizabeth Petit. The end-of-course student con- atmosphere created by Ellie and Jean-Pierre
cert on the final evening gave all course partici- made everyone feel part of an extended family.
pants a chance to perform the prepared reper- There will be another course next July – from 22
toire under concert conditions to a local audi- July until 1 August 2009. I shall certainly be reg-
ence. istering again. Oh, and I forgot to mention the
I was fascinated by an excellent Lecture Recital delicious, organic French country cuisine which
given by Jean-Pierre, in which he outlined the formed a most important part of the pleasures at
history of guitar music and displayed examples the ‘stage’.
of ancient tablature, followed by a performance Allix Cotton
of some early music, first on his baroque guitar
and then on his original nineteenth-century gui- LONDON
tar. Also most helpful was the informal student
concert (Open Platform) – everyone took part. It IN NOVEMBER 2008 there were a number of
happened to be the night of the full moon, so a events held under the auspices of the London
moon-gazing session followed at midnight out- Guitar Festival, including a Tribute to Julian
side on the lawns. We were fortunate enough to Bream – to celebrate his 75th birthday year, by
witness a dramatically clear partial eclipse of the students at Guildhall School of Music and Drama,
moon which added a unique aspect to the festiv- London, who played a selection of pieces from the
ities. repertoire inspired by Julian Bream. Ahmed
recording and has featured it on
Queen’s own website. At this
solo recital Carlos Bonell also
gave the première of his own
composition Canciones.
Thérèse Wassily Saba
ITALY
THE TRAIN from Rome rolled

into the darkened station and
there, high above me twinkled
the lights of the famous abbey at
Monte Cassino. The Cassino
Guitar Festival had been putting
on concerts since 19 October
2008 and the second weekend in
Carlos Bonell, Robert Brightmore and David Miller. December marked the culmina-
tion of the events with five fine
Dickinson opened the evening with a performance concerts including Grigory Novikov (Russia),
of William Walton’s Five Bagatelles. Matt Juan Carlos Laguna (Mexico) and Aniello
Robinson on the guitar supported the tenor Desiderio who was on home ground. The festival
Michael Bradley very well in their performance of is organised by Alessandro Minci and Massimo
Songs from the Chinese by Benjamin Britten. Delle Cese and the whole series of concerts ends
Guitarist Maria Camahort performed Benjamin with a competition. Thirteen entrants were whit-
Britten’s Folksongs for High Voice & Guitar with tled down to four finalists: Lore Raus (Belgium)
the very animated tenor Ed Lee, and Jørgen came first and Fabio Caputo (Italy) came second;
Skogmo gave a very delicate interpretation of Alberto Melchiorre (Italy) third and Daria
Hans Werner Henze’s Drei Tentos followed by a Fedotova (Italy) was fourth; the jury being
rich and focused performance of Sonatina, Op 51 Alessandro, Massimo, Luigi Colozzo and myself,
by Lennox Berkeley. The guitar and lute depart- Neil Smith. Events such as these are superb
ments at Guildhall , headed by Robert meeting places and Luigi told me about another
Brightmore and David Miller respectively, work in course at Gaeta on the coast not far from Cassino
close association with one another, and guitarists – a summer course whereas Cassino takes place
are strongly encouraged to study for a time on in the winter. Interested players may wish to
early instruments where they also learn to access the websites of both of these Italian cours-
accompany in early music ensembles. The theor- es. Cassino is www.noteclassiche.it for a course
bo features prominently in this chamber music in the mountains and www.esachordon.org will
role. Oskar Werninge accompanied the counter- access the Gaeta site which has some stunning
tenor Jake Arditti on the theorbo for Three Songs beach and coastal scenery.
by Henry Purcell. They were three very beautiful Neil Smith
and contrasting songs and one
could not help but be impressed
by the wonderful sounds that
Werninge produced on the theor-
bo. This Guildhall concert opened
the London International Guitar
Festival, which continued with
España! A celebration of music for
guitar and keyboard at the Royal
College of Music. Another special
concert in the Festival was Carlos
Bonell’s solo recital at the Gustav
Tucker Hall, University College
London where he premièred
pieces from his latest recording
Queen: solo guitar rhapsodies,
arranged for solo guitar by Carlos
Bonell and David Young. Carlos
Bonell has been very pleased with
the response to the recording, in
particular that of Brian May from Cassino Finalists (from left) Alberto Melchiorre, Lore Raus, Daria Fedotova
Queen, who has praised the and Fabio Caputo.
GRUPPETTO
CLASSICAL music doesn’t really exist, says convenient word) guitar mentioned, nor was
Alex Ross, music critic of the New Yorker and any reference made to the widely-held respect
author of a new book, The Rest Is Noise: for classical music in general. This was a pro-
Listening to the Twentieth Century. His reason gramme aimed at an audience that can’t see
is that the musical spectrum is too vast to jus- beyond the beguiling Buena Vista Social Club.
tify the word ‘classical’. He talks about a range I personally like their music, as I like the pop-
that encompasses the medieval chant of ular music of 70 years ago in the form of the
Hildegard of Bingen, Vivaldi’s Baroque concer- Lecuona Cuban Boys. Ernesto Lecuona was a
tos, Wagner’s lengthy music dramas, the elec- classically trained Cuban musician who grad-
tronic experiments of John Cage, Steve uated from the National Conservatory of
Reich’s African-influenced Drumming and very Havana with a gold medal for interpretation
much more. The only word to describe it is when he was only 16. The Cuban Boys, to
‘music’. ‘Classical’ is a word used mainly by which group he gave his name and many of his
those who have formed the impression that songs, were an irresistibly joyous combination
there are only two kinds of music - their kind, of high talent and even higher spirits, with a
and everything else. There never was a time mastery of rhythm that has not been sur-
when so much music and of so many different passed since. You have the feeling that they
kinds was available to so many people. It would have succeeded whatever the regime
means that even Pop music, with its domi- they found themselves living under. There is a
nance over the commercial market, is ulti- YouTube recording of the extraordinary Maño
mately a minority interest. Join the club. Lopez performing Oye Mi Rumba with the
band. ‘Performing’ is the only word: he covers
‘TO ME, folk music is dead music.’ This aston- every aspect, singing, dancing, playing the tres
ishing statement was made by a radio presen- guitar not while he dances but with it held
ter in a programme about the richly varied behind his back. He even plucks the strings
music of Cuba. To him, music had to come with his teeth. Exhibitionist? It’s certainly an
from living people, preferably people who had exhibition, but it’s possible to see it as an
suffered and were suffering. Not for him the expression of total music making. Lopez does
formal music of the music academies. Contrast everything but burn his instrument, and we
this with another quotation, from a rather had to wait for Jimi Hendrix before that par-
more distinguished musician: ‘Folk music? All ticular piece of nihilism could be witnessed in
music is folk music. I ain’t never heard of no a public performance.
animal music.’ That, give or take a word or The Lecuona Cuban Boys were part of the
two, was Louis Armstrong. structure that eventually produced the Buena
Surely, one of the joys of music is that it sur- Vista Social Club, which intrigued and fasci-
vives even if the humans who created it are nated Ry Cooder so much. The same structure
dead, sometimes long dead? It is our living also contains Ernesto Lecuona’s classical (that
skill that can re-create it and so help us to word again) background and learning. Cuba’s
understand the conditions of the time and the classical guitarists today are well aware of this
people that created it. Music never dies; it lies bonding element, and it is a pity that the radio
there, sleeping, until the next performance. programme’s producers could not have been
Another speaker in the same programme put too.
forward the opinion that the Cuban govern-
ment frowned on any cultural influence from WITHOUT being too rigorous about it,
their neighbours the United States of America. Classical Guitar has generally preferred the
Well, I’m sure they did - up to a point. But they word ‘rendering’ to the word ‘rendition’ to
did allow Leo Brouwer to study music in the describe a performance of music, considering
USA, at Hartt College and at Juilliard. And it to be American usage only. However, I dis-
when he returned to Cuba, they welcomed the covered the word rendition in an English
cultural input, even though it had been review published in 1906. So it’s been around
acquired in a large and largely hostile country. for at least 103 years, longer than one would
It was the electric guitar that the sons of the have thought, though it lost some respectabil-
revolution frowned on, no doubt for the same ity recently, when it came to mean removing
kind of rigid ideological reasoning that led suspected terrorists to a remote country where
Mao’s China to ban the classical guitar. Both they could be tortured without too much dan-
restrictions have been relaxed, thankfully, ger of the details being picked up by the inter-
with conspicuous success in China at least. national media.
Perhaps it’s not necessary to say that not But ‘rendering’ can bring to mind a coat of
once in this radio programme was Cuba’s deep plaster, and is only fractionally better.
involvement in the ‘classical’ (I have to use this Colin Cooper

LETTER FROM NEW YORK
By JULIA CROWE
LAST YEAR, guitarist and composer David
Leisner launched a new guitar chamber music
series in New York, Guitar Plus. The series con-
sists of three concerts: The first, performed this
past autumn, featured violinist Soovin Kim, vio-
list Hsin-Yun Huang and guitarist David Leisner
performing works by Paganini, Matiegka,
Mackey, Leisner and Piazzolla. The second,
which took place this past winter, featured
flautist Eugenia Moliner and guitarist Denis
Azabagic of the Cavatina Duo performing works
by Piazzolla, Leisner, Carlos Rafael Rivera,
Clarice Assad, Alan Thomas and François Borne.
The final concert will take place on April 28,
2009, featuring soprano Courtenay Budd, tenor
William Ferguson and guitarist David Leisner.
When asked of his intent and vision in putting
this series together, Leisner responds, ‘Guitarists
tend to concentrate mostly on the solo repertoire,
Cavatina Duo.
and this places us in a sort of musical ‘ghet-
to’. Without the influence of other musicians who ‘Every programme has at least a couple of pre-
are more accustomed to the mainstream of mieres as well as some popular items,’ Leisner
music-making, like orchestral players, chamber says, ‘and I also make a point of featuring reper-
musicians and singers, we cannot expect to toire that has been unfairly neglected. The first
make major progress in the area of interpreta- concert was a good example of this variety. With
tion. At the same time, I have always felt that the two immensely gifted string players - violinist
guitar chamber music repertoire is very rich; and Soovin Kim and violist Hsin-Yun Huang - I was
with the possibility of commissioning new works, able to give what was the New York premiere of
it can be richer still. For most of my playing the Grand Trio, op. 24 by Wenzeslaus Matiegka.’
career I have been very active as a chamber ‘It is my personal belief that Matiegka, who was
musician; I love the experiences this brings, and a contemporary of Beethoven, is the most
I always learn a tremendous amount from my unjustly neglected composer of the 19th centu-
chamber music partners.’ ry. I feel he may be the most important guitar
‘For several years now I have wanted to direct composer of that era, and this half-hour work in
a series of chamber music concerts in New York five movements is a masterpiece of the guitar
that center on the guitar. Recently, a private chamber music literature. Soovin and I played
donor made this possible, or at least its begin- the New York premiere of Steven Mackey’s A
nings. My intention was to make programmes Final Glance, written thirty years ago,’ Leisner
that include a variety of well-known, lesser- says. ‘It’s a very short work and the earliest piece
known and new works. I have played in two of he has written. It’s bristling with energy and
the three concerts, with a guest ensemble play- musical invention. We also performed the
ing the third.’ Paganini pieces and the Piazzolla Histoire du
Of the programming, Leisner says, ‘It is not of Tango. That same evening, Hsin-Yun gave the
interest to me merely to show off as a guitarist, premiere of my short piece for solo viola, Falling.’
but rather to present pieces that might not be ‘The second concert of the series featured the
heard otherwise - if there wasn’t a willing and great Cavatina Duo, who put together their own
able guitarist prepared to play them. So, even if programme, which just fell naturally into my
it is a piece like, say, the Paganini Cantabile or overall scheme of things. Their programme was
Tarantella, where the guitar is almost entirely in highlighted by some of the pieces they have com-
an accompanimental role, I want them to be missioned for their Balkan Music Project, which
heard, because the Cantabile is utterly beautiful they recorded for the Cedille label just a couple
and the Tarantella is thrilling. Another part of of weeks later. Pieces by Alan Thomas and
my intent for the series was for me to play with Carlos Rivera were New York premieres, and
musicians of a younger generation. The talent of Clarice Assad’s contributions were also includ-
each new generation seems to become more and ed. Their astounding performances of Piazzolla’s
more mind-boggling, and I want to team up with Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas (in Sergio Assad’s
that freshness. I believe the mix of generations fine arrangement), Borne’s popular Carmen
can bring a special liveliness to a performance.’ Fantasy and my own work, Acrobats, completed

the distinguished and varied programme. They has had an interesting and unusual history
have recorded Acrobats for the Cedille label and amongst concert halls in New York. The building
performed it in almost every concert they’ve has been, at various times, a public market, ice
played in the last four years.’ skating rink, boxing arena and movie theatre.
‘I must say that to have one’s music played Two enterprising and musical entrepreneurs,
with such commitment and mastery is a rare Isaiah Sheffer and Alan Miller, had a vision for it
thrill. The final concert in late April is a vocal to be a new cultural center on the Upper West
music programme with the bril- Side, which had been through
liant young singers, William some bad times and was about
Ferguson (tenor) and Courtenay to undergo a major renais-
Budd (soprano). The guitar and sance.’
voice repertoire is some of the ‘In 1978 they presented their
very best we have in the whole first concert, a ‘Wall to Wall
of the guitar literature, and Bach’ marathon, which lasted
many great programmes could from 11am to midnight, with
easily be assembled with this free admission. Since then,
music.’ Symphony Space has become
‘Since I have such a fine tenor the premier cultural venue in
in William, who consistently the neighborhood, and it has
sings with tremendous charac- also continued to produce many
ter and passion, I chose to pro- other ‘Wall to Wall’ concerts of
gramme Dominick Argento’s Ives, Cage, Stravinsky and
masterpiece for voice and gui- more. I participated in the
tar, Letters from Composers, recent Stravinsky and Bach
which includes text from letters ‘Wall to Wall’ concerts, and that
by seven great composers. The led to my being asked to play
piece is most often performed the 12 Etudes of Villa-Lobos and
with soprano, but it was origi- my own work, Vision of Orpheus,
nally intended for tenor and I for guitar and string quartet in
think that it sounds best this this season’s concert. I played
way. Courtenay’s voice is a my piece in its New York pre-
natural fit for the popular Aria miere a year ago with the young,
from Bachianas Brasileiras No. extraordinarily talented iO
5. Also, she was one of the first String Quartet, and the
to sing Osvaldo Golijov’s stun- Symphony Space presenter has
ning aria, Lua Descolorida for David Leisner. requested a repeat perfor-
voice and piano, that was later mance. The iO chose to complete
included in Golijov’s groundbreaking La Pasión the programme with a performance of Arcadiana
Segun San Marco. I recently made an arrange- by Thomas Adès, a work which shares some
ment of it for guitar, with Osvaldo’s approval, interesting parallels with my own. It appears to
and this piece will receive its premiere, making a be very rare that a guitarist plays all 12 Villa-
transcendent pairing with the Villa- Lobos Etudes as a set in concert. The last time it
Lobos. Courtenay will also play the long-overdue was done, as far as I know, was in New York over
New York premiere of my short song set from 20 years ago, by Eliot Fisk. I believe that the
1991, Heaven’s River, set to poems by the great Etudes are wonderful pieces individually, but as
Hindu, Rabindranath Tagore. Bookending the a whole it is greater than the sum of its parts and
programme will be songs by Schubert and has the gravity of a masterpiece.’
Gershwin (in John Duarte’s clever arrange- ‘The Barge is located on the Brooklyn water-
ments), sung by both singers.’ front at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge. It is lit-
Leisner is looking to have another presenter erally a boat that was bought over thirty years
take-on the series. ‘At the moment I’m waiting to ago by violinist Olga Bloom, who envisioned it as
hear from someone, and I hope that this will a ‘floating concert hall.’ She renovated it herself
carry us into the second season. It’s a little too and had a fireplace and huge glass window
early to know what the programmes will be, but installed behind the stage, so that the audience
the same basic ideas would generate the series, has a magnificent view of the downtown
and it’s my hope to have one or two pieces com- Manhattan skyline. The boat rocks gently on the
missioned as well,’ he says. water (and sometimes not so gently, making an
‘I have the good fortune to be performing a lot interesting challenge for the performers!), and it
in New York this year. In addition to my own is one of the more extraordinary places in New
Guitar Plus series, I have played on the Inside the York to listen to music. Bargemusic presents
Masterpieces series at Symphony Space in mostly chamber music, which I have participat-
December and will perform on the Bargemusic ed in on a number of occasions, but this time I
series in March,’ Leisner says. ‘Symphony Space have been invited to play a solo concert.’
‘All-in-all, this season is a delightful one for
me,’ Leisner says. ‘I played the Aranjuez Concerto
with the surprisingly fine Orchestra Iowa in both
Letters to the Editor
Letters for publication should be kept short and to the point.
Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. A glowing review We reserve the right to edit or abbreviate as we consider neces-
wrote that I am ‘one of the finest classical gui- sary. Please enclose a prepaid envelope if you want a reply.
tarists in the world’ and ‘a true musical
artist.’ My two-week tour of the UK in late I would like to clarify two points arising in the
November 2008 issue. In his interview my friend
February and early March will be followed by Morgan (Szymanski) refers to our conversations about
concerts in Los Angeles at the Loyola Marymount Venezuelan music, and owing to a confusing of two
Guitar Festival and the Maui Classical Music separate points, he has one emphasising the impor-
tance of the ‘off beat’. The important aspect of most
Festival in Hawaii.’ Venezuelan music is polyrhythm, which at its most
This past autumn Mel Bay released David simple is based on various combinations of 3 and 2 to
Leisner’s concert DVD, Classics and Discoveries, the bar, of equal and independent importance and nei-
ther being an ‘off beat’ to the other – Seis por derecho
featuring live unedited performances of is a typical example.
Matiegka Sonata, Bach Prelude, Fugue and Also – one of the CD reviews referred to my ‘incom-
Allegro, two Scott Joplin Rags in his own plete’ recording of Valses Poéticos (Granados): but that
was in 1967 and I recorded it complete in 1991 (Iberia
arrangements, his sonata, Nel Mezzo, two short - SONY CLASSICAL).
pieces by Johann Kaspar Mertz and the 12th JOHN WILLIAMS
Etude of Villa-Lobos as an encore. This upcom- London
ing spring, the Azica label will be releasing his
latest solo CD entitled Matiegka, the Beethoven Concerning Playera by Quintin Esquembre, mentioned
of the Guitar. favourably in Paul Fowles’s review of Duo Orpheo’s
concert (CG Jan 2009 p.51 3rd column), Mr Fowles
‘Thirty years ago I introduced Mertz to the gui- mentions a disc by Erling Møldrup (El
tar world as one of the most significant guitar Delirio; Classico; CLASSCD473). Actually, Wolfgang
composers of the 19th century with my debut Lendle recorded Vals Brillante, also by Esquembre
(Carmen fantasy; Acoustic Music Records 319.1282.2)
recording, concert performances and published which was also favourably reviewed,
editions. I plan to do something similar for by Chris Dumigan, in CG Oct 2003 p.45. Is this the
Wenzeslaus Matiegka (1773-1830). Until now, if beginning of a trend?
ENRIQUE ROBICHAUD
guitarists know his music at all, it is generally as Québec, Canada
the author of a trio to which Schubert added a
cello part, which is now known as the ‘Schubert’
I read with interest the article in your September issue
Quartet.’ by Stefan Hackl and I just thought I would point out
‘That trio is really not representative of some date errors in the article. The dates of birth and
Matiegka’s best work. There are many other death of Ferdinand Pelzer (1801-1860) and the birth of
his daughter Madame Pratten (1821) appear to have
chamber music works, most of them of substan- been taken from Bone in The Guitar and Mandolin
tial length, plus plenty of solo works, including 1954, a wonderfully informative but sometimes inac-
eleven known sonatas. His work in general is full curate volume. I can draw your attention to a small ad
placed in the Times October 17 1862:
of musical invention and exhibits an original and No 11 ALBANY STREET, Regent’s Park - Mr PELZER
masterful sense of form on a level quite far above continues to INSTRUCT teachers and amateurs in
that of most Sor and Giuliani, in my opinion. GUITAR PLAYING, Singing, and the Theory and
Science of Music.
Although he lacks the genius of his contempo- He died not long after, on 12 July 1864, and was
rary, Beethoven, Matiegka is, in my view, buried in St Mary’s Catholic Cemetery, Kensal Green,
Beethoven’s analogy in the guitar repertoire in London on 15 July 1864. The age then given was 63,
which would confirm a birth date of 1801.
that his work is as central to the guitar of his era The birth date of Madame Pratten is uncertain. The
as Beethoven’s work is to the piano. It is my hope date of 1821 was presumably traced from the age of 74
that my new CD will bring his true significance inscribed on her headstone in Brompton Cemetery,
London, where she was buried in 1895. (Button in The
to light.’ Guitar in England 1800-1924 1989 on page 113 incor-
‘In the area of composition, I continue to be rectly quotes the headstone age as reading 71.)
very productive. Last summer I wrote a solo viola Interestingly however the Register of Burials at the
cemetery written with information from the death cer-
piece as well as a commission for flute and gui- tificate gives her age as 70, which could give a birth
tar from the superb young Arc Duo. Away is a date of 1825. This would tie in with a review in The
one-movement, 11-minute work which will be Musical Magazine March 1835 commenting that she
was a fine performer then at nine years of age.
premiered in New York in January. It is based on I was curious to know what dates the much-herald-
the famous American sea folk song, ed Grove on line would give. Madame Pratten is men-
Shenandoah. Next summer I plan to write anoth- tioned in the article on the Guitar but the authors do
not risk giving dates. Her husband Robert the flautist
er movement for the short solo viola piece, to be gets two mentions: in the article on Boosey and
premiered by the superb New York violist, Paul Hawkes his dates are given as 1814-1862. The authors
Neubauer; a solo piano piece for the splendid might have done well to refer to the first edition, A
Dictionary of Music and Musicians ed Sir George Grove,
British pianist, Colin Stone; and I hope to hear vol.3 1883; here an article on Pratten written by Sir
some positive news soon about a possible com- George himself gives dates 1824-1868. It is very possi-
mission for orchestra. If that comes through ble that Sir George was personally acquainted with
Madame Pratten.
though, I’ll have to squirrel myself away for most SARAH CLARKE
of the summer!’ Tring

CLASSICAL GUITAR TEACHERS
A FREE SERVICE FOR ALL TEACHERS WHO ARE SUBSCRIBERS
AVON Mark Houghton, ALCM, 29 Alcester Road, West 9PF. Tel: (01295) 271900.
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683 9134 Mr. C. Bonell, info@carlosbonell.com Stephen Goss, BA (Hons), PhD, LRAM, Hon ARAM,
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(01494) 533669. London W13. Tel: 020 8621 1394. Fiona Harrison, MM, GRSM, Dip RCM, 14 Westlees
CHESHIRE Guy Depreux, Flat 8, Allingham Court, Haverstock Close, North Holmwood, Dorking, Surrey RH5 4TN. Tel:
Peter Baldwin, 1 Barley Croft, Cheadle Hume, Hill, Belsize Park, London NW3 2AH. Tel: (0207) 435 (01306) 882 323.
Cheshire ST8 6SL. Tel: (0161) 485 7389. 7203. Milica Ilic. Richmond, Surrey, TW10 6DU.
John R. Gort, LGSM, Flat 2c, Sunnybank Avenue, Colin Downs, Hon A.R A M, 50, Holly Park Road, Email: info@milicailic.com
Heaton Mersey, Stockport, Cheshire SK4 3PR. Tel: London N11 3HD. Tel: 020 8361 3192. mobile: Grahame Klippel, MPhil ARCM, 60 Pemberton
(0161) 442 4107. 07760107386 Road, East Molesey, Surrey KT8 9LH. Tel: 020 8941
DERBYSHIRE email- ham.co@virgin.net 0810.
Steve Marsh, ALCM, 5 Shaftesbury Ave, Ashgate, Mohie Elsayed, Mohie Elsayed, 31 Cascades e-mail: grahame.klippel@btinternet.com
Chesterfield, Derbyshire S40 1HN. Tel: (01246) Court, 13-19 Hartfield Crescent, Wimbledon, LON- Myer Rosen, BA (Hons), LTCL, PGCE, Knowsley, 7
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email: stevemarsh@theguitarstudio.freeserve.co.uk email guitar@m-elsayed.co.uk 35852.
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Peter Swaby, cpfa alcm alcm.td, Yellow Grove Richard Hand, ARAM, DipRAM, LRAM, 61 Balcombe SUSSEX
House, Moor Lane, Youlgrave, Bakewell DE45 1US. Street, Marylebone, London NW1 6ND. Tel/Fax: Vic Ellis, 172 Springfield Road, Brighton BN1 6DG
Tel: 0775 459 2106 (0207) 724 3806. 01273 558 217.
peter@pswaby.co.uk Eleftheria Kotzia, 56 Fernwood, Albert Drive, Linda Kelsall-Barnett, BA (Hons) LRAM, 3 The
DORSET Southfields, London SW19 6LR. Tel: (0208) 785 4054. Rummers, Brandy Hole Lane, Chichester, West
John Edwards, LTCL, LRAM, MSTAT, Flat 2, 72 e-mail: ellie@eleftheria.info Sussex PO19 5RT. Tel: (01243) 784 442.
Southcote Road, Boscombe, Bournemouth, Tony Rath, 27 Brunswick Street, London E17 9NB Registry of Guitar Tutors, Registry Mews, 11-13
BH13SS. Tel: 01202 293917. Tel: 0208 521 4340. Wilton Road, Bexhill, E. Sussex TN40 1HY. Tel:
email: guitar@john717.orangehome.co.uk Thérèse Saba, 9 Methuen Park, Muswell Hill, London (01424) 222222.
Stephen Kenyon, BA Dip ABRSM, 36 Poundbury N10 2JR. Tel/Fax: (0208) 442 1489. www.RegistryOfGuitarTutors.com
Crescent, Dorchester DT1 2NX. Tel: 01305 e-mail: 106665.3500@compuserve.com TEESSIDE
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e-mail: stephen@jacaranda-music.com London. NW6 6PU. Tel: 0207 624 7937 the Sea, Cleveland TS12 1BS. Tel: (01287) 203437.
ESSEX e-mail: alitim@amamserve.net TYNE & WEAR
Judith Tonge, ABSM (TD), ABSM (PD), 6 St. Kildas Spanish Guitar Centre, 36 Cranbourn Street, John Ferguson, LTCL, “Glenburn”, 4 Burn Road,
Road, Brentford, Essex CMI5 9EX. Tel: (01277) WC2H 7AD. Tel: (0207) 240 0754. Blaydon Burn, Tyne & Wear NE21 6EA. Tel: (0191) 414
217812. MIDDLESEX 7469.
Ian K. Woolway, ALCM, 2 Nursery Road, Dale Harris, BA(hon) MA PhD, 82 Squires Bridge WALES
Chelmsford, Essex CM2 9PJ. Tel: (01245) 358 131. Road, Shepperton, Middx, TW17 0QA, Tel: 07941 Jonathan N. Richards, LTCL, Ground Floor Flat,
GLOUCESTERSHIRE 582194. 12 Hawarden Road, Colwyn Bay, Conwy, North
Marguerite Pettit, LGSM, LTCL, 46 Courtenay Philip John Lee, Flamenco guitar tuition – all lev- Wales LL29 8NA. Tel: 01492 539589 Mobile:
Street, Cheltenham, Glos GL50 4LR. Tel: (01242) els, 46 Fir Road, Hanworth, Middlesex TW13 6UJ. 07717224098.
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Tom Parsons, ALCM, 67 Regent Street, Watford, NORFOLK 01792 207 861.
Herts, WD2 5AT. Tel: (01923) 245 559. J.E. Crisp, BA DipMus ALCM, Thetford, Norfolk Timothy Tate, BMus MMus, 33 Egerston Rd,
Neil Simon, 20 Bull Stag Green, Hatfield, Herts, AL9 Tel: (01842) 752 697. Canton, Cardiff, CF5 1RF Tel:07799 691 504.
5DE. Tel: (01707) 267 511. Bob Parslow, BA(Hons) Music, LGSM, Springfield tim_c_tate@hotmail.com
IRELAND Cottage, 72 Gloucester Street, Norwich NR2 2DY. www.theguitarcircle.com/ttate.aspx
Alec O’Leary, B.Mus. M.Mus., Kilkenny, Ireland Tel: (01603) 620 261. WILTSHIRE
Tel. 087 234 6256. Bob@parslowguitar.freeserve.co.uk Harry Drabble, LTCL Sycamores Back Lane,
KENT NORTHANTS Marlborough, Wilts SN8 1JJ. Tel: (01672) 513 699.
Roy Chilton Music, 15 Hawkhurst Way, West Peter Nuttall, MA (Oxon), 48 Hillside Crescent, John and Cobie Mills, 1 Fairways, Dilton Marsh,
Wickham, Kent BR4 9PE. Tel: (020 8777 6414). Nether Heyford, Northampton NN7 3LS. Tel: Westbury BA13 3RU.
roy@roychiltonmusic.co.uk (01327) 341 133. WORCESTERSHIRE
LANCASHIRE NOTTINGHAMSHIRE Jon Godfrey, ALCM, 68 North Malvern Road,
Chris Dumigan, 14 Rochester Road, Davyhulme, Catherine Dickinson, Post Graduate RNCM, Malvern. Worcester WR14 4LX Tel: (01684) 893 414.
Manchester M41 0RL. Tel: (0161) 747 3851. FLCM, LLCM SMTC, Spanish Guitar Centre, 44 Rod Willmott, Guitarist & Lutenist, May
Paul Fowles, BA, LLCM, A.Mus.TCL, Nottingham Road, New Basford, Nottingham. Tel: Willmott, Guitarist & Teacher, L.R.A.M. 2
c/o Manchester Guitar Circle, Flixton House, Nottingham (0115) 962 2709. Pitmaston Road, St. John’s, Worcester WR2 4HY
Flixton Road, Manchester M41 5GJ. OXFORDSHIRE Tel: (01905) 427 026.
Email: guitarcircle@hotmail.com Raymond Burley, 'Ty Fynnon', 4 Yew Tree Mews, www.rodwillmott.com
Voicemail: 07831-416358 Church St., Ducklington, Oxon OX29 7UQ Tel: ARGENTINA
Website: www.guitarcircle.co.uk (01993) 700332 Prof. Juan Gallino - Classical guitar - Tango gui-
Stephen Henshaw, CT,FVCM LVCM (Hons) AVCM email: mailto:raymond@burley21.fsnet.co.uk tar. Buenos Aires - Coghlan.
(Hons) 72-74 Topping Street, Blackpool FY1 3A0. Tel: Brian J. Penny, ALCM, Classical Guitar Services, www.juangallino.com.ar
(01253) 751 450. The Studio, 68 Evenlode, Banbury, Oxon OX16 e mail: jlg@guitarristas.com

www.bocaccio-gallino.com ITALY Box 0596, Marine Parade, Singapore 914404. Tel (65)
Director of www.guitarristas.com Giuseppe Caputo, Via Girolamo Santacroce 13, 6344 3671 Tel (65) 6344 3615.
BELGIUM Naples 80129, Italy. Tel: 081 5785069. e-mail: thomas@tomas-music.com
Alexis Blumberg, ARCM, Hessenstraatje 20/C1.1, Antonio De Innocentis, Via Dei Vecchi Pini, Coop. website: www.tomas-music.com
2000 Antwerpen. Tel: +32 (0)3 227 01 31. Mobile: Smeraldo, 81023 Falciano-Caserta, Italy. Tel/Fax: SOUTH AFRICA
+32 (0)475 63 07 71. (823) 471 713. A.M. Ludwig, P.O. Box 2340, Halfway House 1685,
e-mail: alexis.blumberg@pandora.be ISRAEL South Africa. Tel: (011) 314 1802.
Norbert Leclerq, 12 Bld, de la Woluwe (B135), 1932 Sonia Michelson, c/o Elisheva Levin, Yishuv Ofra. e-mail: ludwig4u@icon.co.za
Woluwe St Etienne. D.N. Mizrach Benyamin. Israel 90627. SPAIN
BRAZIL smichelson@earthlink.net Clive Davies, Classical / Fingerstylist; Performer,
Jonatas Batista Neto, Rua Bela Cintra, 359 Apt. 95, JERSEY Composer and Teacher for over thirty years. Offers
Sao Paulo-SP. Brazil 01415-000. Tel/Fax (5511) 3231- Robert Ozard, ARCM, 49 La Grande Pouclee, ‘Guitar innovation- broad outlook- workshop holi-
2690. Richmond Road, St. Helier, Jersey JEZ 3GX, Tel: days‘ in Montefrio, Granada, Spain. Apartado de
e-mail: jonatasneto@terra.com.br 01534 768 727. Correos 22, 18270 Montefrio, Granada , Spain. Tel.
BULGARIA MALTA +34 685 201 265.
Ekaterina Vasseva-Ikonomova, BA in classical gui- Charlotte Smith, L.L.C.M. (TD), L.Mus. V.C.M., email; clive.sue@avired.com
tar, 14 years of teaching experience P.O.box 5 / 27 A.L.C.M., A.Mus. L.S.M, “Sentosa” 7, Carmelo mailto:clive.sue@avired.com>
Skobelev Blvd. BG-1463 Sofia, Bulgaria +359 88 Bugeja Street, Dingli DGL 1152, MALTA. Tel: www.clivedavies.eu
6441994. kate_vasseva@hotmail.com (0356)21450496 Mobile: (0356)79450496. USA
CANADA email: joesmith@maltanet.net Mariano Aguirre, Mannes College of Music, New
Mariette Stephenson, BA (Mus )ARCT, Cambridge, MEXICO York Guitar Seminar-Coordinator, 150 West 85th
Ontario, Canada. Juan Gaspar, Classical Guitar performer, compos- Street, New York, NY 10024 USA
Mariette.Stephenson@sympatico.ca er and maestro at the Puebla Conservatory of marianoaguirre@verizon.net
CHINA Music, 5 Norte 201-6, Puebla, Mexico. Telephone: Jeffrey Ashton, MAT Mus, BA Mus, 204 SE 63rd
Morgan S.S. Velautham, PO Box 38 Taipa, Macau, (222) 232-4202. Ave, Portland, OR 97215. Tel: (503) 235 1062.
S.A.R. of China. Tel: 853-557223. e-mail: jg68mailbox-music@yahoo.com.mx Lyster Bass, 4154 Arrayo Dr. Snellville, Ga.30039,
e-mail: <morgan@macau.ctm.net> www.juangaspar.com USA. (Tel) 770-972-7178
DENMARK NORWAY Emai: lysterbass@comcast.net
Arnie Brown, Møllevej 8, Møgeltønder, 6270 Tønder, Trond Davidsen, Klarinetten 12, 3033 Drammen, William Buonocore, Guitar Dept. Co-ordinator,
Denmark. Tel: 74 738343. Norway. Tel: 0047 32 886 286. The Boston Conservatory, 8 The Fenway, Boston,
Karen Dusgaard Nielsen, Infanterivej, 42D, 8900, POLAND MA 02215. Tel: (617) 536 6340. Fax: (617) 536
Randers, Denmark. Tel: 86 40 31 24. Krzysztof Pelech, Bzowa 35/13, 53-224 Wroclaw, 3176.
FRANCE Poland. wbuonocore@bostonconservatory.edu
Claudette Coinel, 25 Traverse Pitance, e-mail: gitara@post.pl Maud Laforest, Plano, TX.
Mourepiane, 13016, Marseille. www.pelech.art.pl e-mail: alix@maudlaforest.com
Lorraine Eastwood, 26 Rue St. Jacques, PORTUGAL web site: www.maudlaforest.com
Grenoble 38000, France. Telephone: (0033) 476 Jorge Pires, Tel: +351965109150 Ronald Louis Fernandez, Flamenco and
508025. E-mail: jorgepires.cb@gmail.com Portuguese guitar., P. O. Box 5153, Irvine,
Email: lorraine.eastwood@gmail.com SERBIA (SR Yugoslavia) California, 92616. Tel: 949-856-1537.
James Wilson, 6 Rue Marguerin, 75014 Paris. Tel: (1) Uros Dojcinovic, Guitar Studio Solunska 12, 11000 website: www.fernandezmusic.com.
43 35 14 03. Beograd. Tel/Fax (011) 180-587. e-mail: ron@fernandezmusic.com
GERMANY SINGAPORE David Grimes, 8701 Bellmead Drive, Huntington
Charles De Burgh, ALCM, LLCM, LTCL, Thomas Liauw, M.A., B.A (Hons), LTCL, ALSD, PO Beach, California 92646, USA.
Ruedigerstrasse 30 70469 Stuttgart, Germany.
Jörg Gauchel, Diplom-Musiklehrer, Annettenstraße
13, D-53175 Bonn Tel: +49 228 384736. ● Our Teacher’s Column is updated Bi-monthly starting February, April, June issue etc.
e-mail: joerg.gauchel@t-online.de When sending alterations or additions please state: country, county, full name,
GREECE qualifications, address and telephone number in this order. If changing areas, state old
Dimitris Karvelis, Voreadi 20, 71409 Heraklion, county address so this can easily be deleted.
Crete, Greece.
Classical Guitar Societies Directory

Berkshire Guitar Society, Richard Butters, 10 e-mail: chestguitar@aol.com Arizona 928.213.0752. Craig Yarbrough, Executive
The Dell, Woodlands Park, Maidenhead, Berks, SL6 Web site: http://www.members.aol.com/chestguitar- Director.
3NS. circ www.CanyonGuitar.org <http://
Website: http://www.berkshireguitarsociety.org.uk Chesterfield Guitar Circle. Contact Peter Swaby www.canyonguitar.org/>
Birmingham - Classical Guitar - See web page on (Secretary), Yellow Grove House, Moor Lane, Greenwood Classical Guitar Club. An informal
Yahoo Groups or contact Paul Grant 07760 175 Youlgrave, Bakewell, Derbyshire DE45 1US Tel: group. Meets every Friday 7.30-8.30pm at the
626. Small informal meetings on a monthly basis. (01629) 636 165. Greenwood Centre, School Road, Hampton Hill,
Blackburn Classical Guitar Society. Jack Derby Classical Guitar Society. Middlesex. Contact Martin Shaw (0208 891 6889) or
Wilkinson, 82 Queen Street, Great Harwood, Lanc's Contact: Nigel Harris, 9 Glamis Close, Oakwood, turn up at the Centre.
BB6 7AL. Tel (01254) 889555 Derby, DE21 2QJ. Tel: (01332) 664 425. Hastings & Rother Classical Guitar Society, we
E mail: jackwilkinson@lineone.net e-mail: derbycgs@gmail.com meet at 8pm on the 3rd Wednesday of every month
<mailto:jackwilkinson@lineone.net> website: www.derbycgs.org.uk at The Beacon below St Mary’s Terrace, West Hill,
Brighton Classical Guitar. Small informal group Dorset Guitar Society. Meetings on 3rd Sunday in Hastings. Contact Richard Butler 01424 465 414 or
meets every 4th Thursday. Details: Jim Westbrook month at Kinson Community Centre, Pelhams via the
01273 746192. Park, Milham Lane, Kinson. Sec: Margaret website http://www.hrcgs.org.uk
Bridge Guitar Circle. Meets Central Library, Albion Tredwell. Tel: (01425) 613 739. Hampshire Area Guitar Orchestra. Meets fort-
Street, Hull. Full details from Secretary Sue Jones, Durham University Guitar Society. C/o Dunelm nightly and has vacancies for intermediate and
34 Rockford Avenue, Hull. Tel: (01482) 75684. House, New Elvet, Durham. Sec: Elaine Young, Van advanced ensemble players. Ring Derek Hasted 023
Bristol Guitar Society, meets 2nd Thursday of the Mildert College, Durham. Visiting tutor: Peter 9247 9200 or email: dir@hago.org.uk
month 8pm at The Pierian Centre,Portland Batchelar. Haverhill Classical Guitar Society. Details: Colin
Square,Bristol. Contact David Evans Tel.(0117) Ealing Guitar Society. Meets 1st Sunday each Shulman (01440) 705 371.
9567251 or Tony Lewis(0117) 9734070. month at St Matthew’s Church Hall, North Hertfordshire Guitar Orchestra. Meets twice
www.bristolguitarsociety.org Common Road, Ealing W5 at 7.30p.m. monthly and is always looking for good ensemble
British BMG Federation. Secretary: Sandra Correspondence: Steve Dell, Flat J, 10 Sutherland players. Details from Tom Parsons on Tel: (01923)
Woodruff, 104 Tower Road North, Warmley, Bristol Road, West Ealing, London W13 0DT Tel: 0208 621 245 559 or
BS30 8XN. 1394. www.hertfordshireguitarorchestra.com
E mail: sandra.woodruff@virgin.net www.ealing-guitar-society.co.uk Highland Classical Guitar Society. C/o Roger
Website: www.banjomandolinguitar.org/> Enfield Classical Guitar Society. Sec: Mrs J Niven, ‘Iona’, High Street, Avoch, Rosshire. Tel:
Bromley Guitar Society Denis Stockton- Warwick, 43 Morley Hill, Enfield, Middlesex EN2 Fortrose 21012.
02087774887 Kent. 0BL. Hounslow Guitar Society. Hounslow Music Service,
www.bromleyguitarsociety.org.uk e-mail: RButch3325@aol.comenfield_classical_guitar@hotmail.com De Brome Building, Boundaries Road, Feltham TW13
Cambridge Classical Guitar Society. Meets first Website: http://members.lycos.co.uk/enfield_guitar/ 5DT.
Thursday in the month. For information please tele- Farnham, Surrey. Mozart Guitar Players. Meet Lauderdale Guitar Society. Meets at Lauderdale
phone Tim Christmas (01223) 565552. every Tuesday during term time. Musical Director House, Highgate Hill. Details from 63 Marlborough
Canterbury Guitar Society. For further informa- Myer Rosen, Knowsley, 7 Ash Grove, Guildford GU2 Mansions, Cannon Hill, London NW6 1JS. Tel:
tion ring John Kemp on (01227) 265 503. 5UT. Tel: (01483) 35852. (0171) 794 9108.
e-mail: j.kemp@btopenworld.com Federation of Guitar Societies UK, A group of Leeds Guitar Society. Sec: Matthew Hill, 1
Cambridge Guitar Orchestra, Contact Tony Societies mainly in the South of England that co-ordi- Grosvenor Terrace, Leeds LS6 2DY. Tel: (0113) 785
Ainsworth (Chairman) via www.cgo.org.uk or nate together through a 341.
tony.ainsworth1@btopenworld.com. We are a per- Website. www.FederationofGuitarSocieties.org.uk Classical Guitar Society of East London.
forming ensemble and rehearse every two weeks or Annual meeting and Concert in June Informal meetings last saturday each month at
so on Sundays during term time on the outskirts of E-mail guitar@martinshaw.plus.com 3pm. Contact Maria Sentivani on Tel: 020 507
Cambridge. We will always welcome intermediate or Fretful Federation Plucked Orchestra; 8299 for details.
advanced players. Brighton. Orchestra of mandolins, mandolas, The Lute Society. Sec: Chris Goodwin, Southside
Chester Guitar Circle. Meets 1st Wed/Month at mandocellos, guitars and mandobass. New mem- Cottage, Brook Hill, Albury, Guildford, Surrey,
Chester Deaf Centre, Southview Road, Chester. Sec: bers welcome. Ian 07939368874. GU5 9DJ. Tel: (01483) 202 159 Fax: (01483)
Steve Smith, 16 Daleside Chester, CH2 1EP. Grand Canyon Guitar Society, LTD, Flagstaff, 203088.

Manchester Acoustic Guitar meets on the 3rd great accoustics,supportive members.Contact the culture by the study and spread of guitar music.
Tuesday of every month at the Urmston Cricket Marcia Burton on 01892 534631 or Richard Akira Ugajin, Secretary General, Japan Federation of
and Lawn Tennis Club, Moorside Rd, Urmston. All Frenkel on 0207 233 9076’. Guitarists
acoustic and classical guitar styles welcomed. West Sussex Guitar Club. The Regis School of Wada Bldg.5F 6-14-4 Shimbashi, Minano-ku, Tokyo,
Open mike, workshops, special recitals. All you Music, 46 Sudley Road, Bognor Regis, West Sussex, Japan. Tel. 81-3-3438-1819 Fax. 81-3-3438-1899.
need is an interest in the guitar, not necessarily to PO21 1ER. (01243) 866 462. e-mailto:jfg@guitarists.or.jp
be able to play. For details contact: Chris, tel. www.westsussexguitar.com website: www.guitarists.or.jp
0161 747 3851. Windsor Classical Guitar Society. An informal MALAYSIA
www.manchesteracousticguitar.com group who enjoy playing together at 7.30pm first and Alor Setar Classical Guitar Club. Chairman: Chan
Manchester Guitar Circle, (Est. 1946). third Wednesday of each month at the Windsor Arts Kok Peng, 29 Taman Sultan Abdul Halim 05300 Alor
Informal evenings on the first Thursday of Centre. Tel: (01753) 859 421. Setar, Kedah, Maylasia.
every month at Flixton House, Flixton Road The Wirksworth Classical Guitar Group. Contact: Kota Kinabalu Guitar Society. Sec: Lawrence
(opposite Rothiemay Road), Manchester Jonathan Priestley, 5 Cooks Yard, West End, Chong. HSE. No. D47, Lorong Raja Udang 2A,
M41 5GJ. Visitors always welcome. Wirksworth, Derbyshire. Tel: (01629) 825 129. Taman Kingfisher, 88400, Kota Kingbalu, Saba,
Contact: Paul Fowles. Worcester Classical Guitar Society: A per- Malaysia.
Email: guitarcircle@hotmail.com forming society of Junior and Senior PERU
Voicemail: 07831-416358 orchestras and ensembles. We meet regu- Centro de la Guitarra / Intermusica, Jr. Carabaya
Website: www.guitarcircle.co.uk larly during term time. Contact: Andrew 421, Lima 01, Peru, telfs. 461-4670, 933-1599, Fax
Midlands Fretted Orchestra meets fortnightly on Filer. Tel: 0121 445 3345. 336-6442,
Thursdays 7.30pm, at St. Mary’s Hall, St. Mary’s E-mail: worcesterguitar@hotmail.co.uk Email:intermusica@rocketmail.com
Road, Bearwood Smethwick, B67 5Dh. Contact: ARGENTINA POLAND
Danielle Saxon Reeves 01384 893 987 Musical Centre ‘Franz Liszt’. Directresses: Ana M. ‘Gitariada’, ul Gdynska 5/g/16, 80-340 Gdansk,
e-mail: daniellesaxonreeves@yahoo.co.uk Polinori and Mariana Vlaho, Montevideo 967 (1019), Poland. Tel: (058) 57-80-83.
www.m-f-o.co.uk Buenos Aires. Wroclaw Guitar Society, BOX 1063, 50-131
Newent Guitar Society. Sec: Keith Sandall, Holts AUSTRALIA Wroclaw, Poland
House, Holts Road, Newent, Gloucestershire GL18 Classical Guitar Society of South Australia. e-mail: wtg@op.pl
1BT. Tel: (01531) 820 436. Lincoln Brady, 19 Emerson Drive, Morphett-Vale, www.gitara.wroclaw.pl
North Bucks Guitar Club. Meets 3rd Sunday of Adelaide, SA 5162, Australia. Tel: (08) 832 51052. SERBIA (SR Yugoslavia)
the month. Information from Kevin Cook. Tel: The Classical Guitar Society Sydney. P.O. Box Yugoslav Association of Classical Guitarists
(01296) 427 836. 829, Bondi Junction. N.S.W. 1355 Australia. Tel: (02) (Guitar Art Festival) Bosko Radojkovic, director;
www.northbucksguitarclub.org.uk 9453 3113. address: Bul.Kralja Aleksandra 530, 11000
Classical Guitar Society for Northern Ireland . BULGARIA Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro; tel: +381 64
Meets on the first Sunday of the month at the Classical Guitar Association (CGA). PO Box 879, 1407583, fax: +381 11 2623853.
Ulster College of Music, Belfast. Contact Keith 40900 Plovdiv, Bulgaria. e-maill: guitart@yubc.net
Thompson (028) 90703311. BRAZIL <mailto:guitart@yubc.net
Email: secretary_CGSNI@lycos.co.uk BRAVIO - Associacao Brasiliense de Violao www.gaf.co.yu <http://www.gaf.co.yu
Website:www.cgsni.org - QI 25 bl. L apt. 501 - Cond. Sgto Wolff - Yugoslav Guitar Society. Uros Dojcinovic,
The Northumbria Guitar Society. Guara 2 - Brasilia - DF - 71060-250 Tel +55 Foundation Solunska 12, 11000 Beograd.
Correspondence to: Pete Boothby, Engine Cottage, (61) 3567 6589 / 9968 5528 - Tel/Fax (011) 180-587.
Accomb, Hexham NE46 4RL. Tel: (01434) 600 340. www.bravio.blogspot.com - SINGAPORE
North Devon Guitar Society. Meets third bravio@gmail.com Tomas Music Consultants Pte Ltd. 01-97 Roxy
Tuesday of month in Barnstaple. Contact Terry Géris Lopes Consalter (Fernando Sor Guitar Square II, 50 East Coast Road, Singapore
Bourne at North Lodge, Filleigh, Near Barnstaple, Association). Rodovia BR 116 No. 12500, b. São 428769. Tel (65) 6344 3671 Tel (65) 6344 3615.
North Devon EX32 ORE. Tel: (01271) 74529. Ciro ‘brasdiesel’, CAXIAS DO SUL-RS 95055-180. e-mail: enquiries@tomas-music.com
North East Scotland Classical Guitar Society CANADA website: www.tomas-music.com
meets the third Wednesday of every month at The Halifax Guitar Society. 6199 Chebucto Road, SWEDEN
Queen’s Cross Church, Aberdeen. Contact Peter Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3L 1KY (902) 423- The Swedish Guitar and Lute Society.
Stock (chairman) on 01467 642729, 6995 Established in 1968. Sec: Erik Möllerström,
e-mail: info@nescgs.co.uk ecormier@hotmail.com Postbox 24038, S-104 50, Stockholm, Sweden.
www.nescgs.co.uk www.nescgs.co.uk Vancouver Guitar Concert Association. 1807 Tel: +46 8 660 13 74 and +46 8 1059 82.
North Wales Guitar Circle, Meets the 2nd Tuesday Collingwood St, Vancouver, B.C., V6R 3KA. Summer courses each year at Ingesund, Arvika
of every month at 7.45pm at The Anglesey Arms, COSTA RICA end July. Four reviews published annually
Menai Bridge, Anglesey. Contact Jane or Dave Asociacion Guitarristica Costaricense. Apartado (Gitarr och Luta).
Sinnett 01407 831480. 373-1009, San José, Costa Rica. Tel: 21-44-53. TURKEY
e-mail: davesinnett@btinternet.com CZECH REPUBLIC Izmir Guitar Club. Kibris Sehitleri CAD. No.
website: www.northwalesguitarcircle.co.uk Classical Guitar Society. The Czech Music Society, 138/1, D.301 Alsancak, Izmir. Tel: (90 232) 464
Nottingham Classical Guitar Society. Contact: Vladislav Blaha, Renneska 25 639 00 Brno. Czech 5287.
Ian Jones. Tel: 0115 923 1038 Republic. Tel. – Fax: 00420 – 543 242 407. USA
Email: IanJones66@yahoo.co.uk DENMARK Austin Classical Guitar Society. PO Box 49704,
Old Malthouse Music Society. Knight Street, The Danish Guitar Society. c/o Jeff Duckett, Austin, TX 78765, USA.
Sawbridgeworth. Tel: Bishop’s (01279) 726625. Karlemosevej 7, 4.tv., 4600 Koege, Denmark. The Columbus Guitar Society. 120 E.
Pena Flamenca de Hull. Sec: Ron Burbela, 40 Web: www.danskguitarselskab.dk Northwood Ave, Columbus, OH 43201, USA.
Warton Avenue, Beverley, E. Yorks, HU17 0JB. E-mail: post@danskguitarselskab.dk The Connecticut Classical Guitar Society. P.O.
Tel: (01482) 863 553. Meetings 1st Sunday of EGYPT Box 1528, Hartford, CT. 06144-1528.
month, 8.00pm, Blue Bell, Hull. Cairo Classical Guitar Society. President: Sherif S. Classical Guitar Society of Western Carolinas.
Pena Flamenca de Londres. Sec: Ron le Voi, Flat El-Salhy, 7 Abdel-Hamid Said St, Apt. 22, Maarouf, Roger A. Cope, President, 300 North Main St,
6, 45/53 Myddelton Square, London EC1R 1YD. Cairo 11111, Egypt. Tel: +202 5758097. Fax: +202 Hendersonville, NC 28792-4900, USA. Tel: 704
Pendon Guitar Society. Peter Li, 15 King Henry 3414168 (BISC). 693 7666. Fax: 704 692 2630.
Mews, Harrow-on-the-Hill, HA2 0JS (020) 8423 FINLAND Denver Classical Guitar Society. Patrick M.
3202. Helsinki Guitar Society. President: Jussi-Pekka ‘Rick’ Keller, Director. 1601 Ivanhoe, Denver, Co.
Putney Guitar Society. Sec. Chris Blade, 18 Rannanmäki. Vanha Sotilastie 3, 00850 Helsinki, 80220. 303-321-5690.
Gwendwr Road, West Kensington, London W14 Finland. Guitar Houston. 4149 Bellaire Blvd., 229
9BG. Tel: (0171) 603 1820. GERMANY Houston, TX 77025 USA (713) 665-2712
Richmond Guitar Society meets every 4th Kultur u. Gitarre. Dietmar Kunzler, MittelstraBe www.neosoft.com/~guitar/index.htm
Sunday of each month 7-9 pm @ Richmond Parish 69a, 66126 Saarbrücken, Germany. Meetings held Long Island Classical Guitar Society LICGS c/o
Rooms, Church Walk, Richmond upon first Sunday of each month at Bistro Stadthalle Dennis Rief, 182 Parkside Ave, Miller Place, NY
Thames,Surrey Details 0208 891 6889 Dillingen/Saar, 10.30 am. 11764, Phone: 631-821-5270
Saddleworth Classical Guitar Society. Ring HONG KONG licgs@licgs.us <mailto:licgs@licgs.us>
Hazel and Colin Davies. Tel: (01457) 875 378. Hong Kong Guitar Information Alliance. G/F 14 www.licgs.us <http://www.licgs.us/>
Southampton Classical Guitar Society. Meets Nanking Street, Yaumatei, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Tel: Miami Classical Guitar Society. PO Box 0725,
last Wednesday of every month at 7:45pm. Contact (852) 2780 4864. Fax: (852) 2770 5520. Miami, Florida 33265-0725 (305) 386-3103.
Wayne Lines. Tel: 01329 310792. IRELAND Carlos Molina, President.
wwv.scgs-guitar.org.uk Cork Classical Guitar Circle. Established in 1960. The Milwaukee Classical Guitar Society, Ltd.
South Lincolnshire Guitar Society and Meets last Wednesday of month at Cork Arts Society 1522 East Kane Place, Milwaukee, Wiscousin
Orchestra. Meetings are fortnightly on Tuesdays at Rooms. Sec and Treasurer: Laurence Egar, Herbert 53202 (414) 765 9398.
Central School, Grantham. Contact Peter Park, Cork. Tel: (021) 504832. New Jersey Classical Guitar Society. President:
Constable, The Elms, 3 Sleaford Road, Ruskington, Dublin Classical Guitar Society meets last George Schindler, 267 South Street, N.
Lincs, NG34 9BP. Tel: (01526) 834 120. Thursday of each month at Booterstown Parish Providence N. J., 07974.
South Wales Guitar Society. Chairperson: Kate Centre, Booterstown Ave., Blackrock. New York City Classical Guitar Society, John
Williams, 18 Westbourne Crescent, Whitchurch, email: dublinguitarcircle@yahoo.co.uk Olson, President, P. O. Box 1691, New York, NY
Cardiff. Tel: (01222) 626 826. ISRAEL 10101.
Surrey Guitar Society, 2nd Wednesday monthly The Guitar Society of Israel. The Rubin Museum, www.nyccgs.com
at Tanyard Hall Gomshall 8pm. Contact: George Bialik St. 14. Tel-Aviv 65241, Israel. president@nyccgs.com
Swallow (01306) 886 196. ITALY Philadelphia Classical Guitar Society, 2038
Swansea CG Circle. Keith Morris, 3 Dulais Grove, Florence Guitar Association. Via del Bargellino 15, Sansom St. Philadelphia, PA 19103
Derwin Fawr, Sketty, Swansea, Glamorgan. Tel: 50014 Fiesole, Firenze, Italy. Phone 055/597012. 215.567.2972
(01792) 202576 JAPAN http://www.PhillyGuitar.org.
Warwickshire Spanish Guitar Society. Peter International Guitar Orchestra Association. The Utah Classical Guitar Society. Roy
Pettifor, 73 Lodge Road, Sratford-upon-Avon CV37 143-14 Fujisawa, Fujisawa-shi Kanagawa-ken, Johnson, Director, 1121 E. 200 So. Salt Lake
9DN Tel: (01789) 263 697 251-0052 Japan. Tel: +81-466-23-8338. Fax: +81- City, Utah 84102, USA. Tel: 801-364-7431.
e-mail: peter.pettifor@ntlworld.com 466-23-9337. Washington Guitar Society. C/o President: John
Wealden Guitar Society. Meets at the Friends Japan Federation of Guitarists is the only official Rodgers, 4500 Connecticut Ave., NW a605
Meeting House, Grosvenor Park,Tunbridge Wells corporation authorized by the Ministry of Education Washington, DC 20008 usa.
on the 2nd Wednesday of each month...nice hall, in Japan since 1966, for the aim of contribution to WEST INDIES

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