The Anglo Spanish Guitar Co.

Ltd

for the complete range of

Manuel Raimundo
fine quality instruments

see the new website

www.spanishguitar.co.uk
Telephone 0121 429 2463
 GUITAR
CLASSICAL
Editorial Consultant:
2009 Colin Cooper
Features Editor:
Guy Traviss
Reviews Editor:
NOVEMBER

Tim Panting
Music Editor:
Neil Smith
Managing Editor:
Maurice J. Summerfield
News Editor:
VOLUME 28, No.3 Thérèse Wassily Saba
4 Editorial
5 Classical Guitar News – Compiled by Thérèse Wassily Saba
8 Events, Festivals and Competitions
10 Concert Diary
11 Milos Karadaglic – Interviewed by Guy Traviss
16 The First Classical Guitar Retreat – by Guy Traviss
19 A continued conversation with Jorge Morel –
by Ana María Rosado
25 Heinsberg 2009 – by Steve Marsh
28 Letter from New York – by Julia Crowe
34 4th Vrnjci International Music Festival – by Paul Fowles
37 Rincon Flamenco No.58: Reviews – by Paul Magnussen Milos Karadaglic –
38 Gruppetto page 11.
39 Music Reviews
46 CD Reviews
50 Personal CD releases
51 DVD Reviews
52 Book Reviews
53 Concert Reviews
55 Letters to the Editor
56 Classical Guitar Teachers
57 Classical Guitar Societies

Contributors:
Julia Crowe, Lawrence Del Casale, Zbigniew Dubiella, Paul Fowles,
Allan Clive Jones, Paul Magnussen, Oliver McGhie, Jorge Morel,
Danielle Ribouillault, David Russell, 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. Jorge Morel –
Advertisements: David English. page 19.

ADVERTISEMENTS:
All advertisements to be addressed to:
David English, Classical Guitar,
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: classicalguitar@ashleymark.co.uk
Web: www.ashleymark.co.uk/classicalguitar.htm
SUBSCRIPTIONS:
All subscriptions to be addressed to:
David English, 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.ashleymark.co.uk

SUBSCRIPTION RATES: PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY:

1 Year (12 Issues) £ ASHLEY MARK PUBLISHING COMPANY
United Kingdom 54.00 1 & 2 Vance Court, Trans Britannia Enterprise Park,
Western Europe 64.50 Blaydon on Tyne NE21 5NH, United Kingdom.
Rest of World (Priority) 72.60 TEL: +44 (0) 191 414 9000 FAX: +44 (0) 191 414 9001
e-mail: mail@ashleymark.co.uk
2 Year (24 Issues) Web: www.ashleymark.co.uk
United Kingdom 97.20 Printed by BAKERSHAW PRINT LIMITED
Western Europe 116.00
Rest of World (Priority) 130.68 UK Distribution to News-stands 4th Vrnjci Music Festival –
Newsagents and Wholesalers page 34.
Remittances must be in GB Pounds payable in the by Post Scriptum, Unit E3, Marshgate Centre,
United Kingdom or US Dollars payable in the USA. Unit G, OYO Business Park, Hindmans Way,
If not remitting in Sterling or USA Dollars, please add Dagenham Essex RM9 6LN.
equivalent of £10.00 for Bank Handling charges. TEL: (020) 8526 7779 FAX: 020 8526 7772 Although every care is taken to
Western Europe is defined as the following countries:
ensure accuracy and propriety,
Austria, Belgium, Denmark (inc Faroe Islands and Greenland), Finland, France (inc Andorra, neither the editors nor the pub-
Corsica and Monaco), Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland (Rep of), Italy (inc San Marino and lishers necessarily agree with
Vatican City), Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway (inc Spitzbergen), Portugal (inc the Azores and opinions expressed by contribu-
Madeira), Spain (inc Canary Islands), Sweden, Switzerland (inc Liechtenstein).
All other countries Rest of the World. tors, nor by readers in their pub-
lished letters.
ISSN 0950-429X © ASHLEY MARK PUBLISHING COMPANY

Classical Guitar Magazine 3

 Editorial
certo for Guitar and Orchestra’ on a CD or in a concert thought lost forever among the flotsam and jetsam
programme generally produce feelings of apprehension appeared, in close to miraculous circumstances, in a
in at least one pair of ears. with a concerto by Mozart or neat window that was as easy to view as the weekly
Beethoven)? An over-familiar Vivaldi? An edited version weather predictions for Weston-Super-Mare. Yet,
epiphany-wise, it raises the question: ‘convenience: is it
better if it’s quicker and easier, or are we happier with
THE QUIZ, whether on the television screen, on radio or
the end results if they take a little longer and the end
in the pub, has become part of the British way of life.
results are far better?’
The standard of knowledge of the contestants is not
The question was answered for me unequivocally,
generally high, and sometimes - particularly in musical
after a typical trawl through the cyber seas. I readily
matters - it is downright abysmal. This includes the
admit that if my internet paddle was snatched from my
brainy scientists who nowadays comprise the intelli-
grasp, I would most likely find myself up that proverbial
gentsia. It used to be the other way round: artists knew
creek. I am all for rescued footage from TV and radio
nothing about the Second Law of Thermodynamics.
broadcasts. The patient rescuers of these snippets
Many of them still don’t, of course, and it’s nothing to be
(often much more) have done much to bring the ‘lost’ to
proud of.
the ‘found’ department. What, in most examples, they
Nor is the ignorance of music currently shown by sci-
have had to forgo is the aspect of quality. It seems to me
entists. Apart from questions relating to the Beatles, the
that if what I mean by quality is a form of excellence,
Rolling Stones or Britain’s last entry in the European
then these easy-to-get forms of reference leave a lot to
Song Contest, they are clueless. The ignorance some-
be desired; so much so, that during the aforementioned
times extends to those who set the questions. Sample
search I was forced to close down the ‘tab’ and re-gath-
(from a television quiz): Which famous Spanish painter
er my senses. I had a mini-rebellion in the sense that I
shared the same first name with a famous Spanish gui-
could no longer accept footage that actually detracted
tarist? The contestant got it in one: Pablo. (Applause.).
from the original performance. I could be speaking here
Pablo Picasso and Pablo Casals. Who doesn’t remember
at direct odds with those who have lovingly rescued
Pablo Casals and his eloquent guitar? Why, he was
wax-cylinder recordings, 78s and countless vinyl LPs
nearly as famous as Andrés Segovia and his cello!
and have produced packages that bring the distant past
Nobody questioned the questioner.
evercloser and more realistically to our 21st-century
Translate that question into the world of science, and
ears. Yet I am probably talking more about our own
ask which famous biologist shared the same first name
impatience, especially with the added phenomenon of
with the author of a famous book on angling, and the
the internet.
answer might well be Isaac. There would be a storm of
So the review pages of CGM become yet a stronger
letters protesting that, while Isaac Walton certainly
cause for the provision of excellence than ever before.
wrote The Compleat Angler, Isaac Newton could not be
TIM PANTING
called a biologist. He knew more about biology than you
and me, you can bet on that, but he was known for
other things.
A contestant in a music quiz (yes, a specialist!), con-
fronted with Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance March
No.4, said ‘Is it Johann Strauss?’ Occasionally there are
signs that this general ignorance is changing. A popular
TV quiz is University Challenge, where students have to
answer a wide range of questions. One young team,
experts in molecular physics and similar abstruse sub-
jects, were asked to identify the composers of four
excerpts from 19th-century operas. They got two of
them right. A few years ago they would have answered
‘Puccini’ to every one of the four questions, and been
content with a 25 per cent score.
Guitarists would probably score well on 19th-century
opera, so many are the guitar arrangements by Arcas,
Tárrega, Giuliani and the like. I doubt if many musi-
cians, let alone guitarists, could answer the most basic
questions about molecular physics.
COLIN COOPER

IT IS probably not the first time nor shall it be the last

that an editorial begins with a volte-face; a different
tack, change of opinion, whatever review of circum-
stance you choose to mention, but epiphany-wise I
seem to have had one.
Extolling the virtues of YouTube as a source of
almost endless video clips relating to the guitar; so
rare that before the existence of the Internet the only
way of obtaining them was a mule track across bandit
country; paying various ferrymen/postmen in bribes
of similar exchanges or otherwise impossible promis-
es. These middlemen were banished with a mouse
click. Rarities were no more. That scrap of celluloid,

4 Classical Guitar Magazine

 C lassical G uitar N ews
Compiled by THÉRÈSE WASSILY SABA

Pittaluga competition results

The results of the 42nd International

Classical Guitar Competition ‘Michele
Pittaluga’ Prize of the city of Alessandria,
Italy which was held at the Teatro
Comunale from 21–26 September 2009
were: First Prize: Andras Csàki
(Hungary); Second Prize: Kyu-Hee Park
(South Korea); and Third Prize: Thomas
Viloteau (France).
www.pittaluga.org

Music diary 2010

2010 is the year of Chopin’s bicentenary,

and Boosey & Hawkes are celebrating it
by printing a few bars of Stravinsky’s
instrumentation of the A flat Nocturne on
the cover of their Music Diary for 2010.
Every day of the year is marked by a
short list of notable musicians and their
birth and death dates. At least four of
your favourite guitarists are in it, and
you may find more. A list of internation-
al music competitions is included.
Among the many for piano and violin are
one for flute and one for harp, but the Andras Csàki.
guitar is not mentioned. At least one gui-
tar competition, the Alessandria, is affiliated to
the World Federation of International Music
Competitions. But don’t let that put you off (you
can get all the competition information you
need through the pages of CG): the Boosey &
Hawkes 2010 Music Diary provides all the basic
information you expect from a diary, and a lot
more.
Online guitar competition
It seems that online competitions are becoming
more and more popular. The Barrios
WorldWideWeb Competition is into its second
round as I write and now we have news of anoth-
er competition. The Yamaha Six String Theory
Guitar Competition began on 1 October 2009,
but it is not too late to post your videos online for
the competition, as the last date for submission
is 1 February 2010. Lee Ritenour and The
Yamaha Corporation, in association with
Concord Records, the Yamaha Corporation,
Berklee College of Music, Monster Cable and
D’Addario Strings, have organised the Six String
Theory Guitar Competition. It is an online, inter-
national competition to find the top six gui-
tarists, one in each of the following categories:
Rock, Blues, Jazz/Fusion, Country, Acoustic
and Classical/Flamenco. Each of the winners
will win many different prizes, and the grand
prizewinner will receive a four-year, fully paid
tuition scholarship for Berklee College of Music
as well as having the opportunity to record on
the superstar guitar record, String Theory. The
album will include legendary guitarists from var-
ious genres blending their original styles. Some
of the top ten guitarists from around the world
will be participating: BB King, George Benson,
John Scofield, Steve Lukather and Lee Ritenour,
among others. As the contest progresses, they
will be posting the top 25 YouTube videos on
their website; the address is below. The compe-
tition finals will be held at the Broad Stage in
Santa Monica, California on 22 March 2010.
www.sixstringtheory.com
Alicia de Larrocha (1923–2009)
On Friday 25 September 2009 the Spanish
pianist Alicia de Larrocha died in Barcelona at
the age of 86. She had given her last public per-
formances at the age of 80 in 2003. Her perfor-
mances of Mozart were highly regarded for their
lighteness and elegance, and Bach and Scarlatti
highly regarded for their attention to detail but
for guitarists she has always been a guide for

Classical Guitar Magazine 5


Manuel Barrueco with Gabriela Lena Frank.
the interpretation of the works by the Spanish
composers Granados, Albéniz, Mompou and
Turina. She studied with the Frank Marshall,
who was a student of Enrique Granados. He
established the Academia Marshall in
Barcelona during Granados' lifetime. It was a
hub of cultural activity for Spanish and over-
seas artists and continues as such. After Frank
Marshall’s death in 1959, she took over as the
Director.
Latin Grammy
Gabriela Lena Frank’s Inca Dances for guitar
and string quartet has been nominated for the
Latin Grammy in the category of Best Classical
Contemporary Composition. Manuel Barrueco
premièred Inca Dances with the Cuarteto
Latinoamericano and its première recording
also appears on their recording called Sounds of
6 Classical Guitar Magazine
the Americas. The work was commissioned by
the Baltimore Classical Guitar Society, with
grants from the National Endowment for the
Arts and the Peabody Conservatory of Music.
Speaking to Gabriela Lena Frank about the
Grammy nomination, she said, ‘I received news
that Inca Dances had been nominated for a
Latin Grammy from Saúl Bitran, the first violin-
ist of the Cuarteto Latinoamericano, while he
was in Caracas, Venezuela, giving a concert at
the Mexican embassy. It was a complete and
utter surprise as I hadn’t even known the piece
was under consideration!
The work was inspired by and written for gui-
tarist Manuel Barrueco and the aforementioned
Cuarteto, all consummate musicians. I was
aiming for a rather spare language in the open-
ing solo guitar movement, and then a craggy,
dissonant second movement. Perhaps this was
in reaction to having written a large lyrical viola
concerto immediately before getting to work on
the guitar quintet. In any case, the men dug
into the work, not shying away from its spaces
or edges, and I know that the Grammy nomina-
tion reflects the hard work from all of us togeth-
er. On behalf of all of us, I’m truly grateful for
the recognition for Inca Dances.’
Kavanagh joins Koblenz
The Canadian guitarist Dale Kavanagh has
joined the academic staff at the Koblenz
International Guitar Academy in Germany.
The Academy was established in 2005 and is
dedicated to the development and further edu-
cation of young guitarists. The Academy offers
postgraduate studies in guitar with a soloist’s
diploma and specialist training for teachers in
music schools. There are presently 25 stu-
dents in the postgraduate department alone,
coming from 17 nations. The next auditions
for future students of the Koblenz
International Guitar Academy will be held on
18 December 2009.
Professor Dale Kavanagh joins the faculty
staff of Professor Hubert Käppel, Aniello
Desiderio and Georg Schmitz. Contact: The
Director, Georg Schmitz, Koblenz International
Guitar Academy, Bahnhofstr. 58, 56068
Koblenz, Germany. Tel. +49 (0)170 311 5446.
www.koblenzguitarfestival.de
Schaupp’s Spain
The Australian German gui-
tarist Karin Schaupp has just
released a recording called
Spain – Great Guitar Concertos.
Naturally it includes the
Concerto de Aranjuez by
Joaquín Rodrigo but it also includes Salvador
Bacarisse’s Concertino in A minor, op.72, which
were both recorded with the Tasmanian
Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Benjamin
Northey. A further work of great interest on this
recording is Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s Romancero
Gitano, which Karin Schaupp performed with
the choir Cantillation, conducted by Philip Chu.
The recording has been released on ABC
Classics.

Rodrigo and Sopeña correspondence

The collected letters of Joaquín Rodrigo and

Federico Sopeña have just been published in
Joaquín Rodrigo y la creación musical en los
años cincuenta, edited by the Spanish musi-
cologist Javier Suárez-Pajares. Joaquín
Rodrigo was a prolific letter-writer and a music
critic and his correspondence with so many
important music figures of the twentieth cen-
tury is yet to be appreciated fully. Equally
Federico Sopeña was a central figure in
Spanish culture life; he was also a music crit-
ic, his posts included being Director of the
Academia de España in Rome and Director of
the Museo del Prado, among many others.
This is the sixth book in the series Música y
pensamiento, which is published by the
University of Valladolid, Spain. The book will be
launched at the Escuela Superior de Música
Reina Sofía in Madrid on 26 November 2009 in
the presence of Paloma O’Shea and Cecilia
Rodrigo.

Segovia Exhibition

During 2009 the Fundación Andrés Segovia has

been organising a series on concerts and con- All of the concerts and conferences are open
ferences in celebration of the 100th anniversary to the public with no entrance fee and are being
of Andrés Segovia’s first public recital. That held at the Fundación Andrés Segovia, Calle
recital took place in October 1909 at the Salón Cánovas del Castillo, 59 23700-Linares (Jaén),
de Actos del Centro Artístico y Literario in Spain.
Granada, Spain. www.segoviamuseo.com
An exhibition of philatelic and collected
memorabilia in homage to Andrés Segovia and Trinity College of Music Guitar Day
the celebration of the centenary of his first
recital will open on Thursday 6 November at Trinity College of Music will hold a guitar day
8pm at the Fundación Andrés Segovia and will on Thursday 19 November 2009, commencing
remain open until 22 November 2009. This
evening will also be the start of a series of
nightly concerts each at the Fundación, pre-
sented in collaboration with the Excmo.
Ayuntamiento de Linares. Starting with the
Duo Melis (Susana Prieto and Alexis
Muzurakis) on 6 November, then with the gui-
tar duo of Roberto Masini and Simona
Costantino, Sasa Devanovich, Fabio
Montomoli, the guitar duo of Nello and Simone
Alessi, Roberto Fabri, the guitar duo of
Massimo Delle Cese and Alessandro Minci, the
guitar duo of Carsten Link and Carsten
Grøndahl, Jusuk Lee, Ahmet Kaneci, Augustin
Wiedemann, Javier García, and the voice and
the guitar duo of Damiana Mizzi and Massimo
Felici.
Classical Guitar Magazine 7

Graham Devine.
at 10am with a lecture on Julian Bream by
Graham Wade. This will be followed by a
short recital of Bream-inspired works such as
works by Walton, Britten and Arnold, given
by guitar students at Trinity College of Music.
The Trinity Guitar Ensemble conducted by
James Woodrow will be performing a
lunchtime recital and this will be followed by
a masterclass from 2.30–5.30pm by John
Mills. All events are free for the public to
attend. More information can be found on the
Trinity College of Music website:
http://www.tcm.ac.uk
Wirral Festival
This month the 21st International Guitar
Festival of Great Britain will be held from
3–29 November 2009 in Wirral. The artists
include: David Parsons, Alison Smith,
Galina Vale, Esmond Selwyn, Ralph McTell,
Steve Hackett, Martin Taylor, Woody Mann,
Telecaster Day presented by Paul Balmer,
John Etheridge & John Williams among oth-
ers. John Williams will also give a solo recital
on 15 November at 2.30pm, followed by
John Etheridge’s Sweet Chorus band at
8pm that evening.
Unfortunately, Brendan McCormack, one
of the International Guitar Festival
founders, passed away earlier in the year,
and his very lively presence will be very
8 Classical Guitar Magazine
much missed. This year’s festival will begin with
a Brendan McCormack Celebration Concert on
3 November at Pacific Road, Birkenhead,
Wirral CH41 1LJ and there will be a Brendan
McCormack Celebration Classical Concert on
22 November.
www.bestguitarfest.com
UK Premiere of Brouwer’s Concerto No. 5
Graham Anthony Devine will be performing the
British premiere of Leo Brouwer’s Guitar
Concerto No 5 ‘Helsinki’ with the Trinity College
of Music Chamber Orchestra conducted by Nic
Pendlebury on Thursday 19 November 2009,
7.30pm at Blackheath Halls, London. This con-
cert is part of the Festival of Time and Space,
which is a collaboration between the National
Maritime Museum (NMM), The Royal
Observatory, Greenwich and Trinity College of
Music. The rest of the programme will include
Haydn’s Symphony No. 101 in D major, popu-
larly known as The Clock because of the ‘ticking’
rhythm of the second movement and Imagined
Oceans by Karl Jenkins. More information is
available at the Trinity College of Music website:
http://www.tcm.ac.uk
TCM Box Office, tel. 020 8463 0100 or
www.blackheathhalls.com
Volker Höh’s Savio
The German guitarist Volker Höh has made a
recording of the Preludes, Chôros No.1 and Suite
Popular Brasileira by Villa-Lobos and a selection
of 11 pieces by Isaias Savio, some of them possi-
bly previously unrecorded. The recording, called
Cenas Brasileiras is on the Aurea Vox label.
In July and August 2009 Volker Höh travelled
to Bolivia and Argentina to give concerts for the
Goethe Institute; his programme was entitled
‘Bach at the Amazonas’. We hope to read about
his travels in the Views from Everywhere sec-
tion soon.
Mercedes Sosa (1935–2009)
The legendary Argentinian folk singer Mercedes
Sosa, known as ‘La Negrita’, died in Buenos
Aires on Sunday 4 October. She had just
recorded her 40th album, which has been
nominated for a number of Latin Grammy
Awards this year. Other artists appearing with
Mercedes Sosa on this album are Shakira,
Joan Manuel Serrat, Joaquín Sabina, Lila
Downs and Julieta Venegas. Her interpretation
of songs was sensitively powerful and unforget-
table for its profound expressiveness, such as
Violeta Parra’s Gracias a la vida or Ariel
Ramírez’s Alfonsina y el mar. Like Atahualpua
Yupanqui, the influence of her life’s work is
immeasurable and will be felt for many genera-
tions to come.
 E vents, F estivals & C ompetitions
FESTIVALS & COMPETITIONS
6–8 November 2009: Brussels, Belgium. The
Brussels Barrios Festival 2009 with Antigoni
Goni, Raphaëlla Smits, Luz María Bobadilla with
Manuel Obregón, Berta Rojas, Eliot Fisk, Rene
Izquierdo, Elina Chekan, Jerome Mouffe, Enno
Voorhorst, Dr Jorge Sanabria and Felipe Sosa.
There will be an exhibition of manuscripts and
instruments from the Barrios Museum in
Asunción, Paraguay and a two-hour documentary
film about Barrios will be shown. Contact: Jan de
Kloe, Kroendaalplein 7a, “Villa-Lobos”, B-3090
Overijse, Belgium.
email: jan.de.kloe@telenet.be
www.Barrios2009.com
12–14 November 2009: Barbezieux, Charente,
France. The competition of Concours
International de la Guitare Classique Robert J.
Vidal is open to solo guitarists of all nationalities
under the age of 32 on 12 November 2009. The
competition is in three rounds. Variations sur un
thème de Django Reinhardt by Léo Brouwer is the
set piece in the Preliminary round. First Prize is
€10,000. Entry deadline: 15 September 2009.
Contact: Concours International de Guitare
Robert-Jean Vidal, ODECA / Régine-Claire
Boissard, 27 rue Louis Desbrandes, 16000
Angoulême, France. Tel. +33 (0)6 16 86 59 08.
email: regine-cb@orange.fr
www.concours-robert-j-vidal.com
20–22 November 2009: Tokyo, Japan. 52nd
Tokyo International Guitar Competition 2009
organised by the Japan Federation of Guitarists
for guitarists born after 1974. Preliminary round
on 17 August 2009; applicants must send their
recordings by 31 July 2009. Contact: Japan
Federation of Guitarists, Wada-bldg. 5F, 6–14–4,
Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105–0004, Japan.
Tel. 81 3 3438 1819. Fax. 81 3 3438 1899.
email: jfg@guitarists.or.jp
www.guitarists.or.jp
23–28 November 2009: La Herradura, Granada,
Spain. The XXV Certamen Internacional de
Guitarra Clásica ‘Andrés Segovia’ is in homage
to Francisco Tárrega and Isaac Albéniz, who are
celebrating their centenaries, and also in homage
to Leo Brouwer, who is 70 this year. The guitar
competition has a First Prize of €9,000, a guitar by
Paco Santiago Marín and two recitals in Madrid
and Granada and there is also the composition
competition XXII Concurso de Composición
‘Andrés Segovia’.
email: info@certamenandressegovia.es
www.certamenandressegovia.es
26 November 2009: London, UK. The 12th Ivor
Mairants Guitar Award is a competition open to
guitarists of any nationality born after 1 January
1982. Entry deadline: 31 October 2009. Contact:
The Worshipful Company of Musicians, The
Clerk’s Office, 6th Floor, 2 London Wall Buildings,
London, EC2M 5PP.
March 2010: St Petersburg, Russia: I Vienna, Anton von Webern Platz 1, A-1030 Vienna,
International Terem Crossover Competition is a
musical forum intended for professional and young
talented instrumental ensembles comprising any
Classical Guitar Magazine
Compiled by THÉRÈSE WASSILY SABA
acoustic musical instruments, from any country
and with no age limit. The prizes include over
1,000,000 Roubles, a concert tour in Russia’s
best concert venues and a package of additional
prizes. Contact: Alexander Shirunov, Executive
Director, I International Terem Crossover
Competition. 31, ul. Kirochnaya, St. Petersburg
191123, Tel. +7(812) 400 2259. Fax +7(812) 400
2258.
email: terem.competition@gmail.com
www.terem-competition.ru
7–10 April 2010: Veria, Greece. The 9th
International Veria Guitar Festival and the 2nd
Veria International Guitar Competition is in two
age categories: Category A with no age limit cate-
gory – First Prize is €2,500; Category B for gui-
tarists born after 1 April 1989 – First Prize is €500.
Contact: Mrs Olga Milona, tel. +30 23 3107 8100,
fax +30 23 3102 7914.
email: info@veriaguitarfestival.gr
veriaguitarfestival.gr
6–8 May 2010: Sassari, Italy. The XVI
International Biennal Guitar Competition
‘Emilio Pujol’ organised by the Associazione
Chitarristica Sassarese with First Prize of €4,000;
Second Prize of €2,000; and Third Prize of
€1,000.Entry deadine: 15 April 2010. Contact:
Associazione Chitarristica Sassarese, Via
Flumenargia, 33, 07100 – Sassari, Italy.
www.assochitarra.it
2–6 June 2010: Velbert, Germany. The 6th
International Competition for Young Guitarists
‘Andrés Segovia’ organised by the municipality of
Velbert in collaboration with EGTA (Germany) is in
three age categories: Group I: up to 13 years old;
Group II: 14–16 years old; Group III: 17–19 years
old. The date for calculating the guitarist’s age is 2
June 2010. Contact: Musik & Kunstschule der
Stadt Velbert, Kaiserstr. 12, D-42549 Velbert,
Germany. Tel. +49 (0)2051 490 776, fax. +49
(0)2051 490 780.
email: gitarrenwettbewerb@velbert.de
http://gitarrevelbert.de
22–27 June 2010: Austin, TX, USA. The Guitar
Foundation of America International
Convention & Competition including the
International Concert Artist Competition and
the International Youth Competition with
guests: Pepe Romero, LA Guitar Quartet, Berta
Rojas, Katona Twins, Adam Holzman, Ana Vidovic,
Marcus Tardelli, Ronn McFarlane, Atanas
Ourkouzounov & Mie Ogura, Miró String Quartet
and the Austin Symphony Orchestra.
www.guitarfoundation.org
28 September–2 October 2010: Vienna, Austria.
The International Guitar Competition Karl
Scheit is open to guitarists of any nationality,
born in or after 1980. The prizes are €7,500 for
First Prize, €5,500 for Second Prize and €3,500 for
Third Prize. Entry deadline: 15 March 2010.
Contact: International Guitar Competition Karl
Scheit, University of Music and Performing Arts
Austria. Tel. =43 1 71155 2021.
email: kelemen@mdw.ac.at
www.mdw.ac.at/gitarrenwettbewerb
9
C oncert D iary
NOVEMBER
1 Sunday
London: DIMITRIS DEKAVALLAS: Hellenic
Centre, 16-18 Paddington Street, Marylebone,
London W1U 5AS. Tel. 020 7193 2699 (London
Greek Film Festival).
3 Tuesday
Newcastle: SIMON THACKER & NAVA RASA
ENSEMBLE. Eastgate Theatre. Tel. 0191 443
4661 (new concerti by Osborne and Korde).
4 Wednesday
Bideford: AGNEW MCALLISTER DUO. Bideford
Music Club, Greenville College, 7.30pm.
London: FRANCISCO ANTONIO (flamenco gui-
tar) and CHRISTOPHER EVESHAM (classical
guitar). The Forge, Camden, NW1 7NL,
7.30pm.
Peebles: SIMON THACKER & NAVA RASA
ENSEMBLE. Sage Gateshead. Tel. 01721 725
777 (new concerti by Osborne and Korde).
5 November
Poole, Dorset: XUEFEI YANG, COBIE SMIT, CRAIG
OGDEN & JOHN MILLS. The Lighthouse Concert
Hall, 7.30pm.
6 Friday
Inverness: SIMON THACKER & NAVA RASA
ENSEMBLE. Eden Court. Tel. 01463 234 234
(new concerti by Osborne and Korde).
London: DIMITRIS DEKAVALLAS: St James,
Piccadilly, 1pm.
7 Saturday
Mallaig: SIMON THACKER & NAVA RASA
ENSEMBLE. Community Centre.
Tring, Herts: RAYMOND BURLEY. Methodist
Hall, HP23 5BB, 7.30pm. Tel. 01296 677 230.
8 Sunday
Drumnadrochit: SIMON THACKER & NAVA RASA
ENSEMBLE. Glen Urquhart Public Hall. Tel.
01456 450 528.
New York: SABRINA VLASKALIC. Roger Smith
Hotel, 501 Lexington Ave, at East 47th St, 4pm.
9 Monday
London: DIMITRIS DEKAVALLAS: St Martin-in-
the-Fields, 1pm.
10 Tuesday
Aberdeen: SIMON THACKER & NAVA RASA
ENSEMBLE. Sound Festival.
11 Wednesday
Edinburgh: SIMON THACKER & NAVA RASA
ENSEMBLE. Queens Hall. Tel. 0131 668 2019.
Reading: GERARD COUSINS & DEREK GRIPPER.
South Street, 8pm. Tel. 0118 960 6060.
12 Thursday
London: SIMON THACKER & NAVA RASA
ENSEMBLE. Bishopsgate Institute, Grand Hall.
Tel. 020 7392 9220.
13 Friday
Bognor Regis: GARY RYAN. Recital Hall, West
Sussex Guitar Club, 7.30pm. Tel. 01243 866
462.
London: GERARD COUSINS & DEREK GRIPPER.
Schott Music Shop, Great Marlborough St,
6.30pm. Tel. 020 7292 6090.
14 Saturday
Boston, Lincs: EL MORENO. Blackfriars Arts
Centre, Spain Lane, 7.30pm. Tel. 01205 363 108.
Eastleigh, Hants: BERTA ROJAS, The Point,
Leigh Road, SO50 9DE, 8pm.
15 Sunday
Brecon, Wales: GERARD COUSINS & DEREK
GRIPPER. Subud Hall, 7.30pm. Tel. 07941 923
795.
Fareham: DIMITRIS DEKAVALLAS: Lysses Hotel,
High Street, 3.30pm.
18 Wednesday
Wirral: ALISON SMITH. Williamson Art Gallery,
7.30pm. Tel. 0151 666 0000.
19 Thursday
Fort Worth, TX: WILLIAM KANENGISER. The
Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth 3200 Darnell
Street, 7.30pm. Tel. 817 498 0363.
10
20 Friday
Dallas, TX: WILLIAM KANENGISER. Owen Arts
Center, SMU 6101 Bishop Boulevard, 7.30pm.
21 Saturday
Amsterdam: DUO MELIS. Concertgebow.
25 Wednesday
Blackwood, Wales: GERARD COUSINS.
Blackwood Miners Institute High Street, NP12.
Lunchtime.
29 Sunday
Hall, Austria: LORENZO MICHELI (theorbo, gui-
tar & baroque guitar).
30 Monday
Canterbury: DIMITRIS DEKAVALLAS: Friends
Meeting House, 6 The Friars, Canterbury CT1
2AS, 7.30pm. Tel. 01227 265 503.
DECEMBER
3 Thursday
Newcastle: AMANDA COOK. Customs House,
South Shields, Tyne & Wear, 1pm. Tel. 0191 454
1234.
5 Saturday
New York: MANUEL BARRUECO. 92 St. Y.
Pittsburgh, PA: LOS ROMEROS. Manchester
Craftmen’s Guils, 1815 Metropolitan St, 8pm.
10 Thursday
Los Angeles, CA: SHARON ISBIN & Pacific
Symphony. Segerstrom Concert Hall, Orange
County Performing Arts Center (Rodrigo’s
Fantasia para un gentilhombre).
11 Friday
Guildford, Surrey: STEVE THACHUK & SARAH
WASS (flute). University of Surrey, 8pm.
Ancona, Italy: MANUEL BARRUECO.
Los Angeles, CA: SHARON ISBIN & Pacific
Symphony. Segerstrom Concert Hall, Orange
County Performing Arts Center (Rodrigo’s
Fantasia para un gentilhombre).
12 Saturday
Guildford, Surrey: STEVE THACHUK & Surrey
Mozart Players, conducted by Ken Woods. Holy
Trinity Church (Malcolm Arnold guitar concerto).
Los Angeles, CA: SHARON ISBIN & Pacific
Symphony. Segerstrom Concert Hall, Orange
County Performing Arts Center (Rodrigo’s
Fantasia para un gentilhombre).
San Francisco, CA: PEPE ROMERO. Herbst
Theatre, 8pm.
13 Sunday
New York: ANTHONY BEZ. Roger Smith Hotel,
501 Lexington Ave, at East 47th St, 4pm.
14 Monday
Alicante, Spain: MANUEL BARRUECO.
15 Tuesday
Manchester: BERTA ROJAS. Bolton School Arts
Centre, 7.30pm. Tel. 07831 416 358.
Castellón, Spain: MANUEL BARRUECO. (recital
commemorating the 100th anniversary of
Francisco Tárrega’s death).
16 Wednesday
Bilbao, Spain: MANUEL BARRUECO.
31 Thursday
New York: LOS ROMEROS. Kaufman Ct Hall,
92nd Y, 1395 Lexington Avenue, 8pm. Tel. 212
415 5500.
JANUARY
9 Saturday
London: GORDON GILTRAP & VIRGINIA LUQUE.
Purcell Room, 7.30pm. Tel. 0844 875 0073.
10 Sunday
New York: GABRIEL BIANCO. Roger Smith Hotel,
501 Lexington Ave, at East 47th St, 4pm.
FEBRUARY
13 Saturday
Fort Worth, TX: PEPE ROMERO. Ed Landreth
Auditorium, TCU 2800 S. University, 7.30pm.
Tel. 817 498 0363.
14 Sunday
New York: THOMAS VILOTEAU. Roger Smith
Hotel, 501 Lexington Ave, at East 47th St,
4pm.
Classical Guitar Magazine
 MILOS KARADAGLIC
Interviewed By GUY TRAVISS
Milos Karadaglic.
HAVING WON more than thirteen top prizes, Milos
Karadaglic has established himself as one of the most
promising young musical talents of today. Born in
Montenegro in 1983, Milos started playing guitar at
the age of 8 and very quickly began performing in
public. By the age of 14 he had already performed in
most of the major concert halls in Montenegro and
Yugoslavia, becoming nationally recognised.
Having graduated from the Royal Academy of
Music in London in 2004 (he won the Worshipful
Company of Musicians’ prestigious Ivor Mairants
Guitar Award in the same year), Milos continued
his postgraduate studies at the same institution
where he went on to receive the Julian Bream
Prize. He was also offered a Meaker Fellowship at
RAM for his work on materials from the Robert
Spencer Collection and contemporary guitar
music especially written for him by the Academy
composers. Since then he has achieved further
success winning the Worshipful Company of
Musicians’ 2007 Prince’s Prize and their Silver
Medal. He is the first classical guitarist to receive
these prestigious awards from the Worshipful
Company of Musicians (Musicians Livery
Company - www.wcom.org.uk) one of the City of
London’s most ancient guilds.
Recently Milos presented his debut recital at
the famous Lucerne Festival in Switzerland to a
capacity crowd. He has also appeared as a soloist
with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, given
Classical Guitar Magazine
recitals at the Purcell Room and Wigmore Hall,
and performed at several other venues in the UK
and overseas. In addition to this, Milos has been
featured on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune programme to
promote a concert series at London’s South Bank
Centre, and recorded pieces for the ABRSM gui-
tar grade exam syllabus. This year he will release
his much anticipated debut CD.
How did growing up in Montenegro affect your
approach to learning music?
My training was slightly unusual because of where I
grew up. From as early as I can remember I loved to
sing. At first I sang at home to my parents and their
friends, later joining a children’s choir and perform-
ing all around former Yugoslavia. At eight I attended
a specialist music school where I started playing the
guitar, reason being that my father had an old dusty
guitar which sat on top of the wardrobe. I was a very
fast learner and changed between every teacher
available. After I had established myself with the
right person I was entered into many competitions
and festivals, performing in large concerts halls filled
with many people. Soon after this, I also started per-
forming for television and radio.
Who were your influences during this time?
The most well established guitarist at that time was
John Williams and his CD’s were available every-
where, so I listened to his recordings a lot. I loved
11
what I heard, and although I was only lit-
tle, something told me that I had to get to
that level; so while other children were off
doing different things I was practising.
This made me very happy. My parents
were anything but pushy, no one in my
family has ever been a musician, but they
have always been incredibly supportive.

How did things unfold following this peri-

od?
After many concerts and awards, I had
to decide whether I wanted to enter a
specialist secondary music school or a
Grammar school to learn to become a
doctor or lawyer, like most of my family.
I was a great student who was curious
about everything, biology and mathe-
matics in particular, but when I reached
fourteen I decided I wanted to play the
guitar. However, living in Montenegro
meant that I was unable to receive the
level of tuition I required at that time.
Consequently I travelled to Belgrade a Milos Karadaglic.
lot because they had fabulous musi-
cians and teachers there. I attended mater-classes Do you feel that guitarists should in some way
anywhere the opportunity presented itself; on one rethink their role within the classical music industry?
such occasion I played for David Russell in Italy. Absolutely! We should really be concentrating on
He was such an inspiration. It was David who this and getting to grips with ‘guitar taboo’. There is
made me aware of the Royal Academy, and a few a genuine need for guitarists to simply get out
years later I found myself in London studying with there! One of the reasons why the instrument is
Professor Michael Lewin. perceived differently to that of, say, the violin, piano
or cello, is partly through fault of guitarists them-
What sort of impact did this have on your studies? selves. There are essentially two ways of building a
I came to England at sixteen with a repertoire career. One is to participate in every competition
which included the major guitar you can manage, continually play
sonatas, tremolo and romantic the same repertoire and win many
pieces; everything was very “I have always prizes. Players can make a very
impressive, but it was from the been working nice career in this way, with great
hands of a teenager. The first attention and interest from within
piece Michael gave me was a Sor towards the same the guitar community.
Study, No.8 Op.6. I was shocked, goal, and that is Unfortunately, because of the rel-
but later I realised that to play ative size of that community, this
this piece as it should be played first of all to be a will not provide a major career in
is in fact very difficult. Suddenly good musician the general music world. The
my confidence was shaken, this other is to explore broader musi-
experience made me aware of the and then a cal areas and find a way to get to
missing elements in my training. guitarist...” the best concert podiums with
Having Michael for a teacher was innovative concepts and program-
one of the best things that could ming. This is of course much
have happened to me because he made me who I harder. When you look at the careers of major gui-
am today. tarists such as Julian Bream, John Williams, David
Russell and Manuel Baruecco, this is exactly what
How do you see yourself fitting in to the music they have done. The fact they chose the guitar as
industry at this moment in time? their instrument did not stop them performing with
I am very happy with where I am at the moment; the best artists of their time; presenting existing
it’s exactly where I wanted to be at 25. I have and new repertoire with the pride and quality it
always been working towards the same goal, deserves; recording for the best record labels; and
and that is first of all to be a good musician and appearing in festivals and concert programmes all
then a guitarist; a guitarist in the music-world over the world.
than a guitarist in the guitar-world. Everything
I have done so far has been heading in that If guitarists are to somehow demonstrate them-
direction. selves within wider musical circles, the repertoire
12 Classical Guitar Magazine
they present is clearly of paramount importance.
What considerations do you give to programming in
an attempt to convey the modern classical guitar to
those who have little or no understanding of the
instrument?
Well that is very difficult. What makes an audience
at a guitar festival happy may not please those at
the Wigmore Hall or the Salzburg Festival. When I
started giving recitals for more general music-
going audiences I performed pieces like Sor’s
Grand Solo which I, as a guitarist, love. But it
doesn’t carry much musical weight for listeners
who are used to hearing Beethoven Sonatas, for
example. A very honest friend of mine who works
within the classical music industry once said to
me that a very famous piece by Sor sounded to
him like a common Bavarian folk tune! I was
shocked and disappointed as these pieces form
such a great part of our repertoire. This is why I
tend not to programme pieces only we as guitarists
know and feel comfortable with. People love Bach
on the guitar; I have never performed Bach with-
out a great response from an audience. People also
love Rodrigo just because they know the concerto,
but he has also produced some substantial pieces.
I don’t wish to sound harsh as there still
remains a great deal of fantastic music for the
guitar, both original and transcribed, but I think
the instrument’s future lies in commissioning
new works. Many of us will know that this is
not an easy task, as the major-
ity of composers today do not
know our instrument well.
In addition to this you need
to be recognised enough in
order to approach the
most established com-
posers, before
Milos
Karadaglic.
14
talking them into writing something for you (not
to mention the funding issues). So things need to
be taken a step at a time. Bream has been
extremely successful in this respect and to some
degree we all need to inherit his position. He was
looking to explore the guitar’s possibilities and
show the world what the instrument is capable of.
Our repertoire needs pieces that work on that
level, pieces like Britten’s Nocturnal - a very sub-
stantial piece of music in any musical context; the
Ginastera Sonata; the Jose Sonata – a piece which
people respond to in the same way they would a
Debussy or Ravel sonata; works by Berkley,
Walton and many others.
Many of the pieces you have mentioned so far are
those more extended compositions that have moved
away from small scale works we readily associate
with the guitar. Do you feel this is something both
guitarists and audiences are still getting used to?
I think there has been plenty of time to get used to
it. Perhaps a lot of this attitude comes from our
training as guitarists. When you enter music-col-
lege you suddenly discover that pianists and other
instrumentalists carry masses of substantial
repertoire with them. Then, when you match your
little Torroba Piece you have been practising so
enthusiastically against a Prokofiev Sonata, you
don’t feel so good about yourself. We do need small
pieces however; all instrumentalists play small
pieces and miniatures of sorts, but we cannot
thrive on them alone.
On the other hand, as with all 20th and 21st
century repertoire, you could not realistically pro-
gramme Britten, Tippett and Ginastera, for exam-
ple, in the same recital. That would be ridiculous.
It’s possible get away with one or two pieces such
as these, but they need to be carefully presented.
Everything needs a good
balance. I also tend to
talk about pieces; a few
words can make a con-
nection that will cause a
performance to be better
understood and ten times
more intense. This is some-
thing that all performers should
do today, particularly gui-
tarists, owing to instrument’s
‘novel’ status.
If we are to increase
the scale of the
Classical Guitar Magazine
music we are performing in respect to its artistic
status, do you think it is important for the guitar
to move into bigger concert halls to reflect that
change - even at the expenses guitarists face
when performing in an unnatural environment,
one that is not ideally suited to the instrument’s
strengths?
I think it’s important for the guitar to find its way
into the larger concert spaces, and I don’t see a sig-
nificant enough problem with the instrument’s
limitations to prevent it from doing so. Today we
have instruments which are very loud and projec-
tive, and despite what purists may think I don’t see
a problem with using amplification. Amplification
is not the same as it was 20 years ago, now there
are systems which sound very natural. I believe
the expense of losing a bit of sound quality is a
small price to pay when compared to closing the
guitar off entirely to a number of potential concert
goers. Obviously you cannot expect to make a
career by only performing in the largest venues in
the world; this is not a natural thing for the guitar
to do. Although, if this is to popularise the instru-
ment, take it to wider audiences, then it is some-
thing we absolutely must do.

Have your own experiences on the platform lent

themselves to this ethos?
Recently I performed a concerto with the London
Philharmonic Orchestra, and afterwards I was called
out to play an encore (for which I chose Barrios’
Ultimo Tremolo). There was an incredible silence of
over nineteen hundred people. Naturally there was a
sudden change of volume in contrast to the orches-
tra, but the listeners re-adjusted their senses and it
was like a dream! Some of the most articulate and
interesting people I know speak very quietly, and you
listen more carefully because of that. My teacher told
me Segovia once played a solo recital at the Royal
Festival Hall with no amplification!
I had a similar experience with
my debut performance at the “One has to
Luzern Festival in Switzerland.
The recital was being held in a
forget about the
large hall which had thick velvet limitations and
curtains hanging on all sides,
even the platform area was
concentrate on
draped with curtains. It looked the good things.
as though no one was going to
be able to hear me. During
This is the only
rehearsal the only thing I could way to succeed.”
hear was the sound my nails
were making against the strings.
I was about to present myself to one of the most
knowledgeable and sophisticated audiences in
the world, so you can only imagine how frustrat-
ed I felt. I asked for all the lights in the hall to be
taken out, leaving only a few dim lamps so people
could read their programmes and a spotlight on
the platform. I thought this would help the audi-
ence focus. When I eventually came out to play, it
felt as though I was in the most acoustic church.
Yes, I had to project more then I usually would
Classical Guitar Magazine
Milos Karadaglic receiving his Worshipful
Company of Musicians' Silver Medal in June 2008
from Leslie East, Master of the Musicians
Company at that time, at the Stationers' Hall
in the City of London.
but the audience was concentrating on every
move and sound, it was a magical experience.
This to me is proof of how important presentation
is in any circumstance. One has to forget about
the limitations and concentrate on the good
things. This is the only way to succeed.
It has been interesting to discuss
the values you have subscribed
to in you early career. How will
you proceed with things in the
more immediate future?
In the very near future I will be
giving a solo recital at the
Wigmore Hall (8 January
2010); appearing as a soloist
with the English Chamber
Orchestra; playing a debut
recital at the Menuhin Festival
in Gstaad and other cities in
Switzerland, Germany and Italy; and partici-
pating in an exciting chamber music recording
project with some of the most distinguished
artists of today. However, the release of my
debut CD is the next big step. There are some
very interesting things in play at the moment,
but I cannot announce anything yet. There will
be a lot to talk about, so let’s make it a subject
of our next interview…
For more information visit: www.milosguitar.com
15
 THE FIRST CLASSICAL
GUITAR RETREAT
July 10 – 13, 2009
Artistic Director: Matthew McAllister

By GUY TRAVISS

O PERATING from the Isle of Cumbrae, just off the west

coast of Scotland, the ‘Retreat’ certainly lives up to its
name. A ten minute ferry across the Firth from Largs on the
north Ayrshire coast of the mainland brings you to
Cumbrae, an island with a cir-
cumference in miles barely
extending into double figures.
More generally, the island can
be reached in little over an hour
from Glasgow International
Airport. Greater Cumbrae, as it
is known when viewed alongside
its sister island, is positioned
against the backdrop of the Isle
of Arran, and offers stunning
panoramic views of the larger
island’s mountainous geography.
To further this sense of seclu-
sion, the Cathedral of the Isles, Aisling Agnew and Harry Taylor.
situated in the town of Millport,
is for three days home to CGR. As far as setting is con-
cerned, Cumbrae’s cathedral can most certainly be counted
among the best that festivals worldwide have to offer. Built
in 1851, the cathedral is the smallest in Europe and is
widely recognised as an early masterpiece of architect
William Butterfield. Although small in size it is augmented
with the addition of two adjoining colleges, and it is here
that for CGR participants the bulk of activity occurs. The
site possesses several advantages for a guitar course; per-
haps none more than having all course elements working
within close proximity. If you were lucky enough to secure
a room within one of the college buildings, then your time
at CGR would have been entirely self-sufficient. If you were
not, the town Millport lies on the cathedral’s
doorstep and supports accommodation rivalling
the perks of CGR headquarters. Under these
conditions you might assume this event to be
largely a local affair. But you would be mistak-
en, as those in attendance demonstrated not only
the interests of the UK, but America, Estonia
and Holland as well - one of several promising
signs for a festival only in its first year.
Much of the course is centred on ensemble
activity, in particular the integration of guitar
with other instruments. For this reason CGR
Allan Neave, Aisling Agnew, Douglas Whates, Matthew McAllister,
enlisted the help of Aisling Agnew (flute),
Feargus Hetherington (violin) and Douglas
Whates (bass), in addition to the guitar faculty assem-
bled for the occasion: Peter Stewart, Allan Neave and
Amanda Cook - not forgetting of course the contribu-
tions made by Matthew McAllister as an extension of his
duties as artistic director.
Participants were given the
option to enter one of three
ensembles led by flute, violin
and double bass respectively.
Everyone also takes part in the
guitar orchestra, this year led
by Peter Stewart. Although
these arrangements constituted
the formal component social
music-making, there remained
plenty of scope for students to
exchange their experiences
with one another. With these
arrangements in place, the
course found its beginnings in
initial rehearsals and the distribution of materials nec-
essary for the days ahead.
The first professional recital was given by McAllister
himself, who began proceedings with a ten-string guitar
for a stylistically well informed interpretation of
Bernhard Joachim Hagen’s Locatelli Variations.
Switching to the standard instrument for Bach’s Cello
Suite No. 1, he continued to display a decisive and con-
vincing approach which can be difficult when performing
music so often exercised by the masses. McAllister con-
cluded the first half of the programme shifting to a tonal
language more contemporary in nature, with three
pieces by composer-performer Ralph Towner: Always by
Amanda Cook, Peter Stewart, Feargus Hetherington.

16 Classical Guitar Magazine

 your side, Reluctant Bride and Toledo. For the second
half McAllister returned with his ensemble in residence
(Aisling Agnew, Feargus Hetherington and Douglas
Whates) to form the Frevo Quartet. Piazzola’s Histoire
du Tango – the work which yielded the ensemble fol-
lowing a one off collaboration - was
a feature of the performance that
evening, but the remaining items
belonged to their most recent disc:
Standing Stones, Music from
Scotland and Ireland. This reper-
toire explores the traditional folk
idioms associated with these places,
which, when presented by first class
musicians who all hail from
Scotland and Ireland, made for a
special atmosphere within the sur-
rounds of the cathedral.
Having achieved some degree of
acclimatisation most were occupied
with ensemble roles, orchestral
rehearsals, masterclasses and pri-
vate lessons. However, a full
timetable did not detract from the
retreat’s aim, and this because of the
kind of tone CGR is trying to pro- Coffee break.
mote. Never travelling any real dis-
tance and taking advantage of scheduled breaks was one
thing, but the rehearsals themselves revealed that meth-
ods of tuition among staff encouraged a positive and
enjoyable experience. The atmosphere is inclusive and
helpful and this contributes to the overall response given
by participants. Further, aside from efforts to make the
didactic elements very accessible, the setup at CGR
allows for plenty of social interaction. Students have
access to the whole site and all facilities contained with-
in. Evening times are spent in college social rooms
reflecting on the day’s activities, strengthening friend-
ships now made - albeit aided with a free supply of wine
and a CGR quiz evening!
With everything in full flow, on the middle day Allan
Neave presented his solo recital. After settling in with
Bach’sLute Suite No. 3, Neave immediately went on to
perform the immensely challenging Folios by Takemitsu.
The ambience he managed to create with these pieces,
especially so close to the beginning of the programme,
Views of Arran from Cumbrae.
Classical Guitar Magazine
was certainly a testament to his ability to convey the
innermost detail of the music. The concert also featured
Three Songs of She by composer in residence, Peter
Stewart (who later joined Neave for an encore perform-
ing another of his pieces – Making Friends). Walton’s
Five Bagatelles produced some very
nice moments following the interval,
and the remainder of his set served
to show Neave as the fine performer
he is.
Among the components you would
expect to find making up the stan-
dard festival model could be found
technique classes and lectures.
Douglas Whates gave a talk on com-
position, and successfully managed to
negotiate the difficulties associated
with addressing an audience encom-
passing a wide spectrum of knowl-
edge and experience. On another
occasion Amada Cook shared her
thoughts on performance preparation
with listeners for an open discussion
session. Some students took the
opportunity to perform a short
lunchtime concert organised within
the garrison building on the seafront,
and if you chose not to be involved in any of this then there
was always a chance to explore the shop set up by dk
Classical Guitars or the cathedral grounds in what was for
the better part glorious weather.
Amanda Cook performed the final instalment of the
professional concert series, and her recital brought this
aspect of the festival to a triumphant close. Opening her
programme with an evocative performance of
Bogdanovic’s Mysterious Habitats, she went on to deliv-
er two Scarlatti Sonatas (K309, K175) with impressive
control; and a particularly melodic and romantic account
of both Alba de Tormes and Torija from Moreno-Torroba’s
Castillos de Espana. The latter section of the recital intro-
duced three pieces by William Lovelady, a composer for
which Cook clearly possesses a very genuine understand-
ing, and items from the first half of the twentieth century
of popular influence. These included arrangements of
music by G. Shearing (Lullaby of Birdland arr. William
Lovelady), A. Bardi (Gallo Ciego arr. Jorge Morel) and
Baden Powell & V.de Moraes (Samba em Preludio arr. P.
Guillemino). Her recital was marked for its technical
soundness and musical sensitivity.
On the third and last day final preparations for the
student concert were being implemented. Many of the
students would also be taking the opportunity to per-
form solos, so most could be heard about the cathedral
trying to assimilate information received in lessons
and masterclasses that morning. In all respects the
concert produced a reflection of the days spent creat-
ing it, with all performances being greatly appreciat-
ed by staff and students alike. In particular, Peter
Stewart, who had composed music especially for the
occasion, managed to lead an ensemble comprising
not only the students but many of the staff as well for
17
a fitting representation of
the festival’s ethos.
Based on the successes of
the first CGR there are now
options available to the fes-
tival. Most likely in the
immediate future is the
addition of an extra day, but
the possibility remains open
for much more than just an
extension of current activi-
ties. In any case, for the vast
majority of participants,
returning to the island for a
second time was a given.
There’s no question that
McAllister will be in a posi-
tion to maintain Scotland’s
presence on the festival
scene in years to come.
Perhaps nothing could rein-
force this sentiment more
strongly than the promise of
David Russell returning to
Scotland for the first time in
well over a decade for CGR
2010. Surely the opportuni-
ty to see such calibre in this
environment is worth taking Cathedral of the Isles.
a place on the course alone.

Guitar Foundation Featuring G

Featuring
A tanas O
Atanas
Guest
uest AArtists:
rtist
urkouzounov
Ourkouzounov
sts:

of America
&MMie Ogura
ie O gura
Austin
A ustin Symphony
Symphony O Orchestra
rchestra
IIsaac
saac BBustos
ustos
JJorge
orge Caballero
Caballero
International C
International Convention
onvention Tom
T
G
om Echols
Grisha
Echols
risha G Goryachev
oryachev
&C ompetition
Competition Adam
A
K
dam H
Katona
Holzman
olzman
atona Twins
Twins
JJune
une 22-27,
22-27, 2
2010
010 • A
Austin,
ustin, T
TX
X Steve
S
L
teve K
Los
Kostelnik
ostelnik
os Angeles
Angeles Guitar
Guitar Quartet
Quartet
Long Center fo
Long for
r the P
Performing
er
rforming Arts Ronn
R onn McFarlane
McFarlane
H osted b
Hosted y the Austin
by Austin Classical
Classical Guit
ta
ar Societ
Guitar Societyy Miró
M String
iró S tring QQuartet
uartet
Berta
B erta RRojas
ojas
International Concert
International Co
oncert Artist
Artist Competition
Competition Pepe
P Romero
epe Romero
IInternational
nternational Youth
Youth Competition
Competition Marcus
M arcus T Tardelli
ardelli
Ana
A na VVidovic
idovic
C oncerts
Concerts
Lectures
Lectures
V endor Fair
Vendor Fair
P rivate Lessons
Private Lessons
P erformance Workshops
Performance Workshops
M asterclasses
Masterclasses
P resenters Congress
Presenters Congress
G uitar O
Guitar rchestra
Orchestra
Y outh G
Youth uitar Orchestra
Guitar Orchestra
Visit
Visit o
our
ur website
we
eb
bsite for
for registration
registration & complete
complete information.
information. www.guitarfoundation.org
www.
.guitarfo
it foundation.or
da g
The Kodosky
Th d skkky
Fo
F
Foundation
oundatio
u a oonn

18 Classical Guitar Magazine

 A CONTINUING CONVERSATION WITH
JORGE MOREL
By ANA MARÍA ROSADO
Jorge Morel at home, and in the background pictured with Segovia.
PAN-AMERICANISM is the operating word when
trying to describe the scope of Jorge Morel’s
inspiration as a composer. His works cover a wide
swathe of territory, from reflecting the spirit of
the southern tip (Cono del Sur) of South America
as an Argentinean, to embracing the jazz and
blues inflected idioms he partakes from his cho-
sen hometown, of almost 40 years, New York City,
with stops in Brazil, Cuba and Puerto Rico along
the way. His musical creations can be classified
in three main categories; the original works for
solo guitar, the arrangements and transcriptions
of popular and classical music, also for solo gui-
tar, and the larger works for guitar, several gui-
tars, and guitar with other instruments. Latin
Images for orchestra is one of his rare works not
to feature the guitar.
In the first category, solo pieces, we find a sub-
stantial number of pieces that challenge the
Classical Guitar Magazine
player with brilliant finger-work and with intri-
cacies of rhythmical style. His most dominant
influence comes from the folk rhythms of
Argentina: the chacarera-malambo complexes
that play with the alternation and juxtaposition
of 6/8 and 3/4 meters in very idiosyncratic
ways, and the tango-milonga 4/4 metric strains.
Also in this solo category we find pieces that
capture the essence of Caribbean music, with
its emphasis on the clave, or additive rhythmic
code, and the use of the anticipated bass line so
prevalent in the Cuban son. and rumba com-
plexes and in their progeny, the Salsa reper-
toire. Other pieces in his solo production are
more classically inspired, following stylistic
trends and forms derived from European music.
Morel’s transcriptions and arrangements are
exemplars of virtuosic conception as they trans-
late music from one medium: orchestral, piano
19
or vocal repertoires into the sonic micro cosmos
of the guitar.
A comprehensive list of all Morel’s work would
necessarily be very long, as he is a very prolific
composer. We need make a special mention, how-
ever, of his works for guitar and orchestra:
Fantasia de la Danza. Concierto Rapsodico.
Romance Criollo, Fantasia Latina (two guitars),
Rapsodia del Sur, Rapsodia del Plata and Suite del
Sur. They are as a whole an important contribu-
tion to the repertoire of an instrument still strug-
gling to gain its long overdue recognition within
the great instrumental traditions of the Western
world.
An indefatigable creator, Morel, whose career
spans well over six decades, continues to work
towards the goal of improving the guitar’s reper-
toire and the level of performance by writing
pieces for young players, the Young Guitarist
series published by Mel Bay in 2009, to instruct
them in the style of Latin music and at the same
time improve their technique and musicality. The
three books are dedicated respectively to solo,
duet and quartet pieces and contain titles such
as Milonga, Pampero, and Waltz, among Preludes,
Canciones and Studies. Another book published
this year is Classic Guitar Solos in Latin American
Rhythms, also in the Mel Bay catalogue, whose
Milonga Urbana and Milonga Campera, Tango,
Malambo, Bossa Nova and Baião are more tech-
nically demanding and musically sophisticated,
geared towards more advanced players.
In 2007 a book dedicated to the life of Jorge
Morel was also published by Mel Bay: The
Magnificent Guitar of Jorge Morel, A Life of Music
by John McClellan and Deyan Bratic.
Interspersed between the interview style ques-
tions by the authors are essays and reflections by
Morel and his daughter Francesca, photographs
that span his life from Argentina to NYC, and a
trove of pieces, some new and others reprinted
here. It’s the kind of text that Julian Bream has
seen printed in his life as well, homages to tran-
scendental figures in the history of the guitar.
Another significant book came out the same year,
a compilation entitled The Very Best of Jorge
Morel, Volume1, published by Ashley Mark in the
UK, that brings together 15 of his most popular
pieces previously published separately. Latin
Serenade, The music of Jorge Morel, with himself
and guest artists performing his compositions for
solo, duets and ensembles is his latest recording
project, currently in development and produced
by Luthier Music of NYC.
An important premiere will take place in
London on November 11 2009; the Eden Stell
Guitar Duo will perform Latin Serenade for the
City of London, commissioned by Maurice
Summerfield, at a banquet to celebrate Mr.
Summerfield’s induction as Master of the
Worshipful Company of Musicians (Musicians
Livery Company) in the City of London. Mr. Morel
dedicates this work to the Worshipful Company of
20
Musicians, inspired no doubt by the Company’s
track record of supporting young musicians. With
roots in an ancient craft guild, the Musicians’
Company is the only City of London Livery
Company devoted to the performing arts. Many
famous composers and musicians have been
associated with the Company, as liverymen or
award winners, including, among many others,
Lennox Berkeley, Peter Maxwell Davies, William
Walton, Michael Tippett and Julian Bream.
Here I would like to ask Jorge Morel a few ques-
tions in an attempt to understand his amazing
life force and the motivations that make him con-
tinue to work so hard at a time when others
would simply bask in their past glory; and to con-
tinue the dialogue we started in our first inter-
view back in 1991…
Ana María Rosado: Not only do you write music
with the energy of a young man, but the music
itself is fresh sounding as well.
Jorge Morel: Thank you. Maybe the energy of my
music at this stage of my life comes from my spir-
it, I try to keep it young.
AMR: How do you keep your ideas so relevant, do
you listen to much music?
JM: I listen to a lot of music, not only from the
guitar for my work, but mostly for my own enjoy-
ment. I like to listen to composers like Gershwin,
Ravel, Debussy, of course, the great Spanish tra-
dition: Manuel de Falla, Albéniz, Granados, the
works of Joaquín Rodrigo for the guitar, Villa
Lobos… well, I would need to mention a lot more,
they all give me great pleasure and their music
encourages me to keep writing.
AMR: Does your inspiration hail from the guitar
world or from popular music?
JM: My inspiration? I don’t know exactly where
I get it from, I think a little from the guitar world,
some from popular music, and the rest from all
my travels. My ideas sometimes come from a sim-
ple pattern, whether melodic or harmonic, but
mostly harmonic. Sometimes when I am relaxing
with the guitar in my hands, I hear a rhythmic
pattern, if I like it, I write it down and take it from
there, it doesn’t work every time, but when it
does, I’ll go all the way to accomplish what I
want. I did not like my early compositions very
much, I thought they were too simple, but soon I
discovered that by developing that simplicity in
the structure of my pieces, through melody, har-
mony, rhythm, I could accomplish something
good and still remain simplistic. Of course, I also
had to study and read many books.
AMR: You have recounted in casual conversation
how the world of the classical guitar did not recog-
nise you when you were younger, nor even consid-
er you a ‘real’ classical performer because of the
music you played. Do you feel validated now that
guitar has embraced its folk origins, especially
Classical Guitar Magazine
with the Latin American repertoire, and is there a
feeling of ‘sweet revenge’ from the acclaim you
now enjoy?
JM: Yes, of course, but I would not call it sweet
revenge, maybe just a nice feeling. The prejudice
of certain people of the early days, with regards to
my playing, was due to a complete ignorance of
that literature and a misunderstanding of the
nature of my arrangements.
AMR: You have been visionary and prescient in
your approach to repertoire, now it is habitual to
see concert guitarists playing transcriptions of tan-
gos, even rock & roll, and compositions based on
popular forms, but when you
were starting this was the excep- “You perform
tion. You said in our earlier con-
versation that this was by with your
default, not by design; you were students, even
just being true to your musical
heritage and your musical pref- record with them
erences. How much of it was and give them
also due to a perceived intransi-
gence in the classical field as opportunities to
well, or to the embrace you develop their
enjoyed early on from jazz musi-
cians? talent with
JM: Well, yes, I was always true your active
to my musical heritage, I did not
feel I had to play what every mentoring.”
other guitarist was playing at
the time, I believe the best way to please an audi-
ence is to please oneself musically first. Both the
classical guitar world and my relationship with
Jazz has helped me develop this way of writing.
AMR: Your concern with young people’s musical
development extends to your teaching: you perform
with your students, even record with them and give
them opportunities to develop their talent with your
active mentoring. Is this something you enjoyed as
a student and are you now passing this on to the
young players you are in contact with?
JM: Yes, it is the legacy of my teacher, Pablo
Escobar, who was always helping me and giving
me opportunities to play. He would take me to his
radio programme and perform with me, how can
you forget all that!
AMR: This new series of books for young gui-
tarists seeks to fill a huge void in the repertoire for
easy to moderate pieces for students that are not
the usual fare of Carulli-Carcassi and some of
Giuliani- Sor.
JM: These three new books had been an idea of
mine for some time, but they were also requested
by some of my friends who are active teachers.
AMR: Some of the pieces like the Prelude in the
book of solo pieces do not have a connection to folk
idioms and the Dotted Study from that same book
is perhaps a little too long for young players. How
do you know what is really easy to play?
22
JM: I think on the solo book I departed a little
from my Latin American roots, and the Dotted
Study is perhaps a bit long, but it is not to hard
to play, considering the level of students that
many schools have today.
AMR: In the book of duet pieces the pace seems
relaxed with the Danza del Norte, Milonga and
Preludio, but then you present the duet version of
your Pampero solo that should get things rolling
with the 3/4 6/8 juxtaposition. Yet it still seems a
simplification of the solo, is it?
JM: You are right; Pampero is probably the most
difficult but only in terms of the rhythmic pattern
and the particular accent that
should be given to these pieces.
The duets are perhaps the most
playable, I like to have the stu-
dents get together and have a
good time while learning about
these rhythms, the same goes
for the book of quartets.
AMR: These three books dedicat-
ed to solos, duets and quartets
respectively are all in standard
notation without tablature,
whereas the Classic Guitar Solos
on Latin American Rhythms
includes tablature versions of the
pieces. At least you include the
tablature version after the notation and not at that
same time, which I find makes reading music very
cumbersome…and extremely annoying. Are the
players who study this type of repertoire really in
need of tablature?
JM: I would not use tablature at all, but I was
surprised to find out that there are so many
young guitar players that don’t read music. My
publisher, Mel Bay, advised me that the Latin
American Rhythms book should be presented
with tablature, that it would be of help to many of
the young players, and that it could help in sell-
ing the books as well.
AMR: You have expressed discomfort with the
‘classical guitar’ label, what would you then
call this instrument we play: classic, as in this
book we just mentioned, or acoustic, or nylon-
string?
JM: Just GUITAR, not that I don’t like to use the
name classical, but I hear so many styles and lots
of different literature today that is not classical. I
don’t think we will diminish the stature of the
guitar by omitting that word.
AMR: What is the future of the guitar in your
mind’s eye?
JM: The future of the guitar I believe is in the
hands of music creators. Great performers will
always be there, great composers are what we
need for the future. Can you imagine what the
piano would have been without a Chopin or a
Classical Guitar Magazine
 
JOUFSOBUJPOBM
HVJUBS
DPNQFUJUJPO

NJDIFMF
QJUUBMVHB
QSFNJP
DJUUh
EJ
BMFTTBOESJB

3%
GSPN

TFQUFNCFS
UP

PDUPCFS

5PUBM
DBTI
QSJ[FT
`


'JOBM
XJUI
PSDIFTUSB
&YUFOTJWF
DPODFSU
UPVS

$%
SFDPSEJOH
CZ
/"904
%FBEMJOF

"VHVTU


JOUFSOBUJPOBM
NJDIFMF
QJUUBMVHB UI
DPNQPTJUJPO
DPNQFUJUJPO 
GPS
DMBTTJDBM
HVJUBS
GPS
TUSJOH
RVBSUFU
XJUI
HVJUBS

KVOF

5PUBM
QSJ[F
NPOFZ
E 
"QQMJDBUJPO
EFBEMJOF

.BSDI

Piazza Garibaldi, 16 - 15100 Alessandria
Tel. 0039.0131.253170 - 0039.0131.251207 - Fax 0039.0131.253170
concorso@pittaluga.org - rules on www.pittaluga.org
member of world federation
of international music competitions

Classical Guitar Magazine 23

Rachmaninov, or an Alberto Ginastera of
Argentina in the music of Latin America?
AMR: Regarding a performance career with the
guitar; we seem to have enough competitions to
keep the players busy, but how about real life with
the guitar on stage and making a living at it, what
do you recommend?
JM: A career as a guitar performer can be most
attractive, if only we are able to confront the many
obstacles of the music business; namely traveling,
and most importantly, management. Some of us
ROLAND DYENS
naquele tempo
Available now from
www.FretsOnly.com
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
24
are not very good at arranging a concert tour, so if
you have professional management you can trust,
all the better, but you should learn as much as you
can about the business anyway.
Reference Articles, Books, and Scores
McClellan, John and Bratic, Deyan. (2007) The
Magnificent Guitar of Jorge Morel, A Life of Music.
Pacific, MO: Mel Bay Publications, Inc.
Morel, Jorge. (2009) Classic Guitar Solos on Latin
American Rhythms, In Notation and Tablature. Pacific,
MO: Mel Bay Publications, Inc.
(2009) Mel Bay Presents JORGE MOREL solo pieces for
the young guitarist. Pacific, MO: Mel Bay
Publications, Inc.
(2009) Mel Bay Presents JORGE MOREL duet pieces for
the young guitarist. Pacific, MO: Mel Bay
Publications, Inc.
(2009) Mel Bay Presents JORGE MOREL quartet pieces
for the young guitarist. Pacific, MO: Mel Bay
Publications, Inc.
(2007) The Very Best of Jorge Morel, Vol. 1, UK: Ashley
Mark Publishing Co.
Rosado, Ana María. (1991) “A Conversation with Jorge
Morel”, Guitar Review, No. 87, Fall 1991, 18-19.
(2009) “Latin American Rhythms and Modern Guitar
Music; An Historical View”. Soundboard, Volume 35,
No. 2, 11-18.
Wade, Graham. (2008) The Art of Julian Bream. UK:
Ashley Mark Publishing Co.
Ana María Rosado is a guitarist from Puerto Rico active
in the NY/NJ area. www.anamariarosado.com
Price: UK & Europe
(Including15% VAT) £12.99,
Rest of the World
(Including North America) £11.30.
Plus Post & Packing: UK £2.75,
Europe £3.98, R.O.W. £4.98
Classical Guitar Magazine
 HEINSBERG
2009
Some members of the jury (from left to right): Shin-ichi Fukuda, Denis Azabagic, József Eötvös (second row), Micaela
Pittaluga, Steve Marsh, Tania Chagnot, Christian Gruber, Peter Maklar, Graham Devine and Boško Radojkovic.
SINCE ITS inception in 2005, the five-day Heinsberg
International Guitar Festival and Competition
(HIGFC) has seemed to arouse ‘guitar fever’ in and
around Heinsberg, a delightful and attractive small
town situated to the west of North Rhine-Westphalia
and within easy reach of Dusseldorf, Cologne, Liege
and the legendary football city of Mönchengladbach.
The festival takes place every two years and for this,
the third one, I was privileged to be invited to be a
member of the 12-person jury judging the
competition. Other jury members were: Susanne
Schulte (Germany), Denis Azabagic (Bosnia), Tania
Chagnot (France), Graham Devine (England), József
Eötvös (Hungary), Shin-ichi Fukuda (Japan), Christian
Gruber (Germany), Peter Maklar (Germany), Micaela
Pittaluga (Italy), Boško Radojkovic (Serbia) and
Roman Viazovskiy (Germany).
Evidence of the support which the festival receives
from the locals was in abundance; to enter the town
one had to pass under banners strewn across the roads
announcing the HIGFC, all the main streets were
festooned with flags of many nations (presumably to
welcome the competitors, performers and jury
members) and there were thousands of posters and
handouts in cafés, bars, general shops, etc. The
predicted bad weather of storms and flooding
sweeping across Europe at the time seemingly gave
Heinsberg a wide berth and the week became a
Classical Guitar Magazine
by Steve Marsh
PHOTOS: E. JENNES
sunbather’s paradise, this sundrenched atmosphere
seeming to lift the spirits of the whole populace
(unless everyone in Heinsberg is always this friendly,
which could be true).
All jury members were accommodated in one hotel
while most of the competitors had been housed by
‘host’ families scattered in and around Heinsberg. Of
such high regard is the festival thought of that
financial assistance was provided by the State, and
Hans-Heinrich Grosse-Brockhoff (the State
Secretary of Cultural Affairs) actually made the effort
to attend at one of the days’ activities, while the
town’s mayor attended every evening concert.
The festival began proper with an opening night
concert given by Christian Gruber and Peter Maklar,
one of the leading duos on the International guitar
scene, and in an entertaining and polished recital,
which included music by Albeniz, Ourkouzounov,
Giuliani, Scarlatti and Bogdanovic, they showed
themselves to be musicians of the highest ranking with
warm and charismatic personalities. This proved to be
a very popular opening concert.
All events took place in the centrally-situated
Rathaus (Town Hall), the acoustics of which are
excellent and the actual competitive part of the
festival began on day two promptly at 9.30 a.m. The
38 competitors from 27 nations (the UK was
noticeable by an absence of entries) had been whittled
25
 down from a much higher number of entrants who
had each sent in an unedited CD recording of one of
the compulsory works of either Study 2, 7 or 12 by
Villa Lobos, and with each participant playing up to
15 minutes in total, this first round had to be spread
over two days. At the end of the first day, after
listening to some superb performances which seemed
to grow in technical and musical stature as the day
drew on, all the jury members seemed to agree that
we were in for something rather special over the next
few days.
Despite being faced with a large jury, an audience
of local guitar enthusiasts and many of the ‘host’
families for support, most players, despite their lack of
years, were highly professional in their dress code,
stage presence and mannerisms; the actual guitar
playing never dropping below the ‘very good’ mark, in
fact most reaching ‘exceptional’ in the technique and
musicianship department. Every competitor could, it
seemed, play at a high rate of knots ranging from
‘super-fast’ to ‘turbo-charged’, but to make any
impression upon the jury they had to display a high
sense of musicianship and an understanding of the
music performed rather than rely on super-quick
pyrotechnics, a proviso which was unfortunately lost
on a couple of the male contenders who, though
fascinating and exhilarating to watch, never made it
through to the second round.
The evening concert on this second day was
provided by Shin-ichi Fukuda who gave a most
enjoyable and ‘personal’ interpretation of music by
Tarrega, Granados, Rodrigo, Berkeley, Castelnuovo-
The Prize Winner: Marko Topchii.
26
Tedesco and included Keigo Fujii’s superb composition
The Red Book of the Black Madonna, for me, easily
the pivotal moment of the evening.
Day three was almost a carbon copy of the previous
one with the last 20 players in the First Round vying
for a place in the next day’s semi-finals. The evening
concert on this particular day was supplied by Graham
Devine, who, after experiencing tuning problems (an
unfortunate spin-off from the hot weather we were all
experiencing) in the opening item - a Fantasia by
David Kellner, soon settled down and gave a brilliant
recital of music by Froberger, Ponce and Contreras,
his performance of the Ponce works - 20 Variations
and Fugue on ‘La Folia de Espagne’ and ‘Sonata
Romantica’ - being for this reviewer, one of the
highlights of the week’s music making.
Day four and we were down to 18 semi-finalists
who all had to play a free-choice programme of
between 17 and 20 minutes of music from different
epochs, all played from memory. On this day most
players raised the bar both technically and musically,
and there was some extremely fine playing by nearly
everyone with just a few suffering from nervous
anxiety (and one strange ‘mis-reading’ in La Maya de
Goya!). Music chosen included works by Dowland,
Froberger, Guiliani, Piazzolla, Albeniz, Sor, Barrios,
Jose, Martin and several Bach pieces (including a
truly magnificent rendition of the Adagio and Fuge
from Bach’s 3rd violin sonata BWV1005). Inevitably
some pieces were duplicated including several
performances of Llobet’s Variations on a Theme by
Sor (4 times), Rodrigo’s Tres Piezas Espanolas
Classical Guitar Magazine
 The Finalists: Koki Fujimoto, Magdalena Kallithea, Vladimir Gorbach, Gabriel Bianco and Marko Topchii.
(twice), Aguado’s Andante and Rondo (three times)
and a couple of Caprichio Diabolicos. (The inclusion
by one contestant of Etude 12, one of the compulsory
Villa Lobos studies from the first round which the jury
had already heard twelve times, was perhaps not the
most prudent of choices).
From these 18 players the jury had to choose 5
finalists, and due to the extraordinarily high standard
of performances from nearly all involved, this time the
decision was far more difficult, but in the end we
came up with a unanimous choice of five names
representing Russia, France, Japan, Ukraine and
Bulgaria.
The evening’s concert on this day was a stunner,
with Denis Azabagic in superb form playing works by
Bach, Torroba, Ivanovic, Ascencio and José. After
three well-deserved encores, this performance
provided an appropriate and fitting conclusion to the
week’s professional recitals.
Expectations were high for the Final and nobody
was disappointed in any respect. Playing to a capacity
hall, the jury, the mayor of Heinsberg, local Council
members and a video camera, there was obviously no
pressure on these five young people all striving for
first prize. Proceedings began at 7.00 p.m. with each
finalist providing a programme of around 35 minutes.
During the evening there were a couple of interludes
before the jury finally retired to consider their
evaluations and final decision. Several members of the
jury were highly experienced at adjudicating in
various guitar competitions and the universal
agreement from them was that this final was one of
the most exciting and musically productive ones they
had ever had to vote on. However, the unanimous
verdict was finally given on stage just after the stroke
of midnight with the first prize going to Marko Topchii
Classical Guitar Magazine
from the Ukraine, a most deserving winner. His
technical control and amazing innate musicianship
earning him 4,000 Euros, a ‘Yuichi Imai’ guitar
specially made for the competition, a Marcello ‘C’
wristwatch and about eight concert engagements
around Europe. Other prizes went to Koki Fujimoto
(2nd prize), Gabriel Bianco (3rd prize), Vladimir
Gorbach (4th prize) and Magdalena Kallithea (5th
prize).
This final also included, as well as the official jury, a
sizeable ‘Junior Jury’ comprised of local
schoolchildren, plus an audience vote; both parties
came to the same decision as our own group had
come to and Marko Topchii ended up walking onto the
stage three more times that evening to collect his
lion’s share of the awards.
I have no idea what the atmosphere is like in
Heinsberg in a ‘normal’ week, but during the festival
there is certainly an observable buzz in the air and for
me, and most likely many other people involved in this
affair, it was an event I’ll remember for many a day.
The town itself is providential in many ways: the
geographical situation makes it easily accessible from
all approaches; also the townspeople are fortunate
enough to have in their midst the very genial and
seemingly indefatigable Theo Krings and Roman
Viazovskiy, the main driving forces behind the
organisation of this impressive, entertaining and
highly-polished festival; and last but not least, the
word Heinsberg lends itself to a ‘Guitar-Logo’
designer’s heaven, with the left side of the ‘S’ and the
right side of the ‘B’ forming both left and right sides
of a guitar shape used throughout all the advertising.
What a stroke of luck that! Now if Krings and
Viazovskiv were living in say, Mönchengladbach,
things may have been different.
27
L etter from N ew Y ork
By JULIA CROWE

‘GUITAR OF THE AMERICAS’ themed this year’s

9th New York Guitar Seminar at Mannes with a five-
day-long full schedule of activities. These included
masterclasses, guest lectures, ensemble rehearsals,
open performance opportunities, young-artist mas-
terclasses and evening faculty concerts, all culmi-
nating in a final participants concert. The summer
guitar programme at Mannes caps its number of
attendees at 50 in order to maintain quality and
equal access to at least two masterclasses for each
student. Another facet of what makes this seminar
beloved among those who attend is that no audition
is required in order to participate. This allows for
students of varying ability to gain a valuable guitar
lesson while at the same time allowing auditors to
observe the teaching strength, range, and capabili-
ty of the instructors.
This year instructors included Fábio Zanon,
Eduardo Fernández, Joao Luiz and Douglas Lora of
the Brasil Guitar Duo, Benjamin Verdery, Michael
Lorimer, Pablo Cohen, Rene Izquierdo, Arthur
Kampela and seminar Artistic Directors Michael
Newman & Laura Oltman. Bon mots culled from
these various classes include Eduardo Fernández’s
advice to train the ear with a range dynamics by
playing as loudly as possible and then as softly as
possible before resuming a piece so that a new dis-
cernment of dynamics can be kept in mind.
Fernández’s quote, ‘Villa-Lobos without vibrato is Ben Verdery, masterclass.
like a hamburger without ketchup,’ became the oft-
repeated, hallway catchphrase of the day. He also The first day’s afternoon lecture by Michael
advised a student that it is best to have reason for Lorimer looked at ‘Guitar in Mexico,’ focusing on
how one is playing based on what is delineated in the music of Santiago de Murcia (1673 -1739) and
the sheet music, not by what has been absorbed contemporary composer Ernesto Garcia de León,
from recordings of a piece. who teaches guitar and composition at the Music
Rene Izquierdo, who heads the guitar department School of the National Fine Arts Institute in Mexico
at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, wise- City. Lorimer performed Santiago de Murcia’s
ly took the last rites approach, asking a student “Villanos” from the Salvidar Codex No 4. upon
what they specifically hoped to achieve within the baroque guitar. Although de Murcia had been the
limited time of the masterclass rather than official guitarist to Queen Maria Luisa Gabriela de
attempting to remedy all that had gone wrong. The Savoy, the first wife of the first Bourbon king of
time was used to focus on the art of relaxation, pos- Spain, this Codex had been discovered in Mexico
ture and balance when performing, all designed to and is presumed to have been brought there at a
enhance blood flow and reduce nerves. later date since there is no proof that de Murcia
Pablo Cohen urged a student to play rest stroke had actually traveled to Mexico. Lorimer also per-
on Tarrega’s Adelita in order to bring out the formed several works by Ernesto Garcia de León
melody and create body within the phrasing: ‘We and explained how the composer wrote his 20
often tend to think guitar playing is all about the Studies as a musical attempt to rehabilitate his left
left hand.’ Michael Lorimer told a student: hand technique after sustaining an injury that had
‘Fernando Sor tended to avoid use of the ‘a’ finger. been serious enough to put him in hospital.
You never have to worry about playing too softly Lorimer also played sample recordings, the first, a
upon the guitar.’ Laura Oltman pointed out how fandango written by Antonio García de León; El
various pieces tend to rise and fall in popularity, Chuchumbé, performed by Grupo Mono Blanco
expressing surprise at hearing a student perform with guitars, clog dancing, and a donkey jaw played
Tansman’s Danza Pomposa, which she recalled percussively with a stick running over its teeth
had been played a lot by guitar students during the xylophone-style. For the second sample recording,
1970s. Lorimer played the Paul Bollenback jazz ensemble’s

28 Classical Guitar Magazine

 a i l able d
av ar
Now ctors H on
le ti
Col er Edi
Cov 40.00
£1

El Inalcanzable:
Agustin Barrios Mangore
by Carlos Salcedo Centurion

T his in one of the most beautiful guitar-related

books ever published. It took Carlos Salcedo
Centurion over ten years to compile and edit. A truly
magnificent limited edition art-book with impressive
and accurate text. Forewords by Richard Stover, Luz
Maria Bobadilla, Sila Godoy, the director of the
Cabildo Museum in Paraguay, Margarita Morselli,
The prologue and text is by the noted Agustin
Barrios-Mangore scholar Carlos Salcedo Centurion.
The book’s text is in English and Spanish. It contains around 400 Barrios-related images, nearly 100 photos
of Agustin Barrios, as well as photos of a hundred original Barrios scores, original correspondence, pro-
grammes, discography and guitars. `El Inalcanzable` is how Heitor Villa-Lobos once described Barrios’ talent
as a virtuoso classical guitarist - and is a fitting title for this very, very special book.

This book is invaluable for anyone interested in the music of Barrios - and a ‘must-have’ collector’s edition for
every lover of the classical guitar.
290 Pages. Heavy Art paper quality pages. 12.5” x 10”. ISBN: 9789995384302
Price £65.00
Post and Packing: UK: £5.00. Europe: £7.50. Rest of the World £10.00
Available now from
www.FretsOnly.com
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
rendering of Ernesto Garcia de León’s The Desert,
from his 20 Studies, as an example of how adaptive
León’s music was across genres.
The Newman & Oltman Guitar Duo opened the
first of the evening seminar concerts with a pro-
gramme containing Leo Brouwer’s Micro Piezas and
a show-stopping Brouwer arrangement of Lennon
and McCartney’s Fool on the Hill. Making the point
that Latin American composers do not have to be
confined to their own musical traditions, the duo
performed Roberta Sierra’s Three Hungarian
Tributes: homage to the styles of Bartok, Liszt and
Ligeti. They also performed Brazilian composer
Luiz Simas’ Chorinho des Comadres before launch-
ing into a quintet with the addition of guitarist
Pablo Cohen, flautist Clare Hoffman and ban-
doneón player Daniel Binelli to perform an arrange-
ment of Binelli’s pulsing, cascading, lurching über-
tango, Metropolis.
For the second half of the programme, Cohen and
Binelli brought the tango to life like a pair of rene-
gade graffiti artists awaking a New York neighbour-
hood to a bold burst of colour with their rendition
of Piazzolla’s Milonga del angel and Bordel 1900.
They traded solo performances with each other as
well, pairing again on Three Brazilian Pieces:
Gnattali’s Estudio #1, Gismonti’s Agua e vinho and Pedro Baez.
Pascoal’s São Jorge. Cohen performed two tangos
by Horacio Salgán, Grillito and Don Agustin Bardi. no. 1, Agustin Barrios’ Danza Paraguaya, Ariel
Binelli performed his Paris desde aquí (Vals) and Ramírez’ Ballada para Martin Fierro, Maria Luisa
Recuerdo de bohemia, tapping the ends of his ban- Anido’s Aire Norteño, Rodrigo Riera’s Prelúdio
doneón and flicking his fingers over its buttons for Criollo, Rafael Miguel Lopez’ Asi Yo Te Soñé,
percussive effect as the entire apparatus crawled Gentil Montaña’s Porro, from the 2nd Suite
across his lap like an oversized, pneumatic cater- Colombiana, Monuel Ponce’s Estrellita and Paulo
pillar. Bellinati’s Emboscada. His playing was nuanced,
Other highlights among the lectures included powerful and polished.
Rene Izquierdo’s ‘Guitar in Cuba’ with his perfor- Pedro Baez, a native of Argentina, presented an
mances of Brouwer’s Zapateo and Drume Negrita. afternoon lecture and demonstration of ‘Guitar in
Izquierdo, a graduate of Yale, explained how the the Pampas,’ demonstrating an enthralling range of
1800s contra danza, a salon dance, parlayed into sounds, textures and techniques on the guitar not
the chachacha, the mambo and salsa. His debut often heard outside the cowboy/gaucho folkloric
CD, soon to be released by Luthier Music tradition. Highlights included the swampy bass
Corporation, will feature Cuban music for the gui- work toward the end of Abel Fleury’s Cifra, and
tar. Izquierdo’s wife, Elina Chekan, performed El again in Pedro Herrera’s El Pastor y sus Llamas. An
Decameron Negro beautifully. To close, Izquierdo arrangement of La Cuartelera by Eduardo Falú
was joined by cellist Ana Ruth Bermúdez and, his proved unusual for its lingering treble vibrato.
cousin, violinst Yan Izquierdo to play a gorgeous Juan Falú’s Chacarera Utata conveyed the whimsy
piece by Afro-Cuban composer José White, Bella of its inspiration: a little lizard. Baez’s arrange-
Cubana. What no one in the audience would have ment of Ramon Navarro’s Chayita del Vidalero
know by their playing is that this couple had been evoked the South American cowboy range across
awake throughout the morning hours on the day of six strings.
their performance frantically tending to a flooded The third evening concert featured Eduardo
septic tank at the residence where they were stay- Fernández, who performed Bach’s Suite BWV 995
ing as guests. followed by Giuliani’s Rossiniana No. 4, op. 122.
Fábio Zanon performed Villa-Lobos’ Etudes no. These could easily have been pieces to close a con-
4, no. 8, no. 10 and Choros no.1, followed by cert, but Fernández, showing no signs of fatigue,
Edino Krieger’s dazzling Ritmata, which Zanon performed Mertz’ from “Bardenklänge,” op. 13, fol-
suggested was a pun, ‘to kill the rhythm.’ He lowed by Gentil Montaña’s Amanecer, Augustín
closed the first half of his programme with Barrios’ Caaxapá, and Cacho Tirao’s Milonga de
Francisco Mignone’s Four Etudes and, after a Don Taco before closing with Alberto Ginastera’s
brief intermission, performed a set of nine Latin- Sonata, op. 47. His performance was as stagger-
American pieces in tribute to the seminar’s ingly intense as the programme itself, earning a
theme, beginning with Eduardo Fabini’s Triste resounding set of standing ovations from the
30 Classical Guitar Magazine
Eduardo Fernandez, masterclass. Elina Chekan and Rene Izquierdo. Fabio Zanon.

packed house. Fernández seems rarely to stitch counter in order to keep track of what
acknowledge what his left hand is doing but for exactly is being performed.
occasions when he appears to be reading directly The duo opened distinctly enough with a
from a hologram of sheet music floating before selection of Four Preludes and Fugues from The
his eyes.
For the fourth day’s afternoon demonstra-
tion, Duo Cantabile (guitarist Mariano
Aguirre and his wife, soprano Lauri Aguirre)
performed Enrique Granados’ Tonadillas,
Robert Cuckson’s Worlds of Wanwood (writ-
ten for the duo), Manuel Ponce’s Canciones
Arcaícas, Aaron Copland’s Folk Songs, and a
set of traditional Canciones Populares
Mexicanas. Guitarist Nilko Andreas of the
Tibaguí Trio of Colombia lead a masterclass
for young artists, patiently assisting a bright
young student with making slight but crucial
adjustments to his left hand positioning in
order to ease playing and prevent unneces-
sary tension.
The Tibaguí Trio, with Andreas on guitar,
Sebastian Cruz on the tiple and Alejandro
Pablo Cohen & Daniel Binelli.
Flórez on the bandola, opened the final
evening’s concert with their selection of orig-
inal works steeped in the Colombian folkloric
tradition. Highlights included Cruz’ colour-
ful Pajaro Nocturno, with its string bending
and trills.
The Brasil Guitar Duo’s concert, with gui-
tarists Joao Louiz and Douglas Lora, could
have been improved with announcements
between items, as I was not alone among
audience members to fall sway under a
strange and soporific time warp, believing
the concert to be half over before it was
over, only to discover it was actually over
before it was half over. This criticism has
nothing to do with the superb quality of
their playing so much as presentation
where the audience is expected either to
know all their pieces intimately, or to sit
Dean Joel Lester with Laura Oltman.
there clicking, like Madame Defarge, with a

Classical Guitar Magazine 31

 Rene Izquierdo, Michael Lorimer, Fabio Zanon and
Jonathan (a superb student of Jorge Morel's.
Well-Tempered Guitars, op. 199 by Castelnuovo-
Tedesco, followed by Douglas Lora’s Valsa and
Posludio. The warp and smear of musical horses
spinning around the carousel kicked in somewhere and Paulo Bellinati’s Bom Partido, concluding
Brasil Guitar Duo.
Douglas Lora, Fabio Zanon, Michael Newman.
32
Michael Newman masterclass.
between Edu Lobo’s Valsa Brasiliera and
Zanzibar, Egberto Gismonti’s Don Quixote and
Sete Aneis, Jacob do Bandolim’s Noites Cariocas
with a choros for an encore.
As you might guess, it is both a guitar glut-
ton’s feast and a marathon for two ears.
Other lectures had included Dean Joel
Lester’s ‘Baroque Performance Practice
regarding Bach’s Chaconne’ from a violin-
ist’s vantage point, and a lecture-demonstra-
tion of ‘Guitar & Violin in South America’ by
the Ars Duo, with violinist Gerardo Cilveti
and guitarist José Miguel Coo.
Guitar Salon International had generously
donated one of their Cordoba Custom Artist
guitars, worth 2,800 USD, to be raffled off to
one of the seminar participants. The winner
turned out to be Jeffrey Rojo, a native of
Mexico City now residing in Jefferson,
Maine. The participants closed the seminar
with a concert, triumphantly showcasing
their ensemble work and rehearsals of the
past two days.
Artistic Director Michael Newman received
a handwritten note left behind by an Irish
participant who had to leave early. The let-
ter conveyed how this man enjoyed his first-
ever visit to New York City, with gratitude
expressed for the masterclasses and fantas-
tic concerts. He confessed to debating the
merits of pursuing music as a full time
career: ‘I had thought that I didn’t have the
ego to follow a career as a player, but after
Eduardo Fernández’s concert, I saw that one
can just deliver the music—so brilliantly—
and yet be personally still in the back-
ground.’
Next year’s event marks the 10th anniver-
sary of the New York Guitar Seminar at
Mannes and will take place July 7–11, 2010,
highlighting new music for guitar.
Classical Guitar Magazine
 classical
guitar
making
A Modern Approach to
Traditional Design
John S. Bogdanovich

What a thrill for any musician: playing a

fine-sounding instrument that he or she
has lovingly crafted from scratch. With
this richly illustrated manual, well-known
luthier and guitarist John Bogdanovich
shows exactly how to build that first, beautiful
guitar, using traditional, time-tested methods.
All that's required are basic woodworking
techniques and a minimally equipped shop.
Bogdanovich discusses the anatomy of
the guitar, sound, choosing an
instrument, selecting woods,
templates and molds, and
preparation. In more than
300 pages of text, he
painstakingly lays out
the details of
construction, from
assembling the neck
and sides to
installing the
320 pages fingerboard and
bridge.
Hardcover with Jacket Catalogue #
AM4771.
All in colour 8 1/2" x 11"

Pr ic e: UK RR P Available now from

£2 0. 99 ,
OU R PR IC E
www.FretsOnly.com
£ 1 7 .9ck9in.g: ASHLEY MARK PUBLISHING COMPANY
1 & 2 Vance Court, Trans Britannia Enterprise Park,
Po st & Pa
£7 .4 8, Blaydon on Tyne NE21 5NH, United Kingdom.
UK .5 0, Eu ro pe
£4
R. O. W . £1 2. 98 TEL: +44 (0) 191 414 9000 FAX: +44 (0) 191 414 9001
e-mail: mail@ashleymark.co.uk Web: www.FretsOnly.com
 4TH VRNJCI INTERNATIONAL
MUSIC FESTIVAL
15-25 July 2009
By PAUL FOWLES
Belimarkovic Castle.
E VERY FESTIVAL has its own unique flavour, but there
are certain behind-the-scenes characteristics that are
rarely absent. Amid the logistical acrobatics of meeting the
artists at the airport, printing the programmes and briefing
the front-of-house staff, the main worry of every organiser
seems to be money. Even in more prosperous times,
funding was difficult to secure and sponsorship
hard to attract, and yet most events managed
to survive against the odds. But a grimly-
worded email from artistic director Uros
Dojcinovic just four days before curtain-
up made me seriously wonder if this
one was going to make it. Then, just a
few hours later, a further message
arrived assuring me that everything
was under control and the show
would go on. The determination and
professionalism of the man is hum-
bling indeed.
Although the Republic of Serbia has
cast its eyes in an increasingly westerly
direction of late, subtle reminders of the
recent past are easy to spot. On the Irina
autoroutes, ageing Fiat-derived Zastavas weave Haralampieva.
around stern-looking TAM trucks, originally manufac-
tured in Slovenia. More interestingly, there are still numerous
battered examples of that icon of budget motoring, the
Renault 4, which made a premature exit from UK showrooms
34
almost a decade before its final demise in 1994. But the
hotels are welcoming, the local cuisine is plentiful and fifty
quid’s worth of Serbian currency will keep you fed for a week.
Held in Vrnjacka Banja, a hub of international tourism just
two hours’ drive from Belgrade, the Vrnjci Festival is some-
thing of a rarity in that it’s a chamber music gather-
ing for which the guitar is just one of the items
on a menu of strings, keyboard and voice. For
the inaugural concert, Dojcinovic accom-
panied the engaging and sensual
Bulgarian soprano Irina Haralampieva
for a mainly Hispanic agenda of songs
and solos. Lorca’s evergreen
Canciones Españolas were present in
abundance and deservedly so, the
main surprise of the evening being
that Torroba’s Caminando por el
monte turned out to be a vocal version
of the guitar piece usually titled
Romance de los Pinos and also used by
the composer as one of the Castles of
Spain. But the true highlight was surely the
hypnotic account of Bachianas Brasilieras
No.5 by Villa-Lobos. This may not have been the
man’s most ground-breaking creation, but few would
dispute that it remains one of his greatest hits.
One of a handful of guests to have travelled from beyond the
Balkan Peninsula was Greek guitarist and composer Yorgos
Classical Guitar Magazine
 Leonid Pejsakov-Katarina Tatic.
Nousis, who currently resides in Vienna. The presence of a
microphone and pedal-board made it clear before he even
appeared that Nousis was going to be more than just a stan-
dard-issue classical guitarist. Presenting his own works along-
side those of senior composer/performers Dusan Bogdanovic
and Carlo Domeniconi, Nousis soon established himself as one
of those unique creative forces that give the likes of me plen-
ty to write about. With his guitar perched Paco de Lucia-style
on the right leg, Nousis delivered a brilliant and dynamic
innings in which classical, jazz and flamenco influences were
represented on a more or less equal footing. Most memorable
of all was the opening Aegean Fantasy, a quasi-improvisation
on traditional themes in which the central passage was
accompanied by an ostinato generated by a digital delay. This
technology has been common in other areas of music for many
a long year, although its potential in the recital hall has
yet to be fully explored. But even without the gad-
getry, Yorgos Nousis is a multi-faceted master
guitarist who does a particularly nifty line in
rapid alternating thumb strokes on the bass
strings. Elsewhere, his considerable skills
as an arranger emerged in three settings
of songs by Theodorakis, while his own
Introduction to a Theme revealed a
pleasingly audacious capacity to plunder
the past, the theme in question being the
opening movement from BWV 1003,
although the work as a whole is maybe
ten per cent Bach against 90 per cent
Nousis. See him if you possibly can.
By now, the programme of daytime mas-
Uros
terclasses was well underway in the noble sur-
Dojcinovic.
roundings of the Belimarkovic Castle. Once the
home of statesman and military officer Jovan
Belimarkovic (1828-1906), the castle now plays host to the
town’s Land Museum and is in regular use as a concert
venue. Coincidentally, the festival happened during the
same week as the local carnival, which mercifully was as
far as it’s possible to be from the quasi-rural British mix of
morris dancers and organic cheese displays. Instead, every
evening saw the main street packed with locals and tourists
enjoying everything from cutting edge Serbian hard rock to
a disarmingly accurate Beatles cover band, complete with
Vox amplifiers. The vibe could scarcely have been more
peaceful. Couples with young children rubbed shoulders
with gyrating teenagers and more mature aficionados, the
Classical Guitar Magazine
Yorgos Nousis masterclass.
police presence being limited to the occasional low-profile
foot patrol.
Back at the castle, Dojcinovic was arriving on stage in the
company of the young and dynamic violinist Jelena Rokvic. A
guitar and fiddle recital which focuses on Paganini is hardly
one for your I Spy book, but it’s not every day we get to hear
all six Op.3 sonatas presented nose to tail. After two brief
Paganini appetisers, including the Romance from the Grand
Sonata in its oddball original form, the duo served up a stylish
and convincing account of this concentrated cycle of two-
movement soundbites. Weighted almost entirely in favour of
the solo instrument, the guitar accompaniments require nei-
ther more nor less than the safe pair of hands Dojcinovic was
fully able to provide. Driving her skills to the limit, Rokvic was
clearly relieved to emerge unscathed from the intricate pizzi-
cato flourishes in the first sonata. But there was much to
celebrate elsewhere, the thrilling conclusion to
No.4 leaving a particularly favourable impres-
sion.
So ended the guitar’s part in proceedings,
the scheduled appearance by Milena and
Valentin Valchev from Bulgaria having
been cancelled due to a family bereave-
ment. But Rokvic was soon in action
again as leader of the Festival Quartet in
an all-Bach programme, concluding with
a patrician account of the harpsichord
concerto BWV 1054 by charismatic
pianist Cedomir Nikolic. Even more
impressive was the recital by violinist Leonid
Pejsahov, ably accompanied by Katarina Hadzi
Antic Tatic, who assures me that all four of her
names are an essential requirement even in the most
informal context. After a dynamic and triumphant G minor
Chaconne by Tomaso Antonio Vitali (1663-1745), Pejsahov’s
authoritative reading of the first Brahms sonata left us in no
doubt as to why the other string players on the premises clear-
ly regarded him with reverence. He even played Elgar’s Salut
d’Amour as an encore to mark my solitary British presence.
What a gent!
My sincere thanks to Uros and to Svetlana Redzic for mak-
ing it all happen, and special thanks to Zvonko Vojvodic for
arranging the light aircraft flight over the town and its sur-
rounding countryside. Trips to museums, art galleries and zoos
have become a regular and welcome perk of the job, but this
really was a first...
35
 RINCÓN FLAMENCO
No.58: Review
By PAUL MAGNUSSEN

Concierto (2 vols)
by Sabicas
Ioda (134’40”)

SABICAS (1912–90) was one of the great giants of

the flamenco guitar. Nevertheless, despite having
made (by his own estimate) well over fifty LPs, he
has not been particularly well served by CD reis-
sues.
This pair of (separate) CDs is therefore wel-
come; but there are some apparent anomalies.
The sound quality is acceptable, and in fact
sounds identical to me on both CDs (strange con-
sidering they were supposedly recorded on differ-
ent occasions ten or more years apart).
The amount of information contained in the
booklet is standard for Spanish CDs—none.
Also, when the piece has a title the style is not
stated: I therefore give complete listings below.
Vol.1 (61’05”)
01) Bulerías
02) Bulerías
03) Taranta «Dolor gitano»
04) Serrana «Sentimiento»
05) Malagueña «El Pillallo»
06) Farruca «La farruca de las tres guitarras»
07) Granaína «Patio de los leones»
08) Alegrías «Puerto Santa María»
09) Rondeña «Llanto minero»
10) Fandango «Jardines de Huelva»
11) Seguiriyas «Apregonao me tienes»
12) Bulería «Rumbo a la fiesta»
13) Bulerías
14) Soleá por bulería
15) Soleares
16) Alegrías
17) Bulerías «María Magdalena»
18) Media Granaína
Volume 1 purports to contain MGM recordings
from 1940–50; esflamenco.com shows the fol-
lowing description:
‘This record features performances by Sabicas,
which took place during concerts and was
extracted from recordings made in the 1940s and
1950s and recorded on slate records.’
But although this is supposedly recorded in
concert, there is no applause, nor any other audi-
ence noise.
However, several items are double-tracked; and
track 13 seems to be identical to the bulería on
Sabicas Volume 1, recorded for Elektra in 1957!
After this, you will be unsurprised to learn that
tracks 3 through 12 are in fact the entirety of
Flamenco Fantasy (MGM E3859, 1960). The
strangest thing, though, is that the last two
tracks feature cante—played by a saxophone!
Vol. 2 (73’35”)
01) Granadina «Joyas de la Alhambra»
02) Farruca «Rapsodia flamenca»
03) Soleá «Noches de caza»
04) Garrotín «Recuerdo a Carmen Amaya»
05) Rondeña «Sentimiento»
06) Seguiriya «Tambores del silencio»
07) Taranta «Llanto minero»
08) Alegrías «Murallas de Cádiz»
09) Malagueña «Homenaje a Málaga»
10) Fandangos de Huelva
11) Capricho andaluz
12) Zapateado en re
13) Malagueña y Verdiales «Caleta y el limonar»
14) Guajira «Mosaico tropical»
15) Danza Mora «Noches de Arabia»
16) Bulerías «Piropo a la bulería»
17) El sitio de Zaragoza
Volume 2 is also supposedly taken from slate
originals; but touch of pre-echo is heard on a
couple of tracks, which I had always thought was
an artefact of pressing in vinyl.
The cover implies that it was recorded at a con-
cert in Los Angeles in 1958. On this volume there
is applause: but it sounds to me as if the
applause has been dubbed in afterward (even
though Sabas’s voice is heard introducing the
final piece). Originally I couldn’t be sure; but
examining the waveform with SoundEdit 16™

36 Classical Guitar Magazine

revealed quite a lot. In particular: at the end of
Piropo a la bulería, the last note (a C) dies away,
and then, after a moment of silence, the applause
starts. But just before the applause, you can hear
half a second of a B dying away! The applause has
been taken from a different performance!
In fact, I was irritated enough by the applause
to remaster the CD and remove it all—this
knocked seven minutes off the total time. The
original waveform showed something very like
splices in several places. Capricho Andaluz is
missing the first couple of notes, and has no
onset transients; this is also true of Noches de
caza.
Another clue to the provenance is that tunes
are usually entitled «Recuerdo a somebody» after
the dedicatee is dead. But in 1958 Carmen
Amaya (d. November 19, 1963) would still have
been very much alive.
This album is in fact a version of Sabicas In
Concert (Cultural CDC-1818, 1972), with the addi-
tion of El sitio de Zaragoza.
If editing is beyond your capability or incli-
nation, keep the remote to hand. Then you
can (sometimes) hit the Skip button before the
applause comes in.
GMakers
uitar
Guitar
MakersGuitar
Makers



petebeerguitars.com 07971 964 935
DAVID MERRIN
FINE CLASSICAL GUITARS
AND RESTORATION.
“ High quality concert guitars” Graham Devine
www.davidmerringuitars.com 01234 711821
Classical Guitar Magazine
Capricho andaluz is the same piece as
Guadalquivir (from El Rey de Flamenco, as is the
Zapateado en re, although they seem to be dif-
ferent performances).
Summary
These are budget albums; but are they worth get-
ting, even at the low price? Surprising as it may
seem after all the above expostulations, I think
the answer is yes: the playing is simply too bril-
liant to ignore. Furthermore, the total time of
each is nearly double that of most of Sabicas’s
original albums, which often ran less than 35
minutes.
10 out of 10 for the music (except for the sax-
ophone!), 0 for the engineering.
Small Ads
Rate is 70 pence per word plus 17.5% VAT, minimum 10 words.
Box number £5.00 extra.
Payment must be included with advertisement order.
Antonio Marin, 2009, new, 20 frets, very dark
brazilian. Casimiro Lozano spruce or cedar, 2009,
new. Highest offers, Pictures on
www.carsten.nu carsten@carsten.nu
2007 Stephen Hill cedar top lattice guitar with
brazilian rosewood back and sides. Fitted with
Fishman pickup and comes with a top of the range
Hiscox case worth £200. Can be heard on Youtube.
Cost £4000, selling for £2900. Tel 07961727256.
Ramirez 2E excellent condition £750.00 ONO. Tel
07754414279.
37
G ruppetto
IN 2008 an adjustable microtonal guitar was
designed by Tolgahan Cogulu. It was funded as a sci-
entific research project at Istanbul Technical
University under the supervision of Professor Sehvar
Besiroglu, and was completed in 2009 by luthier
Ekrem Ozkarpat.
In designing his Adjustable Microtonal Guitar,
Tolgahan Cogulu was inspired by Walter Vogt’s ‘Fine-
Tunable Precision Fretboard’ (1985), which had been
aimed at solving the intonation problems of the gui-
tar. In Tolgahan Cogulu’s instrument, all the frets on
the fretboard are movable in the channels under each
string. Moreover, any number of frets can be inserted
into or removed from the fretboard.
The objectives of designing the ‘Adjustable
Microtonal Guitar’ are:
1. To play maqam-based music with the guitar.
2. To play microtonal music of the contemporary
classical Western music repertoire.
3. To play pieces based on tunings other than the
equal temperament system.
As well as Walter Vogt’s development, there have
been others. One of the more successful was John
Schneider’s concept of the interchangeable fretboard,
which he demonstrated brilliantly on a visit to Britain
some years ago. The ease with which he removed one
set of frets, inset into a thin fingerboard, and replaced
it with another, was impressive. But, faced with the
prospect of carrying a stack of differently tuned fret-
boards as well as the instrument itself, most gui-
tarists decided that the public would not mind a little
out-of-tuneness, even if they noticed it.
You can find out more about Tolgahan Cogulu's
invention from www.tolgahancogulu.com and from
www.myspace.com/adjmicrotonalguitar./
OUTSTANDING features of this year’s International
Guitar Festival at West Dean were Leo Brouwer’s
masterclasses, which revealed the wide extent of his
musicality, both innate and acquired over 70 years of
experience.
I heard a minor criticism, that he should have
talked more about his philosophy. I’m inclined to dis-
agree, on the grounds that if you want to learn about
philosophy, you first have to be proficient - and high-
ly proficient - in the language in which it is framed.
High proficiency is not something that you can take
for granted in a series of masterclasses conducted at
a summer festival, and I felt that Leo was right to put
the emphasis on the music and how to play it.
Philosophy comes later.
WHAT do you have to do to earn comments like
‘Awesome ... fabulous ... this chick really knows how
to play the guitar ... etc.’? Here are ten basic things
a young woman can do to enhance her career by
pleasing a relatively new, undemanding, and poten-
tially huge audience:
1. Always put yourself first. You are giving a perfor-
mance, not an interpretation of music,
2. It follows that dramatic effect is more important
than musical insight. You are therefore entitled to
38
linger on the tenuti and the rallentandi, and to dis-
tort the melodic line as you think fit.
3. Employ a lot of graceful hand and arm move-
ments, the more unnecessary the better. .
4. At the same time, sway your body from side to
side.
5. Allow the head to move with the body.
6. If you are clever enough to play a moving guitar,
let the guitar move too.
7. Grow your hair long enough to flick it out of your
line of vision with an imperious toss of the head,
making sure that you expose the slender lines of
your shapely neck.
8. Wear a pair of dangly earrings, and make sure
they dangle enticingly.
9. Part your lips in a sweet smile every so often,
showing your teeth - especially if there are none
missing and they have all been cosmetically capped
for brilliant whiteness.
10. Make a video of your performance and put it on
YouTube.
Results guaranteed, in one form or another. I
found on YouTube one particularly stomach-churn-
ing performance that produced a large bunch of
admiring comments expressing awe, wonderment,
ecstasy, etcetera, among which was only one dis-
senting remark: the single word ‘creepy’.
Not for the first time, I concur with the minority
view.
Of course, some brilliant guitarists and musicians
give you a lot of superfluous body language as a
matter of course, and they not only get away with it,
as the ‘entertainers’ do, but also make a highly
favourable impression on more demanding critics.
The trick for the aware listener is to close your eyes
and just listen.
When a once bright and promising young musi-
cian resorts to these devices, it is more tragic than
creepy, perhaps a sign of inner insecurity but all too
often the result of well-meant encouragement from
undiscerning relatives. Of these, spouses are the
worst, but parents are not far behind.
IT IS a truism that the guitar repertoire does not
have the range and depth of the piano repertoire
and the violin repertoire. When you think of the
solid body of work composed for those instruments
over hundreds of years, the deficiencies are obvious
except perhaps to the blinkered vision of the fanati-
cal aficionados. But give us a chance: our instru-
ment has only been taken seriously (by which I
mean taught in the conservatories and music
schools) for less than a century. Other instruments
have a head start and more.
What do the critics mean when they talk about the
guitar’s ‘limited’ repertory? It’s certainly not quanti-
ty. Nor variety. Nor a wide range of moods and emo-
tions, some of them not so easy to express on a
piano, with its difficulty in getting really close to its
player, nor on a violin, whose facility for harmony is
certainly limited by comparison with the guitar’s.
Colin Cooper
Classical Guitar Magazine
2 ESPACES for two guitars
by Norbert Leclercq
Les Productions d’OZ DZ1127. 8pp.
Both these pieces have an air of ‘innocence’ perme-
ating through the music; the opening bars of the
first one, titled Rosace begins in a somewhat dead-
ly lacklustre fashion with its nursery-rhyme-style
tune presented by one player and equally dull
counterpoint played by the other. However, this is
a misleading opening and things soon get under-
way in a much more interesting fashion, this sim-
plistic tune being varied and shared between the
instruments with ever-increasingly odd accompa-
niment creating dissonance between the parts and
giving a slightly bizarre flavour to the piece.
The second one, titled Eclisse, is a fast-flowing
work in a perpetual motion style. Once again, a
childlike theme infuses the music but with the dis-
sonances created between the two parts this tune
becomes part of a strange sound-world the overall
ambience becoming slightly surreal (anyone who
can remember the tune from the classic BBC tele-
vision programme for children, (The Magic
Roundabout but played with jarring harmony, will
get the picture).
Initially, I didn’t think I would get much pleasure
from these two pieces but having gone through
them several times they have definitely grown on
me. The standard to do them full justice is of
around the grades 6-7 mark. Presentation is good
with full score and separate parts for the players.
Steve Marsh
LUMINANCE
for cello and guitar
by Nathan Kolosko
Les Productions d’OZ DZ1177. 12pp.
I have played through, and reviewed, works by the
American guitarist/composer Nathan Kolosko
before and as far as I can recall have never been
disappointed by anything he has written.
Luminance, I am pleased to write, is no exception.
Dedicated to the Taiwan visual artist, Ling-Wen
Tsai (whose work, by the way, is definitely worth
check out on the Internet) this composition is in
five movements, all fairly short, all having an ori-
ental flavour and each one contributing to making
this suite a first-rate piece of writing for the cello
and guitar repertoire. The mood for the most part
tends to lean towards sad and reflective, but this is
not depressing music just very emotive.
An unusual feature, but extremely effective in
this context, comes with the fourth movement
(marked Sly, cunning) where the guitarist has to
play single melody notes using a brass or glass
slide throughout.
Playing ensemble music is one of the most
pleasant experiences in music making and if you
happen to be around Intermediate Grade and
know a decent cellist give this work a try, I doubt
you’ll be disappointed. The presentation is excel-
lent with the guitar part being read from the score
(with no page turns) and a separate part for the
cellist.
Steve Marsh
BEYOND HORIZONS
for three guitars
by Mark Houghton
Les Productions d’OZ DZ1106. 16pp.
I have always been an admirer of the British gui-
tarist/composer Mark Houghton’s compositions, in
fact I’ve published quite a few of his early works
and arrangements myself through Lathkill Music
Publishers.
Classical Guitar Magazine
Written in 2004 for the Appassionata Trio (who
M usic R eviews
gave the premiere in 2007 and subsequently
recorded the piece), Beyond Horizons is a wonder-
fully invigorating and jaunty work in a Latin/jazz
style, full of vitality, good melody lines and lovely
harmonies. It was written as a homage to the mag-
nificent jazz guitarist and singer George Benson
and encompasses features of his guitar playing
style including the use of octaves, minor 9ths and
syncopated rhythms.
As a relatively substantial repertoire piece
Beyond Horizons has that ‘feel good’ factor sur-
rounding it and would surely enhance any concert
programme.
With an eye-catching front cover the presentation
is of top quality with full score and separate parts.
Receommended.
Steve Marsh
AURORA
for clarinet and guitar
by Mark Houghton
Les Productions d’OZ DZ1102. 12pp.
Aurora was composed in 2007 and is dedicated to
the Duo Musaikon which consists of Davide
Compostella (clarinet) and Alessandro Balsimini
(guitar) who included it on their first CD. The piece
won 1st prize at the ‘First Online CGML Classical
Guitar Composition Competition’ hosted in Brazil
in 2008.
Mark Houghton can always be relied upon to
come up with a good tune and his seemingly nat-
ural talent for writing nice chord progressions and
exciting rhythms when required are much in evi-
dence in this piece. Although the guitar plays the
part of the accompanying instrument it has much
to do and also contributes to the melody substan-
tially.
Very much in a Latin style Aurora flows along in
fine fashion in a bright and cheerful mode with a
brief, slower segment coming mid-way through
before an upbeat return. Altogether this is a very
nice addition to the repertoire for this pairing of
instruments and most suitable for concert reper-
toire for any upper grade players.
The edition comes with full score and separate
parts for both players.
Steve Marsh
TWO FAMOUS POPULAR MELODIES
arranged for guitar and mandolin
by Roland Dyens
Les Productions d’OZ DZ1163. 20pp.
Ariel Ramirez wrote his masterpiece Alfonsina y el
Mar as a homage to Alfonsina Carolina Storni who
is considered one of the most eminent Latin-
America poets of the 20th century and who com-
mitted suicide by drowning in 1938.
The universally-known Neopolitan song O Sole
Mio written in 1898 by Eduardo di Capua has been
performed and arranged by a great many artists
from Caruso, Gigli and Lanza through to Elvis and
Bryan Adams.
Both these renowned melodies are presented in
this new album arranged for guitar and mandolin
by the inimitable French guitarist Roland Dyens.
Anyone familiar with Dyens’s style of composing
and performing will know what to expect here and
they won’t be disappointed in the least. There are
heaps of musical directions throughout the score,
all of these being clarified in a two-page ‘Notation’
chart and the technical standard required
throughout both pieces is very high. The rewards
however are great; these are not just good
arrangements, they are superb. The harmonies
39
M usic R eviews and melodic variations used throughout makes
this new album an absolute must for any pairing of
these instruments.
What with a lengthy article on Dyens, a brief
biography of Storni, a full detailed score very nice-
ly typeset and separate parts for both players, this
is a classy new edition in all respects.
Recommended.
Steve Marsh
BLUE TOUCH SONATA
for two guitars
by Christophe Leu
Les Productions d’OZ DZ1161. 16pp.
Blue Touch Sonata is a three-movement composi-
tion written in a jazzy-blues style with
classical/Baroque nuances here and there. The
lengthiest movement comes with the first one, a
piece which is attention-grabbing from the opening
bar with its contemporary jazz overtones and a
highly-dramatic mid-section.
The second movement has a gentle, lilting waltz
character about it and it is in this one where the
baroque influence manifests itself. (The crotchet in
the metronome indication should probably be a
dotted one).
The final part is perhaps the most formal of the
three with some ‘classical-style’ configurations but
still retaining the jazz-blues character.
Throughout the entire work there is some inter-
esting and enjoyable interplay between the two
parts and the whole work is a most enjoyable,
interesting and stimulating composition. The real-
ly good news is that this would be easily accessible
for mid-range players and to have a relatively sub-
stantial work as good as this one written for that
standard is something to be welcomed.
The edition comes with full score and separate
parts for each player.
Steve Marsh
CEREMONIAL MUSIC volume 3
Arranged for guitar and violin
(or melody instrument)
by David Jacques
Les Productions d’OZ DZ1163. 32pp.
Here is a collection of short and for the most part,
well-known melodies nicely arranged in a straight-
forward manner by the Canadian guitarist David
Jacques.
His initiative behind this project came from his
requiring easy to play, accessible repertoire mater-
ial for performing at ‘ceremonial’ events such as
weddings, funerals, etc.; so in this edition he has
collected 18 works by the likes of Verdi, Elgar,
Bach, Mozart, Sibelius, Handel, Ravel and others
and ably arranged them for melody instrument and
guitar. Each one also has the chords printed above
the guitar score for any additional instrument to
join in, plus several of the pieces are supplied with
the lyrics.
This type of book is also incredibly useful for teach-
ers to use with their students as lower-grade sight-
reading material if playing the single melody lines and
higher-grade material if taking the guitar part.
The music is well-presented in full score with a
separate part for the melody instrument.
Steve Marsh
LE JARDIN MERVEILLEUX
for four guitars
by Jean-Pierre Grau
Les Productions d’OZ DZ118. 12pp.
Le Jardin Merveilleux begins with an atmospheric,
albeit very short six-bar preamble with the fourth
40
guitarist playing fast arpeggios whilst the other
three play a very sparse and tranquil melody line,
mostly in harmonics.
This serenity gives way to a sudden upsurge of
sound and rhythmic complexity as the second, and
final part of this work gets underway for the next
eight pages. The constant arpeggios from the bass
do not let up until the final bar with the other play-
ers providing an unceasing restlessness amongst
each part with copious emphasis in many different
parts of the bars giving the whole a highly synco-
pated and agitated outcome. The result is an excit-
ing work of high energy and exhilaration, the repe-
titions of a minimal nature giving the whole a very
‘mechanical’ outcome.
In the right hands, this could easily be a suitably
stunning inclusion in any programme for a high-
grade quartet.
The presentation is excellent and there are sepa-
rate parts for each player.
Steve Marsh
PONTICELLO TANGO
for flute, guitar and string quartet
by Patrick Roux
Les Productions d’Oz DZ1144. 16pp.
Any opportunity for the guitar to become involved
with ‘mainstream’ instruments ought to be jumped
at and here is an offering from Patrick Roux which
is definitely worth trying out if you can find a good
flautist and happen to have a string quartet on
hand too.
Dedicated to the guitar and flute duo ‘Similia’
(twins Annie and Nadia Labrie) Ponticello Tango is
an exciting, invigorating and dramatic composition
in one movement, very much in the tango nuevo
manner formulated by Astor Piazzolla, the insistent
heavy accentuation forcing the music ever for-
wards with various musical dialogues taking place
between the instruments.
A thrilling interlude arrives at the mid-way point
with an unexpected abrupt change of rhythmic
character making effective use of rests, this small
segment concluding with the flautist playing pizzi-
cato ‘breathy’ sounds and the bowed string section
playing half hair/half wood - all very effective.
The piece, a sure-fire audience winner, would be
a most welcome addition in any recital programme.
To do the work full justice, a group of high standard
would be needed. The work is neatly presented with
full score and separate parts for every player.
Steve Marsh
TRIPTYQUE
for four guitars
by Laurent Meneret
Les Productions d’OZ DZ1182. 16pp.
Here is a very pleasant little set of three pieces ide-
ally suitable for the amateur guitar trio of around
the grades 3-4 standard. Each of the three titled
movements have an instant likeability factor. The
opening Air has a lovely ‘innocence’ throughout its
theme, an almost childlike melody, but very pleas-
ant.
Following on from Air comes a sad and haunting
Impromptu which is followed by an evocative Danse
Bretonne the lengthiest of the three and a move-
ment ending the suite in grand style.
I can easily see this piece gaining popularity in
the informal concert situation on the student con-
cert, guitar society gatherings, etc. I thoroughly
enjoyed it, will definitely be using it with my own
students and urge others to give it a try.
Nicely presented in score and separate parts.
Steve Marsh
Classical Guitar Magazine
CHANTS DU SOIR for flute and guitar
by Erik Marchelie
Les Productions d’OZ. Score and separate parts
10, 4 and
4pp respectively)
There are two pieces in this little collection begin-
ning with a Melodie Nocturne, a 3/4 Andante in A
minor. There is plenty of friendly harmonic work,
with the flute blending nicely over the top of the
guitar’s accompaniment in what is an appealing
melody. Then shortly the music modulates to the
minor key a third up in a development of the main
idea before returning for a recapitulation and a
close on A minor.
The second piece is an Intermezzo with more
than a hint of a dance-like jig in its rhythms. 6/8
dotted motives abound together with a certain
chromaticism in the surrounding harmonies
together with an almost English feel to the music.
It proves a nice contrast to the opening slower
work.
This is a pleasant pair of nicely written pieces
that doesn’t extend the repertoire into any new
areas but is melodic and engaging and passes a
friendly few minutes. It is not too difficult and a
duo of moderate abilities would perhaps enjoy this
modest set.
Chris Dumigan
LE SENTIER DES MURMURES
by David Gaudreau
Les Productions d’OZ. 4pp.
Mr Gaudreau’s publications are many and varied;
to be fair, there is often a great deal to be enjoyed
in much of what he writes for the guitar.
This latest little offering begins in A minor in a
combination of 3/4 and 4/4 with the occasional
2/4 thrown in for good measure. So far so good but
what is a little hard to take is the rather hackneyed
overuse of the tonic (A minor) together with the
dominant seventh of E7, often altered to include a
bluesy F or C natural in the chord, along with the
inevitable Dm6 chord you just know is going to
turn up somewhere near. Now I know it is often
impossible to really create something new that has
never been seen before but the sinking feeling of
knowing just what is coming next here rather
spoils the opening. A momentary diversion into a
little sequence of suspensions lead back to a slight-
ly varied opening section before the true middle
section makes its entrance. At Misterioso Con Moto
an octave pedal A in semiquavers leads to a tricky-
ish section with prominent acciaccaturas before
settling down into a Con Fuoco set of rapid arpeg-
gios. This returns after a small interval to the
octave As and thence to the opening idea for a final
variation on the initial theme before closing in A
minor.
This little piece was not long enough to be really
interesting given its melodic and harmonic con-
tent. It was a mite too ordinary and predictable to
really stand out in today’s morass of publications,
which is not to denigrate Gaudreau himself whose
music is often far better than this little piece
implies.
Chris Dumigan
JOYCE’S SUITE
by Jose-Luis Narvaez
Les Productions d’OZ. 7pp.
The Joyce of the title here is not the composer’s
great aunt but James Joyce, he of Ulysses fame.
This three-movement suite which has dropped D
tuning begins with Dedalus. Marked tempo de
gigue, it has an invigorating dance feel to it and is
Classical Guitar Magazine
somewhat modal in character. The harmonies are
M usic R eviews
surprising but very friendly and it flew along in a
mixture of 6/8 and 9/8. A fine opener.
Blackwater begins lento with an improvisatory
idea that relies on mixing stopped notes high up
the fret board with adjacent open strings. Glissandi
and slurred runs also play an important part. Then
the tempo speeds up slightly to introduce a ballad
section which is almost folksinger/songwriter in
style which in turn returns to lento for an entirely
new idea replete with semi-tonal crunches off the
beat. A brief accelerando and the ballad/lento sec-
tions are repeated, reaching a lento coda with again
new material, winding down to a hushed final
chord. The final section Gulfstream is marked rit-
mico but is to all intents and purposes another
gigue in all but name. It begins with arpeggio runs
up the fingerboard interspersing 6/8 and 3/4 as it
does so. Again a certain folk/contemporary
acoustic style is what strikes one most about this
piece. The music moves swiftly but gratefully over
the strings leading shortly to a drone in harmonics
(and then by tambora) on an open D chord to an
extremely effective scampering melody to a very
short run up and down an altered D minor chord,
a loud thump on a bottom D and it is all over.
I was utterly intrigued by this very individual
music. One thing previously not remarked on is the
brevity of each section, and the fact that there is
little or no development of ideas, for they appear
and disappear never to return and the section
ends. It gives the music and unusual slant that is
not unappealing, just a little strange when you
consider it. Technically it is difficult but rewards
the patient performer, although I found it next to
impossible to negotiate the two artificial harmonic
runs in the first movement at the speed required.
Nevertheless, a better-than-average work that real-
ly deserves to be played and enjoyed by all.
Chris Dumigan
BALLADE by Andrew Zohn
Les Productions d’OZ. 8pp.
Intense is the first word to come into my mind on
playing this remarkable new work by Zohn. With a
6th string on C# you may be initially put off by try-
ing to negotiate notes three semitones higher than
normal on your fingerboard’s sixth, but fear not as
the effort required is so worth it.
Written in memory of Aaron Brock, one immedi-
ately feels the power, the grief, and the stark beau-
ty at work here. Beginning with a 15-bar
Liberamente introduction that uses upward moving
arpeggios in various patterns as its basis, it leads
to a Molto Adagio 5/4 descending bass line that
underpins a sad little idea largely in sixths. The
harmonies throughout are striking in their power
and general avoidance of the obvious; everything
here is tonal but unusually so. Later on in this
extended first section two ideas, one a rocking idea
in two voices, with the melodies in contrary motion,
followed by a startling four-against-three idea
bring about the main climactic section before a
poco mosso ostinato heralds a new and more rest-
less idea. Again after a considerably extended time
a grief stricken largo section intervenes which
leads to a return to the molto adagio first section
and a reiteration of all the slow material up to the
poco mosso (but not including it). A brief largo coda
reminds us of several of the motifs before closing
on an altered C# major chord.
I cannot praise this piece enough. Highly origi-
nal, utterly compelling, moderately difficult only to
play and with an intensity that caught me com-
pletely unawares. This is a wonderful example of
41
M usic R eviews modern guitar music at its very best. Don’t miss
trying it out.
Chris Dumigan
FOUR LYRICAL FOLKSONGS
Arr. William Beauvais
Les Productions d’OZ. 8pp.
This tuneful little set consists of two from Nigeria,
one from Korea and one from Japan and are not
too difficult, being aimed at the intermediate play-
ers amongst you.
Bantu Song and Suayo, the Nigerian folk songs,
are most effective. They are naturally very rhyth-
mic and often off the beat, so there is a large
amount of interplay between the two voices, where
for much of the time the melody is often in a dif-
ferent part of the beat from the bass-line. The occa-
sional chord interspersed between just adds a little
extra colour at salient moments. Arirang, the
Korean melody, has a similar two-voiced structure;
a feature of all the first three is the deliberately
modal feel; little of the harmonic work is what you
might be expecting, although all of it is friendly.
The final Sakura from Japan (the same melody
used by Yokoh) in his famous work is noticeably
simpler altogether and consists of a quaver run of
notes in one voice, with the melody and the har-
monic work occupying the same voice.
I liked the first three but thought the last one a
little irrelevant. I could have seen the tune being
treated in the same way as the other three result-
ing in a more consistent set. As it remains, this is
a very nice set of three little pieces, which you may
find charming and tuneful and not too difficult to
play.
Chris Dumigan
HOMMAGE A SCHUBERT
(d’apres l’Impromptu No1 Opus 90)
by Veronique Gillet
Les Productions d’OZ. 6pp.
This is a strange one indeed. I have come across
several of Veronique Gillet’s works before, both in
print and on CD and have found them all very odd.
This piece is based on one of the famous
Impromptus you would almost certainly know if
you heard it. This piece begins using the rhythm of
the Schubert work with a solo introductory line
that is no doubt meant to remind you of the origi-
nal but yet remaining true to the composer’s style.
In other words it sounds like the Schubert work’s
rhythm but nothing like it harmonically speaking.
This is reinforced when the harmonies begin at bar
7. Time and again the rhythm of the notes is the
Schubert whilst the music is Gillet with unusual
harmonies and musical contradictions that or me
fail utterly to sound effective. The piece continues
in this manner for almost the entire piece sounding
like a caricature of the Schubert rather than
homage until the final eight bars when the original
Schubert harmonies are suddenly applied without
warning. It reminds one of the sun coming out
finally at the end of a period of very wet and
unfriendly weather.
If the point behind this piece was to create
‘homage’ it was a very funny way to do it, which
utterly failed to convince me. To elucidate further if
you know Mahler 9 there is a moment in the mid-
dle of the 3rd movement’s Rondo-Burleske where,
after all the hurly-burly of the opening, a beautiful
haunting melody suddenly appears. Just as you
think this might be the way the movement is going
to progress after all the cynicism of the foregoing,
an E flat clarinet takes this beautiful tune and
twists it out of shape, distorting its beauty, like a
42
lovely face suddenly changing and leering at you
with its tongue sticking out. That is how this piece
sounded to me.
Chris Dumigan
FIVE LITTLE SOUVENIRS
for 4 guitars by Andrew Zohn
Les Productions d’OZ.
19pp plus parts
This edition was commissioned by Loudoun
County Public Schools for the 2008 Middle School
All-County Guitar Festival, something that instant-
ly drew me into the work to find out more.
The writing is predominantly single line, and
chords, where written, are three notes and com-
fortable under the fingers.
Guitar Four plays with 6=D and the writing is
ostensibly pitched like a choir, so that Guitar One
is always the tune and Guitar Four the bass.
The overall standard is probably Grade 6, but the
interplay between the parts will call for players
with rhythmical maturity and a little spare capaci-
ty in reserve compared to a solo of similar com-
plexity. It is important that the rhythm is tight and
free from technical rubato.
Paris, a prelude, is in 7/4 but notated 4/4+3/4,
and has a lilting dreamy feel to it, with gentle dis-
sonances and major sevenths acting like musical
syrup and keeping the pace relaxed. A lovely piece
of writing, though perhaps in concert it might not
be a strong opening, and perhaps the order could
be shuffled a little.
Lipica, a folksong, has a polka-like rhythm, and
the structure is pleasing and obviously carefully
thought out, though I found the constant diet of
dissonant chords just a bit too much – fun to play
but a little heavy on the ear.
Mayaguez, a dance, also begins with dissonance,
but it’s effective and exciting, and the mix of
melody on and off the beat is set nicely against a
very forthright bass line that underpins the piece.
There are some lovely waterfall sequences in two
lines that are set in parallel octaves to enhance the
effect, and some of the more static rhythm sees the
inner parts moving in pitch to create the illusion of
more going on than is actually happening – neat
writing.
Venezia, a largo, sees a gentle melody over slow
chords but again, a little too dissonant for my
tastes. Perhaps I have suffered in the past with
close harmonies played badly on poor guitars,
where the whole soundscape blurs into a mush.
Bell-like clarity here would certainly contain the
dissonance – harmonically rich notes will have
overtones that interfere with notes in a different
register. So with good tone, this might be delight-
ful.
Pasades, a galope, is technically straightforward
but rhythmically demanding, requiring the ensem-
ble to play extensively three against two – not too
bad with two parts, but harder with four to get the
precision needed. The reward, if it can be done, is
some great rhythm patterns set over a deep moving
bass.
Mozart it isn’t but if dissonance in your music
piques your ears like chillies in your stew pique
your taste buds, this is a hot one!
Derek Hasted
APRÈS MINUIT for 4 guitars
by Jean-Pierre Grau/Gérard Labady
Les Productions d’OZ.
19pp plus parts
The lack of descriptive notes about this suite is a
disappointment. From the title ‘After Midnight’ I
Classical Guitar Magazine
was anticipating some light jazz, but the cover of
the music features a leprechaun. The mighty
Google translation engine confirmed that the sec-
ond movement was indeed ‘Leprechauns’, but it let
me down disgracefully on the other two and I spent
15 fascinating minutes reading furiously and
learning that Croquemitaine, the first movement, is
‘Bogeyman’.
It has my interest!
We have a suite for four guitars, but Bogeyman is
only for three guitars. With no performance indica-
tions it’s hard to understand what’s happening
here. Does the fourth player creep up behind the
audience and scare them to death?
Croquemitaine is in 3/4 with a staccato feel and
lovely chromatic passages with accents that
heighten the mood very effectively. The writing is
confident; the dissonances are mild and entirely in
keeping with the mood. The score is peppered with
accidentals; the use of sharps rather than flats on
the descending chromatic passages means there
are natural signs as well, all adding to the task of
reading the score accurately. But the music is fin-
gered well and much is in the lowest positions. The
piece concludes with a massive descending chro-
matic scale of diminished thirds and a final note
with the word ‘Hoo’ underneath it. Scared me half
to death even without that fourth player hiding in
the shadows…
Farfadets, or leprechauns, is for four guitars,
with a playful accompaniment of isolated quavers
in a rhythmic motif that permeates the whole
movement. Although easy on the eye, there are
some tricky rhythms here because the parts inter-
weave rather than interlock. It will need confident
rhythm to keep the piece intact, though technical-
ly it’s pleasantly simple. This is a long movement,
which progresses from a skittish jig-like opening
through a variety of developments into a final deli-
ciously sour sequence of chords – impish and badly
behaved…
Feux follets (Will o’ the wisp) is a subtle assembly
of clumps of quavers (eighth notes) that expertly cap-
ture the capricious nature of these sprites that lure
travellers off their path and into bogs and ponds.
Playful with sinister undertones. Very effective.
The music is probably about Grade 4, and I think
that the suite would be ideal at school concerts,
especially if time was taken to set the scene first…
Derek Hasted
ANNELI, WO BISCH GESCHTER GSI
for 4 guitars by Jürg Kindle
Les Productions d’OZ.
7pp plus parts
This is part of the publisher’s fast-expanding ‘Easy
Music For 4 Guitars’ series, featuring music from
around the world. This particular piece is a theme
and variations on an old Swiss song set in D minor
and with Guitar Four tuned down to 6=D.
The ten-bar theme is asserted first with the tune
passing between guitars one and two, though I did
baulk at the quick discord in the second note of the
piece which seemed an oversight.
Variation One is rather clever – guitars three and
four play arpeggios, and guitar two manages to
weave scale segments in and out, while over the top
the tune is reasserted unmodified.
Variation Two is more a ‘galop’ with the tune mov-
ing to guitar two and full of repeated notes to give a
constant ‘William Tell Overture’ rhythm. A counter-
melody sits alongside, with arpeggios underneath
and little waterfalls of notes on top.
Variation Three will work best if guitar one
observes the fingering and takes the slightly
Classical Guitar Magazine
embellished tune further up the neck to become
M usic R eviews
what is essentially the ‘slow movement’ in the set.
Simple writing here plus plenty of space between
top and bottom parts gives a refreshing open
sound.
Variation Four is busy with little groups of qua-
vers echoed back and forth. Not fugal but creating
that effect.
Variation Five is in 6/8 time with a bouncy bass-
line.
A waltz finishes the set, and one which is not
labelled as a variation, and which is sixteen bars
rather than ten. The fingering in part two is wel-
come, but had it come two bars earlier it would
have avoided a position-shift. A Da Capo back to
the opening theme concludes the set.
These 10-bar miniatures are all straightforward.
Guitar One ventures as high as the sixth position,
and there are a few high notes elsewhere, but
rhythmically, technically and musically this is
something that novices will find robust and enjoy-
able to play. The entire part-score sits on one face
of A3 paper, so there are no page turns to worry
about in this end-to-end performance.
Derek Hasted
SATURNE by Jürg Kindle
Les Productions d’OZ. 8pp.
This talented composer has written a full set of
nine pieces based on the planets, most of which I
have seen in the foregoing months. It is unclear
whether this is to be played as a set or not, as no
reference to them being such is included in the
actual publications.
That said, this latest offering begins with a table
consisting of no less than ten symbols, all being
percussive effects of various sorts and in various
places on the guitar. As the whole piece is littered
with them you have to have a very good memory to
incorporate them seamlessly into the piece, but
providing you can do that, you have overcome one
of the largest hurdles in this piece although the
very percussive nature of the actual musical con-
cept might also cause any players to pale at the
complexities. It takes a full 32 bars of frenetic per-
cussion before any real theme appears although
even here the music is constantly interwoven with
the percussive effects, with both LH and RH fingers
and thumbs being used to produce them.
There follows a momentary respite with a strange
section of 32 bars consisting entirely of solo note
crotchets grouped into fours before the rhythmic
ideas re-emerge and build to an impressively
orgiastic final section with a coda that proverbially
slams the door in your face and allows no more
argument.
For once I am not sure about Kindle’s piece. I am
a firm fan of much of his work yet this seemed a lit-
tle ‘effect for effect’s sake’. I am equally sure how-
ever that players able to cope with the many com-
plexities of this piece will make it sound very con-
vincing and exciting to hear.
Chris Dumigan
RON SIN COCA-COLA
for 4 guitars by Roque Carbajo
Les Productions d’OZ.
11pp plus parts
It’s not often I find anything wrong with a
Productions d’OZ edition, but there’s something
odd about the very first bar of this piece where
Guitar Four has a natural F in a chord of D7 that
should surely be sharp to match the fingering and
the other parts. But then the bar is repeated unfin-
gered at bars 3 and 65, both times with an A
43
M usic R eviews instead of an F# for which the earlier fingering
doesn’t work at all. I begin to wonder whether the
score has been proof-read or not. A shame,
because my first reaction on seeing the score was
one of delight – some fantastic Cuban rhythms,
some comfortable chord shapes and some delight-
ful progressions – A7, D7, G7 C7, F#7, B7, E7, A.
And that’s just the opening…
My delight soon returns! This is a fun piece but it
won’t come easy to those guitarists who take the
word ‘classical’ rather too literally. There is a neat
set of interlocking rhythms that need to be felt
rather than just read, and as the piece progresses
each part is called up to produce many different
rhythm patterns, often complementing, rather than
supplementing, those in the other parts. There is
an interlude where two parts clap together, in
between which the other two parts interweave some
motifs and guitar-based percussion – all very com-
pelling and thoroughly enjoyable.
The writing is confident with key changes and
stylist variations, but all the while there is a rich
palette of rhythm patterns used to glorious and
colourful effect. This is guitar music alive with
passion, with fire and with fun.
I’m not sure that a few dry words can convey
the joie de vivre in this piece, but I had a thor-
oughly enjoyable hour trying out the parts. Each
is well shaped to fit the guitar and a pleasure to
read and play. The piece needs a strong and con-
fident team to lock it all together, and those below
Grade 8 would find the pace tough and lack the
relaxed confidence to make this piece the stylish
success it so surely deserves to be. I like it (but
you’ve guessed that already!)
Derek Hasted
LAS RAMBLAS for guitar orchestra
by Nathalie Lachance
Les Productions d’OZ.
16pp plus parts
This work is for five guitars and a contra guitar,
though the latter part is playable on an ordinary
guitar and is not simply a slimmed-down copy of
another line, but a vital part of the soundscape.
Percussion abounds, and the glossary explains
eight different effects written as pitched notes with
an ‘X’ notehead. I hope players of this piece have a
better memory for what pitch denotes what effect
than I have! Fortunately, once the few effects and
rhythms specific to a line are learned, then the
power of the piece comes from the way the different
percussive pitches and rhythms of each line are
woven together.
For much of the piece, guitar 5 is doing some-
thing different to everyone else, percussion when
the rest are playing melody, and chords when the
rest are playing percussion – an effective and
enjoyable piece of writing.
Set in A minor, this feels good on guitar – shapes
are familiar and the high passages are straightfor-
ward in rhythm and pitch. There is an opening
minor theme in 3/3/2 rhythm, and a more melody-
like theme set over a lush landscape of simple
strummed chords, with a brisk rhythm and a love-
ly journey through minor and major keys, before
shrinking to just rhythm and bass with guitars one
to four banging and slapping variously. A slower,
squarer, tempo heralds another theme before there
is a lengthy and effective reprise of the strummed
section, this time taking it down to percussion and
bass alone before building it up once more to a
strong and enjoyable finish.
The overall standard is surprisingly modest –
perhaps Grade 5-6. However, keeping a tight
44
ensemble with every line totally reliable, tight and
able to hold their rhythm against considerable
distractions from the other parts, well that will
need either a large ensemble with one strong
player on each line, or a small ensemble of
mature and confident players. The South
American feel, the catchy percussion and the
lovely chord sequences will ensure that any per-
formance of this piece at, say, a school concert
will be a real crowd pleaser.
Derek Hasted
ROMANZA for guitar orchestra
by Jaime Córdoba
Les Productions d’OZ.
14pp plus parts
This work is for four guitars and double bass; the
score indicates that a contra guitar can be used,
but there is no treble clef part. In the Full Score we
see that guitar 4 replicates much of the contra
part, so it could be performed as a quartet; the
piece would not sound bare, just a little light-
weight.
Opening with a gentle lilting accompaniment in F
Major, the composer weaves a long line of melody
that proceeds effortlessly and satisfyingly, though
with the occasional chord that felt a little too
piquant in an otherwise well-shaped tune. The
piece does not stay static; its character changes a
little, with some delicious tension from the harmo-
ny lines. Some very capable classical writing takes
us to other keys, and here the little moments of
heartache seem less forceful and more pleasingly
resolved.
For much of the piece, guitar 4 plays an undu-
lating accompaniment, but from time to time the
texture changes, and a passage in artificial har-
monics precedes some effective writing in parallel
octaves at full volume, where guitars 1 and 2 ven-
ture as high as fret 15.
Although the piece is set in conventional SATB
for the most part, the top three lines do share a lit-
tle of the limelight. Much of the writing is modest
in technical ability, and the relaxed speed facili-
tates the more awkward passages.
Notwithstanding that, there are some tricky
moments, and the big closing chords need skill in
order to sound effortless. A Grade 6 ensemble
could ‘knife and fork’ their way through, but a high
standard of ensemble is needed for the piece to
sound relaxed.
The work lasts over six minutes and it is not at
all repetitive with a convincing melody and struc-
ture.
Dynamics are amply indicated. There is no fin-
gering but in one or two places, string numbers are
used. When I sight-read the music, I had to guess
which finger to use and every time, I picked wrong-
ly and got tangled. A single finger number instead
of a sequence of string numbers would be clearer
and more valuable.
Derek Hasted
CHANSON TRISTE for guitar orchestra
by Henri Duparc
Arr. by Arnaud Sans
Les Productions d’OZ.
11pp plus parts
This is an arrangement of a work I wasn’t familiar
with; tracking down the original was an enjoyable
time and the version I found with voice, harp and
orchestra is rather pleasant listening. This
arrangement is in the same key, and is for five gui-
tars and a contra (the latter could be replaced with
an ordinary guitar).
Classical Guitar Magazine
 This arrangement is one of those works that
raises questions and this is one of those editions
that doesn’t answer them. The tune, for example,
is in guitar three, not guitar one, and I wanted to
know why. The harp arpeggios are split into four
pieces – ascending in guitar five, descending in
guitar four, ascending in guitar two, and then
descending in guitar one, and these lines are
mostly sounding one at a time. It really looks like
it would fit for the most part on two guitars. My
curiosity is piqued.
Faithfulness to the original means that each
unidirectional arpeggio has seven notes, so noth-
ing fits nicely under the fingers. Talking of fingers,
there is no fingering, only dynamics, and there are
some really unpleasant jumps – from top string
fret 6 to bottom string fret 1, for example – where
the notes are semiquavers (sixteenth notes), so
creating a smooth arpeggio is not going to be easy.
Looking at the full score, these quick jumps are
to a long note that another part plays as a short
note at the same time, so this might be a trick to
add sustain. But one of the silent guitars could do
that job so much more easily. And besides, the
contra tends to have that long note too. I’m left
with the conviction that it could have been
arranged in a way that would be much easier to
play. And is it hard? Well yes, it wanders through
countless flats and naturals and sometimes the
arpeggios contain repeated notes of the same pitch
in succession – all tricky stuff to make smooth,
especially when the arpeggio is shared amongst
four players; imagine having a mix of spruce and
cedar guitars and hearing the arpeggio change in
tone colour as it rolled along.
I have the uneasy feeling that this is a challeng-
ing way to make a faithful rendition of the original,
where a few cosmetic changes and a different
method of sharing the workload might have made
something quite a bit easier and therefore more
smooth and effective.
Derek Hasted
BLUES SUITE for five guitars
by Miroslav Loncar
Les Productions d’OZ.
15pp plus parts
The performance notes, whilst a little minimalist,
are very welcome and helpful, and fully briefed I
slid comfortably into this three-piece suite.
The three pieces are each orchestrated with tune
on top, bass underneath and some arpeggios or
counter-melodies to provide the filling to this
musical sandwich. The bass line would be delight-
ful an octave lower, a point not lost on the com-
poser.
Early Morning Blues has a pulsating bass over
which sit some very playable boogie-woogie lines,
entering one at a time in a very effective fanfare.
With five lines of music, the tune is necessarily up
high, although the other parts fit nicely in the first
and second positions. Even the tune is nice and
comfortable to play, and a working knowledge of
only the top two strings up the neck will be fine.
This is a nicely crafted piece that is a real foot-tap-
per. Set in the key of A with 6=D it’s bright and full
of energy with some lovely deep bass and a couple
of little bass runs that add a lovely stylistic
embellishment to the music.
Melancholy Blues is in 6/8 with that slow triplet
feeling and mournful D minor chords that conjure
up a gloomy nightclub late at night… Here the
relaxed pace is punctuated with some bending of
the long notes, but also some semiquavers (six-
teenth notes) that I suspect a player of limited
Classical Guitar Magazine
experience might gabble a bit. But there is a reg-
M usic R eviews
ular arpeggio underneath that defines the beat
exactly, so no real harm would come. Some of the
arpeggios are really rather lovely – minor sevenths
and ninths, and the accompaniment is a stylish
blend of clever writing and well-thought-out pro-
gressions that are easily played to wonderful
effect.
Partytime, in E, has almost a Tamla Motown feel
to it and the tune has a cheeky call-and-response
style, still sitting on what is ostensibly a 12-bar
blues structure. Once more only the top part
needs to venture up the neck, but care will need
to be taken to get the positions sorted out so that
the notes are under the fingers. The large number
of sharps and naturals can be very off-putting to
someone who is still learning, but with careful fin-
gering, the music is very playable.
The upper line is definitely marginally more dif-
ficult, and is probably suited to a Grade 5 player
who will have the musical maturity as well as the
raw technique to carry off this atmospheric suite.
The lower parts would probably suit Grade 3 play-
ers.
Derek Hasted
CUMBIÓN for guitar orchestra and percussion
by Jaime Córdoba
Les Productions d’OZ.
15pp plus parts
This work is for four guitars and double bass; the
score indicates that a contra guitar can be used,
but there is no treble clef version; the line is vital
to the ensemble. In addition, there are parts for
claves, guiro and bongos.
This is a nice length – about three and a half
minutes, and it’s strikingly rhythmic, beginning
with guitar 4 and some smoochy minor jazzy
chords with a South American feel to their
rhythm. The bass comes in an instantly there’s an
accompaniment. The percussion enters in turn
and the repetitive sequence has taken shape. A
light and airy motif appears with little decorations
from guitars 2 and 3 – not quite ‘stab brass’, but
a not dissimilar effect. Some big percussive chords
follow, in a rather spiteful rhythm that requires
everyone to be in step. I’m guessing the percus-
sion players will get it right first time and most
guitarists won’t! The opening theme is repeated
with a thicker accompaniment before the compos-
er plays some joyful tricks – some catchy rhythms,
a waterfall of entries, fugue-style and chord to
stop us in our tracks.
The smoochy chords give way to some
strummed chords of A9 over which the opening
them is reasserted in its new brighter setting. The
development is not over and gradually the musi-
cal forces realign themselves, evolving from a
bubbly fun accompaniment into something more
purposeful and determined to herald a return to
the original key and some chromatic sequences
that sounded rather bizarre as the lines were
played one at a time, but which stack up into
large and stylish chords when all the parts play at
once.
And the standard? Well, the percussion is easy
apart from that oft-repeated couple of bars. The
guitar parts are not too irksome but there is a
need for parts to be very tightly synchronised at
some points, and capable of complete indepen-
dence at others, so I suspect Grade 7 is a little on
the low side of what is needed.
Here is an orchestration that will work effective-
ly and delightfully!
Derek Hasted
45
CD R eviews HOMENAJE A
MIGUEL LLOBET
LLOBET: Scherzo-Vals; Romanza; Respuesta;
Variaciones sobre un tema de Sor; Five Preludes.
TRAD. (ARR. LLOBET): Ten Canciones Populares
Catalanas; El Noi de la Mare. R. VILLAR (ARR. LLO-
BET): Cancion Leonesa.
Ryuji Kunimatsu
Fiori Musicali WHCM 337 CD
It’s a glorious spring morning. The only sounds from
the open window are distant birdsong and a gentle
breeze through the trees. On the desk stands a pile
of half a dozen CDs awaiting review. Several are by
performers I already know and admire, and all con-
tain repertoire of which I’m fond. What possible tri-
als and tribulations could shatter this rare and per-
fect suburban idyll?
But then came the crushing moment when it was
discovered that the track listing for this 2007 record-
ing, despite being issued on what appears to be an
Italian label, is in Japanese only. So the inventory
shown above was put together amid much cursing
from a combination of printed scores, earlier record-
ings and maybe just a little existing knowledge. And
it seems our oriental brethren don’t get much more
information than we do, the booklet devoting an
astonishing seven pages out of ten to what can only
be described as a portfolio of publicity shots showing
the handsome and photogenic Kunimatsu in a vari-
ety of surroundings.
So it’s just as well the performance is of a high
order, for the heavy artillery was most certainly
ready to roll in the face of the above hindrances.
Starting with the once neglected but now fashion-
able Scherzo-Vals, Kunimatsu soon emerges as a
player who, despite showing a considerable turn of
speed when the need arises, is essentially a modern
exponent of what might be termed the molto espres-
sivo school of guitar playing. Although such levels of
lyricism may not be flavour of the month, they cer-
tainly deliver some persuasive accounts of repertoire
from this era. Particularly convincing are the items
from Canciones Populares Catalanas that are tradi-
tionally served up at a quicker pace than is strictly
necessary and tend to sound somewhat slapstick as
a result. I’m thinking especially of La Nit de Nadal
and La Filadora, both of which might enjoy more fre-
quent future outings if Kunimatsu’s lead is followed.
Yes, I know they’re marked Allegro and Allegro
Scherzando respectively, but in no dictionary on my
shelf are either of these terms translated as ‘annoy-
ingly daft’.
Finally, a bonus mark to Kunimatsu for spotting
the potential of Llobet’s setting of the obscure but
appealing Cancion Leonesa. On the rare occasions
this piece gets heard at all, it tends to finish up
buried amidst more striking and energetic material.
So to isolate it as a de facto encore that closes the
present agenda was indeed a masterstroke of subtle
and imaginative programming.
A quality international release that needs an
urgent rethink on the packaging front.
Paul Fowles
CARULLI - MUSIC FOR
GUITAR AND PIANO VOL.1
BEETHOVEN (ARR. CARULLI): Variations in F on
“Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen” from Mozart’s “Die
Zauberflöte”. FERDINANDO AND GUSTAVO CARUL-
LI: Duo in A on themes of Rossini, Op.233; Grand Duo
Concertant in A, Op.65. FERDINANDO CARULLI:
Nocturne in G, Op.127; Duo in D, Op.134. ROSSINI
(ARR. CARULLI): Overture to “La Gazza Ladra”;
Overture to “Armida”; Overture to “Il Barbiere di
Siviglia”.
46
Franz Halasz (guitar) Debora Halasz (piano)
Naxos 8.570587 CD
As Graham Wade observes in the notes to this 2009
release, the ubiquitous figure of Ferdinando Carulli
(1770-1841) has long been regarded as ‘primarily a
pedagogue rather than as a composer of concert
works’. A fair comment, of course.
Carulli’s success at grass roots level may be
explained by one simple fact, namely that his teach-
ing miniatures almost invariably turn out to be eas-
ier than they sound. There’s no secret formula
behind this, the result being obtained simply by
intelligent use of open strings and guitar-friendly
intervals. In this respect, Carulli was the exact oppo-
site of Fernando Sor, whose études, leçons and exer-
cises are usually ten times harder than the student
expects. Such hidden challenges may have their ben-
efits at an advanced level but have no place whatso-
ever when it comes to teaching beginners. Has any-
one ever succeeded in nurturing a novice on an
exclusive diet of Sor’s Introduction à l’Etude de la
Guitare Op.60? But when it comes to concert reper-
toire, Sor is rightly seen as the boss, although this
doesn’t necessarily disqualify Carulli from taking
part in the game.
The Beethoven/Mozart reworking that opens the
present agenda is nothing if not audacious, with
Carulli himself providing the whole of one variation
and the first half of another. The results are pleasing
and provide ample evidence of the individual and col-
lective excellence of this highly-regarded husband
and wife team. This said, there are times throughout
the proceedings when I’d have appreciated a little
more level on the guitar and a bit less on the piano.
I type this comment fully aware that it’s the second
time I’ve said something on these lines within one
day, so maybe the old lugholes are just getting lazy.
Elsewhere, it’s all pretty much as we might have
expected. It seems the input of Carulli’s son Gustavo
was acknowledged on the original editions of Op.65
and 233, although no radical modernising force can
be detected from the present revivals. But it’s all
decent early 19th century fare of the type that raises
many a smile while placing only minimal demands
on the listener’s attention. Particularly engaging is
the boisterous dialogue between instruments that
develops in the Rondo from Op.134. Great music it
isn’t, but great fun it most certainly is, especially for
two players who clearly have the ample technical
reserves required to enjoy it.
So let’s just appreciate Carulli for the prolific and
resourceful professional he was. Making music, not
making history, was his thing.
Paul Fowles
GIULIANI - GUITAR CONCERTO NO.3
GIULIANI: Concerto for Guitar “terzina” and Orchestra
No.3 in F, Op.70; Gran Quintetto for Guitar and Strings
in C, Op.65; Variazioni su “Deh calma oh ciel” from
Rossini’s “Otello”, Op.101; Variazioni su “Nume per-
donami in tale istante” from Generali’s “Baccanali di
Roma”, Op.102; Variazioni sur un Valse favori,
Op.103.
Edoardo Catemario (19th century guitars) with the
Wiener Akademie conducted by Martin Haselböck
Arts Music 47689 (Hybrid SACD)
Of the three surviving Giuliani guitar concertos, No.3
in F tends to enjoy the least attention. This presum-
ably is a direct result of its requiring a soloist who
has access to a terzina guitar and the ability to play
it. Otherwise, you’re limited to a conventional mod-
ern guitar with a capo on the third fret, a fiddly con-
figuration that often spawns tuning problems and
doesn’t usually sound that marvellous despite all the
Classical Guitar Magazine
time and toil. One thing No.3 certainly doesn’t lack is
thematic content and orchestral colour, this latter
point being argued with conviction in Gian Andrea
Lodovici’s notes to the present release. Particularly
powerful is the opening Allegro Moderato, in which a
grand descending initial figure calls us to attention
with a splendid surge in volume from the brass a
minute or so after kick-off. But how is Catemario’s
undated terzina guitar by Enrico Rocca going to cope
against a backdrop of such intensity?
The answer is that it struggles. Or, to be more pre-
cise, it’s the listener that struggles to take on board
the stark contrast between the exuberant start to
proceedings and the distant fragility of the soloist’s
first entry. You get used to it in the end, in much the
same way as we always somehow adjusted to the
octogenarian Segovia performing unamplified amid
the barren acoustic of the Free Trade Hall, but it’s
hard going for all. I should emphasise at this point
that Haselböck clearly makes every possible effort to
be a guitar-friendly conductor, but there’s no escap-
ing the fact that we’re dealing with fundamentally
unequal forces. The whole situation is highly regret-
table because Catemario undoubtedly knows the ter-
rain well and has all the technical skill to make him
the ideal man for the job. But there are times when
adhering to a strictly ‘authentic’ sound balance just
isn’t the answer.
For the remaining items, Catemario is joined by
two different string quartet line-ups, both of which
are led by Agnes Stradner. Almost immediately, the
listening experience becomes a happier one.
Admittedly, the Gran Quintetto enjoys the further
advantage of being scored for a conventionally-
pitched guitar, the hardware used on this occasion
being a ‘Pons l’Ainé’ from 1825. But even when the
terzina makes its return for the three sets of varia-
tions, only a little adjustment has to be made on the
part of the listener. This makes things all the more
frustrating because, although the quintet items in
general and the Gran Quintetto in particular clearly
have something to offer, it’s Concerto No.3 that’s the
real hit. Or at least it would have been if you didn’t
have to reach for an ear trumpet every time the
soloist flexes his muscles. It’s either that or blow a
hole in the speakers whenever there’s a tutti.
Needless to say, the so-called ‘loudness’ button
makes so little difference that you wonder, not for the
first time, why it even exists.
A first-rate presentation of vintage repertoire rang-
ing from the decent to the outstanding, but the
sound capture on the concerto is strictly for purists
only.
Paul Fowles
VIVA LA MUSICA
CHOPIN: Valse Op.64 No.2; Cantabile; Nocturne Op.9
No.2. NIELSEN: Mit hjerte altid vanker; Tunge, morke
natteskyer; Min Jesus lad hjertr fa. VILLA-LOBOS:
Prelude No.3. NORGE: Danza la Primavera; Viva la
Musica; Tango Tore; Flamenco Falso; Brasiliaño; El
Danza Humorístico.
Kaare Norge
Universal UNI 179-211-5 CD
Chopin on the guitar is by no means a new concept
and yes, I’m going to mention Mario Parodi again.
The excuse this time is that, although recent Chopin
offerings by guitarists have tended to be somewhat
restrained affairs that seem primarily concerned
with not causing offence, Norge’s accounts at least
partially regain some of the wonderful joie de vivre
that Parodi so effortlessly generated more than four
decades ago. This is particularly evident in the Valse
at the start of the present disc, which also happened
to be a Parodi favourite. Norge’s approach may well
Classical Guitar Magazine
be that of a later generation, but the result is dis-
CD R eviews
armingly persuasive. And, like Parodi before him,
Norge doesn’t half rattle through that triumphant
ascending scale.
Although I doubt if the three innocuous miniatures
performed here represent Carl Nielsen’s first appear-
ance on a guitar recording, no precedent springs
immediately to mind. They’re pleasant enough in an
unobtrusive way and Norge delivers them with
understated sensitivity. But I honestly can’t see this
leading to a glut of further Nielsen transcriptions and
arrangements.
The erstwhile ubiquity of the Villa-Lobos makes it
something of an odd man out on the present agenda.
But its presence did cause me to muse on the notion
that many of us who witnessed the V-L mania of the
70s started out by thinking of No.3 as the least inter-
esting of the preludes, but later came to regard it as
arguably the most enduring of all. Just a thought.
And so to Norge’s original works or, to be more pre-
cise, the six encore lollipops with which he concludes
this 43 minute innings. OK, that perhaps wasn’t the
most generous evaluation of Norge the composer, but
there’s no escaping the fact that we’re dealing with
the lightest of the light. Only in the suave late night
jazz of the title track do we find something that can
stand a second hearing, and even the reflective mood
created here is soon dispelled in the wet-as-a-puddle
Tango Tore, a formula didactic pastiche of the type
Vincent Lindsey-Clark does a zillion times better and
would presumably never dream of using on a profes-
sional recording.
Impressive Chopin with some highly acceptable
Nielsen and Villa-Lobos, but those downmarket orig-
inals really don’t belong.
Paul Fowles
STANDING STONES -
Music from Scotland and
Ireland Frevo Quartet
Natural Studio Records. NSR CD011
With a running time of 28’ 50” this themed EP – CD
is the second in a continuing series from this talent-
ed guartet made up of: guitar (Matthew McAllister),
flute (Aisling Agnew), violin (Feargus Hetherington)
and bass (Douglas Whates). Here they turn their
attention to the music of their heritage, as all mem-
bers hail from Scotland or Ireland.
The arrangements are beautiful throughout and
quite individual in their sound-world and not always
what you might expect. So the opening Aisling Gheal
(A Bright Vision) is based on the harpsichord version
of Sean O’Riada who had so much influence initially
on the music of the Chieftains. The music is
restrained and haunting yet aristocratic in style.
Perhaps the most surprising arrangement, for me at
any rate, was their slightly off-the-wall version of a
long favourite tune of mine Wild Mountain Thyme. I
don’t know what I was expecting, but it was not the
version I heard! The chords in particular are unusu-
al and yet entirely in keeping with the music’s style.
This is one I had to get used to a bit before I learned
to like it. Arisaig is hauntingly beautiful and quite
different from the solo version I heard Matthew play
a little while ago, but every bit as good, with the flute
taking most of the melody lines, occasionally aided
and abetted by the violin with the bass and guitar
doing the accompanying. Another Irish air that for
me was the highlight of the CD was the next track,
An Chuilfhionn (The Fair Haired One) with one of
those tunes that stays with you long after the CD is
over. I am often amazed at how the quantity of stun-
ning traditional tunes that come from Ireland and
Scotland. This one certainly goes to into my favourite
top five. Up to this point most of the music has been
47
CD R eviews reflective and generally slow in pace. This is now rec-
tified with Guards Bridge at Anzio a rollicking up-
tempo Scottish pipe march with a lovely pedal sec-
tion utilising the bass at its very best. Hamnataing is
a traditional tune arranged by Shetlander
Christopher Stout. It lilts along beautifully and again
has a melody to die for. Inisheer completes the album
and is named after Inis Oirr, one of the three Aran
Islands of Galway Bay. The guitar takes the tune
with pizzicato string accompaniment. The section
with the artificial harmonics is particularly striking
in its simply beauty.
This is a stunningly recorded album from quality
musicians playing fabulous arrangements of some of
our homeland’s most evocative music. No more to be
said.
Chris Dumigan
uplifting fashion. I challenge anyone listening to any
of the first four of these beautiful compositions to not
be moved emotionally. In these pieces one is remind-
ed here and there of the best of Ennio Morricone but
with the hallmark of Jose Luis Merlin infused
throughout.
All the pieces have been written and arranged by
Merlin for the Cuarteto Hispanoamericano which
comprises Debora Lewin (traverse flute), Ezequiel
Lezama (oboe), Edith Saldana (violoncello) and of
course Jose Luis Merlin (guitar). The instrumental-
ists give a good account of themselves and work
extremely well as an ensemble group.
This is a well recorded disc, full of clarity and oozes
charm and musicianship through every pore.
Recommended.
Steve Marsh

AL PEREGRINO MI ALMA LLANERA

J. L. MERLIN: Pregresiones para Pauline; Galopa el PEDRO GUTIERREZ: Alma Llanera. ANTONIO
Jinete; Al Cristo de la Quebrada; Cinco Canciones de LAURO: Cuatro Valses Venezolanos; Seis Por
Amor. A. RAMIREZ: Alfonsina y el Mar. Derecho; El Negrita; Carora; El Marabino; Maria
Cuarteto Hispanoamericano Carolina. VINCENTE EMILIO SOJO: Que No Te
Dos Almos Quiera Mas; Estrella Del Mar; Quisiera Ser. RODRIGO
With the exception of just the Ariel Ramirez classic RIERA: Serenata Ingenua; Melancolia; Nostalgia.
composition, this is a pro-
gramme made up entirely of
the music of the Argentine gui-
tarist and composer, Jose Luis
Merlin. Readers who are famil-
iar with Merlin’s output will
know what to expect: exciting
and exceptionally rhythmical
works sitting alongside evoca-
tive and touching ones, all
infused with the composer’s
gift of inspired melodies.
The programme starts with
an almost contradiction in
terms, a joyous requiem writ-
ten in memory of human rights
activist Pauline Lasse. The pro-
gramme notes need to be read
to understand this ambiguity
but once read, this lovely
music takes on an emotionally
tender slant than perhaps it
would otherwise have done.
Two of the movements from
the composer’s solo guitar
work Suite de Recuerdo are
incorporated into the six-
movement Al Cristo de la
Quebrada and very natural
and fitting in this setting they
are too.
The five songs of love (instru-
mentals only) which conclude
the disc are an absolute delight
- easily the zenith of this most
delightful programme. The
music was inspired by two love
poems from Silvio Rodriguez
and Antonio Esteban Aguero;
one by Bertold Brecht concern-
ing a father grieving over the
loss of his son on the battle-
field and a more ‘philosophical’
one by Atahualpa Yupanqui.
The final one, the main feature
of which is an assortment of
crescendos and decrescendos
throughout the music, is more
of a dance than a song and
concludes the set in fine and

48 Classical Guitar Magazine

PEDRO LOPEZ: Las Perdices. ANTONIO CARILLO:
Como Llora Una Estrella. BENITO CANONICO: El
Totumo De Guarenas. I. ‘INDIO’ FIGUEREDO: Los
Caujaritos. ALFONSO MONTES: Preludio De Adios.
SIMON DIAZ: Caballo Viejo.
Flavio Sala
Felmay FY3015
First prize winner at several international guitar fes-
tivals including the Concorso Internazionale di
Gargnano (2001) and the Concorso Internazionale
‘Michele Pittaluga’ (2003), this disc of music from
Venezuela finds Italian guitarist Flavio Sala in excel-
lent form; in these performances he seems thor-
oughly at home from every angle. Technically
assured, Sala oozes confidence in his playing and
displays an innate knowledge of these, often complex
musical styles, a knowledge which enables him to
present authentic-sounding interpretations of this
most entertaining and delightful music.
The emphasis/focal point on this disc seems built
around the master-craftsman of Venezuelan guitar
music, Antonio Lauro; his music being sprinkled
around the 22-item programme in strategic places
rather than in groupings, as the rest of the com-
posers’ music are. This constant returning to Lauro’s
compositions inevitably invites comparisons to the
other works and reveals just what a musical genius
he was when writing for the guitar - not that the rest
of the programme is below par, far from it, it is just
that Lauro’s music really has the ‘X factor’.
Of the ‘non-Lauro’ tracks, for sheer excitement and
invigoration, Sala pulls out all the stops on the high-
ly rhythmic Los Caujaritos and Alma Llanera and
shows his great sensitivity in his thoughtful presen-
tation of the three gorgeous Sojo compositions. This
is a player who has the skill to infuse deep emotive
interpretative control in the slower works and pro-
duces exceptional rhythmic articulation where
required in the more complex, quicker pieces.
Mi Alma Llanera comes half a dozen years after the
release of John Williams’s disc El Diablo Suelto, a
recording devoted to the same thematic undertaking.
Was the JW CD of 2003 influential in Sala’s choice of
material here? … I don’t know, but approximately
half the programme of El Diablo Suelto is mirrored on
this new release. Listening to both players perform-
ing the same pieces side-by-side as it were, the
immediate judgment is that the Williams production
has a slightly more refined tonal quality to it where-
as Sala’s recording has more of a hard edge - more
‘bite’, particularly noticeable in the faster tracks.
This is not to say that one is more preferable to the
other, both are exceptional discs in their own right
and lovers of music from Venezuela should definite-
ly have both CDs in their collection.
Steve Marsh
TROIS CIELS
BERNARD PIRIS: Rhun; Livre d’Images; Sharan;
Adeus; Amanha; Waltz for Bill; Trois Ciels.
Brigitte Repiton
Les Productions d’OZ. DZ1230.
As my role as reviewer I have written a number of
reviews regarding the published music of the French
guitarist/composer Bernard Piris and if memory
serves me correctly these have been positive reviews
and have each and every one of them commended
the publications. Therefore it was with anticipation
that I sat down to listen to a disc devoted entirely to
his works and it is nice to report that it was as good,
if not better, I’d been expecting.
On this CD the excellent French guitarist Brigitte
Repiton joins forces with the Duo de Guitares de
Lyon in the opening track, the 10-minutes long
Rhun, an exquisite composition in contemporary
Classical Guitar Magazine
mode with many segments of varying moods and
CD R eviews
tempos and a wonderful opening work to whet the
appetite.
A set of seven solo guitar compositions make up
Piris’ Livre d’Images, a group of diverse pieces of
probably only medium difficulty but are nevertheless
highly effective. Writing high quality works at this
standard of technical level is always the mark of a
good composer. As well as the composer’s own com-
positional style one can hear the influence of such
luminaries as Brouwer and Satie.
The stylish three-movement duet Sharan has hints
of minimalism with jazzy/ African characteristics
and for this work Repiton is joined by Piris himself
who also plays in partnership with her on the
delightfully lyrical Waltz for Bill, a work dedicated to
the jazz pianist Bill Evans.
Adeus and Amanha were published originally
together so presumably they are intended to be per-
formed as a pairing. They make nice contrasting
compositions Adeus being very introspective, moody
and improvisatory-sounding and Amanha being
more up-tempo with a Latin beat.
The disc concludes in grand style with the only
quintet on the programme, the title track Trois Ciels,
for which Brigitte Repiton is joined by Le Quatuor
Cordoba in a set of wonderfully exciting, atmospher-
ic and moody pieces.
Throughout the playing from all concerned is of
top class and the whole product is well presented.
Steve Marsh
JOTA - FRANCISCO TÁRREGA
F. TÁRREGA: Jota; Tango Maria; Gran Vals; Sueno;
Capricho Arabe; Lagrima; Studio Sobre la Sonatina
d’Alard; Adelita; Las Dos Hermanitas; Vals; Maria;
Alborado; Recuerdos de la Alhambra; Mazurka en Sol.
J. MALATS: Serenata Espanola. S. de YRADIER: La
Paloma. I. ALBÉNIZ: Sevilla. J. MASSENET: Notti de
Spagna. J. S. BACH/C. GOUNOD: Ave Maria.
Michael Erni
Guild GMCD7332
From a personal viewpoint I have always had a fond-
ness for the music of Francisco Tárrega, probably
stemming from the fact that his music was some of
the first ‘proper’ classical guitar music I remember-
ing hearing. I also like the idea of compilation or
‘themed’ discs. Consequently I was looking forward
to the enjoyment of listening to this CD dedicated to
the some of Tárrega’s original compositions plus a
handful of his arrangements.
Given Michael Erni’s exceptional technical virtuos-
ity and the clear recording sound, this new release is
particularly disappointing. Having listened to this
disc several times now I have to report rather a lack
of enthusiasm with the performances which are, on
the whole, taken far too fast making for uneasy lis-
tening. For the main part, this is supposedly poetic,
expressive music but it seems that Erni’s penchant
for technical pyrotechnics has supplanted all that.
Where is the lyricism and tenderness in the phras-
ing? The pace at which the two tremolo pieces are
taken at is uncomfortable; the appreciation of the
romanticism in Recuerdos is lost.
It is not all bad news however, as there are some
moments of musical quality and sensitivity here and
there, Erni proving that he has it in his soul to dis-
play this aspect in his performances, but the overall
impression at the end of the day is one of a high
velocity programme leaving the listener with that
impression.
If ‘serious’ Tárrega is what you are looking for there
are better recordings out there; David Russell’s name
springs to mind.
Steve Marsh
49
P ersonal CD R eviews NEW MUSIC FOR
2 GUITARS
TILMAN HUBNER: Cantus Latvius; Cantus Firmus;
Lang Wird der Weg; Cantus Campi. SEBASTIAN
SPRENGER: Tu Iridem Aspicies; Chant Spirituel;
On My Way. ULLI GOTTE: Four Colours. FRANCIS
KLEYNJANS: Homage a Stanley Myers.
Tatjana Kukoc & Tilman Hübner
www.newmusicfor2guitars.de
Tatjana Kukoc & Tilman Hübner first collaborat-
ed together on a CD titled ‘Jovka’, where on that
occasion Kukoc was the performer with Hübner
contributing several compositions to the pro-
gramme. Shortly afterwards they formed a duo
and began performing together with the emphasis
on contemporary music.
Hübner’s contribution as composer on this par-
ticular disc comes with four works all leaning
towards minimalism. His writing is inventive and
interesting enough to hold the attention and
never become tedious or outstays its welcome as
much music written in this style can, and often,
does. Unfortunately the four pieces are scattered
through the programme as single items but work
very well and in my opinion, much better, when
listened to as a ‘set’ of four, one after the other.
The German composer Sebastian Sprenger has
a penchant for experimental music as witnessed
in the first two of three of pieces written by him
featured on this programme. These two are quite
energetic and forceful in nature with, stylistical-
ly, more than a passing hint at the spiritual
aspects of Indian raga music. His third contribu-
tion could not really be much more of a contrast
with On My Way (full title being On My Way to the
Bus Stop), a short composition which could easi-
ly have been an easy-listening pop ‘standard’
from the 1960s.
The longest single item at just over ten min-
utes’ duration, comes with Four Colours written
by the influential minimalist composer Ulli Götte.
Written for the two performers on this disc, this
piece comes the nearest to ‘true’ minimalism as
anything else on the programme and is a work
which develops out of, as the composer puts it,
‘four sound colours, or four scales’. The work ebbs
and flows with varying multi-rhythms created
between the two instruments with several
dynamic and rhythmic peaks and troughs before
concluding in a calm, quiet ending.
French composer Francis Kleynjans’ one contri-
bution to this disc comes in the form of a pastiche
of Stanley Myers’ classic miniature masterpiece,
Cavatina, but this Homage a Stanley Myers is too
sugary-sweet for my liking, is not in the same
league as the piece which was the inspiration for
it and really is the odd-one-out in this pro-
gramme.
A large majority of this disc contains some
fine writing for two guitars and allows the lis-
tener to discover compositions and indeed, com-
posers who may not yet be familiar. Of particu-
lar interest are the four pieces by Tilman
Hübner which, collectively at over 20 minutes,
makes the CD worth having in its own right.
Although initially some of the music contained
on this disc may not have immediate attraction,
familiarity could ensure a fuller appreciation of
the music.
Steve Marsh
MUSICBOX
L. BROUWER: Un Dia de Noviembre. W. MUTH-
SPIEL: Drei Tonspiele. F. TÁRREGA: Capricho
Arabe. A. IGLESIAS: Arabesca. A. LAURO: Triptico.
50
A. BARRIOS: El Sueno de la Munequita. R. DYENS:
Tango en Skaï. I. SAVIO: Cajita de Musica.
Zsofia Boros
www.zsofia-boros.com
This new disc features the Hungarian guitarist
Zsofia Boros (given as Boros Zsofia in the sleeve
notes) performing established works alongside ones
less familiar in the guitar repertoire.
The more famous compositions in this pro-
gramme, the ones by Brouwer, Tárrega, Lauro,
Dyens and Barrios, are dispatched with a fine sense
of musicianship, the player taking several of these
pieces at a slightly less hurried, more deliberate
tempo than one is accustomed to hearing, the
music not suffering in the slightest, in fact at times
this pace is quite advantageous.
The works which were not known to me came as
a very pleasant surprise. The three pieces by the
Austrian jazz guitarist and composer Wolfgang
Muthspiel are, maybe due to their unfamiliarity,
one of the high points of this recording. The first
movement is a relentless, frantic composition where
brief periods of gentleness break in now and again.
The second part is a beautiful slow, lament-styled
composition evoking late-night moody jazz sensa-
tions. The set concludes with a darkly resonant and
slightly menacing work which picks up the pace
mid-way through in a flurry of tense agitation
before the piece finishes in similar mode to the
opening section.
The early-20th century Spanish guitarist Angel
Iglesias, whose name is almost unknown nowa-
days, is represented by an Arabesque which has
flamenco/Moorish overtones. In this piece Zsofia
demonstrates a commendable command of techni-
cal control and puts in a performance of a work
which, being perfectly honest, could have sounded
quite garish and cheap in lesser performers.
I found this a really likeable disc presented by a
guitarist of skill and discernment. The recording
quality is good and although there is not much
information given in the sleeve notes the packaging
is excellent.
Steve Marsh
FOUNTAIN
D. O’NEILL: The Juggler; Manggha; Clouds; Samba
Ali; Fountain; A Remark You Made. J. S. BACH:
Cello Suite No. 1; Prelude from Lute Suite No. 4. D.
SCARLATTI: Sonata in A k209; Sonata in F minor
k32. T. O’CAROLAN: Carolan’s Receipt. G. SANZ:
Canarios.
Darragh O’Neill
www.darraghoneill.com
This recording was the final one to review from a
batch of several other ‘Privately Released’ CDs; a
bunch which was of a particularly high standard
throughout and, pleasing to say that this too, does
not let the side down.
Darragh O’Neill, who studied with Carlos Bonell
at the Royal College of Music, is technically
equipped to ably handle all the music presented in
his programme. His own pieces which, begin the
programme, are very entertaining, and highly lis-
tenable; being a mixture of contemporary evocative
compositions in a blend of Latin/Jazz style.
He gives clean, sensitive and authoritative perfor-
mances of the rest of the programme from the
Baroque era, playing with what Carlos Bonell
describes as a ‘deceptive simplicity’, which is
absolutely accurate, O’Neill conveys the impression
that this is all so easy - which we all know is far
from the truth.
A very enjoyable and desirable debut recording.
Steve Marsh
Classical Guitar Magazine
ANYWAY
Roland Dyens
À bátons rompus... (interview); DYENS: Improvisation;
Sols d’Ièze; Anyway; Djembé. GILLESPIE: A Night in
Tunisia (arr. Dyens); RAMIREZ: Alfonsina y el mar (arr.
Dyens for guitar ensemble); BADEN POWELL:
Berimbau (arr. Dyens); JOBIM: Felicidade (arr. Dyens);
RODGERS & HART: My Funny Valentine (arr. Dyens).
GHA 126.470
Roland Dyens explains his
work very clearly and in musi-
cal French. The accompanying
family photographs are
charming; an intensely beauti-
ful young woman in a boat (his
mother?); the young Roland,
wearing a bow ties and holding
a large book He admits that
every time he starts compos-
ing, he feels that creativity will
stop. Fortunately for us, it
doesn’t, and the fountain con-
tinues to flow. Creativity, he thinks, comes during the
process of writing. All of us who have created anything
at all, a story, a painting, a musical composition, will
recognise the truth of that. It leads to a certain impa-
tience with those who say ‘I stopped composing (paint-
ing, writing) because I had nothing more to say’. They,
of course, must be the best judge of that.
He mentions the historic occasion when he per-
formed his Concerto for two guitars in Tychy, Poland,
with Jérémy Jouve, and pays tribute to the orchestra
and its ‘absolutely extraordinary conductor’, Marek
Mos. This was a performance to treasure, as I vividly
remember.
One of the great originals though he is, Dyens is
proud to be a member of the classical guitar tradition;
he feels he owes a debt to the huge personalities of
the past, people like Tárrega and, particularly, Sor.
We are treated to a close-up of his hands as he
plays Gran Solo, so simple, so elegant, so absolutely
right. We get, too, his arrangement of Nuages, or
much of it. The rubato of jazz, he points out, is not a
slowing down, but is a ‘slaloming with the beat’:
something that jazz musicians understand intuitive-
ly. Take the A Train is used as an illustration. I could
have done with more of it.
‘Everyone knows that the French chanson is a
major art.’ Not in Britain, unfortunately. Dyens’s
arrangements were inspired by Llobet’s of Catalan
songs, and surely deserve equal consideration.
I hope I have said enough to demonstrate what a good
DVD this is. Roland Dyens is unique in the enormous
contribution he has made to contemporary guitar.
Colin Cooper
MARCIN DYLLA
Interview; GIULIANI: Rossiniana No.1. TANSMAN:
Variations on a Theme by Scriabin. RODRIGO: Tres
piezas españolas.
Mel Bay Publications, Inc. MB21932DVD
A spectral figure emerges from the blackness. This
is Marcin Dylla, hailed as a guitar sensation from
Poland. He is more than a sensation, of course; he
has the technical skills of a virtuoso coupled with
the mind of a thinking musician - a rare enough
combination, but one that cannot guarantee suc-
cess unless backed by the kind of publicity that
only a large production can give him. Mel Bay are
going a long way in that process with the issue of
this remarkable DVD, in which Dylla not only plays
three substantial works but also talks at length
about his training, his methods and his beliefs.
The playing tracks show Dylla’s hands in generous
detail. This is a great help to students of the guitar.
Classical Guitar Magazine
We used to see a lot of Julian Bream’s hands on TV a
DVD R eviews
generation ago; today’s camera techniques make even
more detailed close-ups possible, and this is true
progress.
Dylla took up the guitar at the age of seven. In itself
this is not particularly important - he tends to believe
that the teenage years are better - but the fact that his
first teacher was also an engineer ensured that he
grew up with an intimate knowledge of how the fingers
actually worked. This was a formative experience.
His attitude to competitions (he has won 19 at
international level, culminating in the GFA) is
refreshing. He does not join in the general condem-
nation of those who see competitions as unseemly
races more suited to athletes than musicians, but
says they can be ‘beautiful events’. His attitude helps
to explain this unusual view: he does not think in
terms of winning or losing, but of doing his best, of
showing audiences and judges what his present state
of development is. Viewed like this, it makes sense -
but how many competitors are capable of it?
It can hardly be said that the knack of winning com-
petitions is the mark of a true musician, but this one
certainly found them a challenge, a goal, something to
work towards. He did not
enjoy them, but they provided
useful checkpoints in the long
journey of learning and dis-
covery he had set for himself,
working with a determination
and a precision of approach
that are seemingly the
antithesis of the ‘spontaneous’
school. Spontaneity, if you are
going to play the classics, can
only be an illusion at best.
The interview, in which the
questions are not heard and
the interviewer not seen, makes you concentrate on
the answers to an unusual extent.
Dylla’s guitar, by the Polish luthier Boguslaw
Teryks, satisfies any difficulty in choosing
between spruce and cedar. This guitar has a dou-
ble top, spruce above, cedar below, and it is
claimed that you can hear both types in the
sound. In fact the various characteristics blend so
well that a perfect cohesion is achieved, with the
clarity of one and the warmth of the other. Has
Teryks found the answer? His guitar certainly
suits Marcin Dylla very well.
As you would expect, the three works are out-
standing in the performance Dylla gives them.
Colin Cooper
FOR SALE
RARE COLLECTION
OF
CLASSICAL GUITAR VINYL LP RECORDINGS
A unique opportunity to purchase one of the world’s best
classical guitar vinyl record collections.
Over 1200 Classical Guitar, including a good selection of
Flamenco South American records.
Many very rare items. Most in very good to as new condition.
Plus over 200 general classical music orchestral, chamber and instrumental recordings.
Collected 1955 - 1995 by Maurice J. Summerfield, author of the best selling book -
The Classical Guitar - Its Evolution, Players and Personalities since 1800
£5000 including free delivery in the UK.
To other countries at buyer’s expense.
Send offers only in writing to:
Ashley Mark Publishing Company,
1 & 2 Vance Court, Trans Britannia, Blaydon on Tyne, NE21 5NH, UK.
51
B ook R eviews EL INALCANZABLE:
AGUSTÍN BARRIOS MANGORÉ
Congreso de la Nación,
Centro Cultural de la República,
Asunción, Paraguay (2007)
ISBN 978-99953-843-0-2
pp.290
Paperback £65 from www.FretsOnly.com
This amazing book, which all lovers of the music of
Barrios will treasure, is complete with parallel texts
in Spanish and English. It is a truly magnificent
example of the art of publishing and from now on
will certainly take its place in guitar literature as a
seminal source of reference on the great
Paraguayan.
After various short introductory essays (including
a preface by the eminent biographer, Rico Stover), a
detailed chronology of both the life of Barrios and
later developments (1945 -2007), in terms of
research, performances and events, provides the
basic information on which the book is founded. A
unique collection of historic photographs (1893-
1944) follows, offering a panorama of Barrios
through the decades, a section which might well
have constituted a book in its own right. This is com-
plemented by a display of documents ranging from
his baptismal certificate to copies of letters and
poems, illustrations of many hand-written scores,
and a full account of Barrios’s guitars, with excellent
photographs of several of his concert instruments
(now preserved in museums).
Next comes a pictorial discography not only of
Barrios’s own recordings but also a number pro-
duced by subsequent generations of players. After a
useful selection of recital programmes (1925-1939),
editions of the musical scores and books about
the
of GUITARMAKING
- 12 week comprehensive courses
- Beginner to working professional
- Full details, including photos, in our prospectus / on our website
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 .
Tel:+44 (0)1803 865255 www.totnesschoolofguitarmaking.co.uk
SPANISH GUITAR CENTRE
36 CRANBOURN STREET LONDON WC2H 7AD
Tel and Fax 0207 240 0754
www.spanishguitarcentre.com
ONLINE
Browse the website - Pay by card using our Secure Server
52
le
ilab
w ava Hard
No ctors ion
le it
Col er Ed 0
Cov 40.0
£1
Barrios are well covered, again in full colour pic-
tures. The final chapters depict copies of
Paraguayan stamps commemorating Barrios, and
discuss the various Medals of Honour awarded to
those who have helped propagate his music, with a
fine photo of John Williams being presented with his
medal in Asunción, Paraguay on 17 November,
1994.
TOTNES SCHOOL The tongue-twisting title of the book, El
Inalcanzable, is explained by Rico Stover in his
Barrios biography:
E S TA B L I S H E D I N 1 9 8 5
It has been claimed that when asked for his opinion
of Barrios, Villa-Lobos reputedly declared
“Inalcanzable” (“Unreachable”). The exact source of
this quote is unsubstantiated and I doubt its authen-
ticity. (Richard D. Stover, Six Silver Moonbeams: The
Life and Times of Agustín Barrios Mangoré, Clovis,
California: Querico Publications, 1992, p. 201).
In Lisa M. Peppercorn’s The World of Villa-Lobos in
Pictures and Documents (Aldershot: Scolar Press,
1996, p. 38). there is a photograph of Barrios in Rio
de Janeiro with the Brazilian composers, Quincas
Larenjeiras and João Pernambuco. This was taken
on 5 July 1919 at the Cavaquinho de Ouro in the
Rua Carioca, which (according to Peppercorn’s cap-
tion) was ‘a place often frequented by Villa-Lobos
and popular musicians’. However, on this evidence,
it cannot be affirmed (or denied) that Barrios actual-
ly met Villa-Lobos, let alone whether the Brazilian
maestro ever coined the phrase quoted at the front
of the book, “...Agustín Barrios, el inalcanzable.”
Though another title might have been more pro-
nounceable (imagine asking for a book called El
Inalcanzable in Waterstones!), the publication itself
achieves a kind of perfection. The range of material
presented is dazzling in its scope and intensity.
Altogether this is a unique cornucopia of Barriosiana
and an immense pleasure to read and to browse. To
produce such a work necessitates a corporate effort
by many dedicated people as well as vision and imag-
ination. The result is a triumphant affirmation of
scholarship made accessible by excellent design and
presentation. All self-respecting lovers of the guitar
should purchase a copy immediately.
Graham Wade
Classical Guitar Magazine
LOS ANGELES GUITAR QUARTET
St Paul’s Church, Chichester
15 August 2009
Paying one of their rare visits to Britain, the LAGQ
performed to a well-filled St Paul’s Church,
Chichester, on the opening night of the 18th
International Guitar Festival of Great Britain (West
Dean).
As well as being a feast of good and interesting
music, it was an object lesson in presentation: no
fuss, no showing off, no unnecessary activity. They
are old hands, of course, and it shows. There have
been few changes in their long history, the latest
being the departure of Andrew York, a highly talent-
ed composer and solo guitarist who was seeking
fresh woods and pastures new, and moreover an
admirable ensemble player: his loss must have been
difficult to replace. Matthew Greif (pronounced Grife)
has all that is required, which is a lot: ensemble
playing is never, ever, an easy ride. He joins the vet-
erans Scott Tennant and William Kanengeiser and,
more recently, John Dearman, to make up a quartet
of brilliance, in which the qualities demanded of
members of an ensemble are always paramount.
It is regrettable, though hardly surprising, that the
repertory of original music for guitar quartet is still
a long way from that of a classical string quartet.
The LAGQ make up for this lack with the quality of
their arrangements and a high degree of enterprise,
imagination and adventurousness: a potent blend
that has brought them a success that is both popu-
lar and critical.
After an expertly executed performance of
Rossini’s Barber of Seville Overture, the LAGQ devot-
ed the remainder of the first half to William
Kanengeiser’s arrangements of Spanish Renaissance
music, with pieces by the vihuelistas Narváez,
Mudarra, Valderrábano and Milán inserted at inter-
vals to beef up the structure. The work, titled Music
from the Time of Cervantes, originally formed part of
a project in which John Cleese, who has a place in
history as the actor who brought the theatrical craft
of farce to British TV in the impossible-to-follow
Fawlty Towers, read extracts from Cervantes’ monu-
mental Don Quixote. William Kanengeiser, who
arranged the music, says that he felt obliged to look
at the words first, but became addicted and had to
read more. The music makes a fine collection; aided
by a wealth of percussion effects and the extending
of the guitar’s lower compass offered by John
Dearman’s 7-string instrument, it makes a substan-
tial addition to the repertory.
The second part of the concert juxtaposed Images
of Brazil (in which Leo Brouwer’s Cuban Landscape
With Rain oddly found a place) with four ‘American
Classics’ consisting of Sousa’s march The Black
Horse Troop, Count Basie‘s Jumpin’ at the Woodside,
Andrew York’s arrangement of the traditional
Shenandoah, and Hoedown from Aaron Copland’s
Rodeo, arranged by Gregg Nestor. This was an excel-
lent concert, enjoyable and satisfying in about equal
proportions.
Colin Cooper
FIONA HARRISON
PAUL GREGORY
ANDREW GOUGH
St Andrews Church, West Dean
16 August 2009
Fiona Harrison, a graduate of the Royal College of
Music who gained her Masters degree at Yale
University, is musical, sensitive and poetic in her
approach to her music, which is always well shaped
and with plenty of point. She played Danza Española
No.5 by Granados, Oblivion by Piazzolla, Mallorca by
Classical Guitar Magazine
Albéniz, and concluded with The Legend of
C oncert R eviews
Hagoromo by Keigo Fujii.
The last of these is based on an ancient legend of
a celestial dancer who somehow loses her nightie (or
‘night-mantle’, as the formal version has it). The
human and somewhat ungallant fisherman who
finds it will not return it unless she dances for him.
The Irish poet W.B. Yeats drew on the legend in his
At the Hawk’s Well. Fujii’s version is a kind of neo-
Romantic tone poem, with harp-like arpeggios, har-
monics, a discernible melody, all rather folky in
manner. With a certain amount of repetition, it
reaches a climax of some intensity. Fiona Harrison
brought to it the same virtues she brought to the
other pieces in this short recital, principally a clear
melodic line that made sense of the story. Her point-
ful and well-received recital made an excellent start
to the musical proceedings of the 18th festival at
West Dean.
Andrew Gough, also a tutor on the West Dean
course, offered a novelty for this classical audience,
a recital in 7.1 Surround Sound. A certain feeling of
helplessness comes over one when surrounded, but
this music was not at all threatening. On the con-
trary, it turned out to be an engaging display of mod-
ern technology, in which the sound, especially its
direction, was manipulated by the designer and mix-
ing engineer, Matthew O’Malley who was an accom-
plished guitarist before going on to study music pro-
duction techniques.
The performance of Steve Reich’s Electric
Counterpoint was announced as being the first in
surround sound. To these ears, it improved the min-
imalist message, though whether hearing it disap-
pear into one corner of the Sussex Barn, only to
return in a corner opposite, is a true musical effect
or merely a clever dodge, is perhaps debatable.
When you read the movement titles of the Suite Le
Grazie (‘Thanks’) - Homage to Fats Waller, Homage to
Vivaldi Homage to Michael Tippett - you know at
once that the composer can only be Gerald Garcia.
An enthusiastic supporter of the collaboration
between O’Malley and Gough, he no doubt enjoyed
Homage to Fats Waller in surround sound as much
as I did. Le Grazie was a premiere in this form, as
was Electric Counterpoint.
David Carroll’s Pastoral was a world premiere,
which by definition seems to give the other two
works an extra-terrestial quality. Pastoral was pleas-
ant enough, but I thought the clever pastiche played
by the composer in a Brouwer masterclass a day or
later was better. Dave Carroll is clearly a composer
of talent and originality, with a good track record
that includes working with The Royal Shakespeare
Company. Make a note of the name.
Paul Gregory, an international prizewinner, pro-
duced a full, round tone in Giuliani (Grande
Ouverture op.61), Villa-Lobos (Valsa Concierto No.2,
written in 1904, when the composer was only 17,
and completed by Paul Gregory), Tárrega (Capricho
Arabe) and Malats (Serenata Español). There was to
have been a piece by Teresa De Rogatis (Quasi una
Fantasia, from 1940), but there was some reason
why it was not performed. Instead we heard Fortea’s
Nocturne, which I might have appreciated more if
had not been disappointed by the absence of the De
Rogatis piece. It was a satisfying 40 minutes never-
theless, with all Paul Gregory’s youthful skill intact,
as far as I could judge.
These three mini-concerts got the festival off to a
flying start; they formed the substance of a busy
afternoon, and were much enjoyed by a capacity
audience, which of course included many of those
who had come for the Open Day.
Colin Cooper
53
C oncert R eviews GRAHAM DEVINE
Rosie Reed, flute
Charlotte Stock, viola
The Sussex Barn, West Dean, 18 August 2009
Leo Brouwer was in the audience to hear Graham
Devine, with Rosie Reed and Charlotte Stock, give the
first UK performance of his Paisajes, Retratos y Mujeres
(Landscape, Portraits and Women). The three move-
ments are headed Retrato de Wagner con Mathilde,
Mujer bailando un Minuetto, and La pasión según
Dowland (Portrait of Wagner with Mathilde, Woman
Dancing a Minuet, The Passion According to Dowland).
The references to Wagner and Dowland are clear
enough in the music, but there was some argument
about whether the minuet quoted was referring to
Haydn or Mozart. To me, it sounded like the 1st theme
of the 2nd movement (the Minuet) of Haydn’s ‘Military’
Symphony. The pattern of Brouwer’s piece reflects to
some extent that of his Sonata, with which Devine
ended the concert in as satisfying a performance as I
have heard. In the ensemble piece, the composer gave
the three players plenty of opportunities to achieve that
unique simultaneous blending and contrast that is
characteristic of the best chamber music. I wasn’t sure
how well the themes from three older periods were inte-
grated into the structure, as the Mendelssohn snippet
is in Maw’s Music of Memory, and will have to hear it
again before I can decide. Meanwhile, it passed my per-
sonal test by being entertaining and even provocative.
And the parts were well written, always a good sign.
Brouwer writes well for the violin family, as his third
Guitar Concerto amply demonstrates.
The whole of the second half was devoted to
Brouwer’s music, and included two other first UK per-
formances: Cantilena de los Bosques and Paisaje
Cubano con Fiesta, the first requiring a seamless lega-
to, duly provided. Some echoes of El Decameron Negro
might be heard, too.
Froberger’s Suite No.20 began the concert, arranged
and compiled by Graham Devine from original pieces
for harpsichord. Original is the word: here is no tame
Baroque composer happy enough to follow the con-
ventions of his time. Froberger was his own man. Few
composers have written their own tombeau, as
Froberger does in his Meditation on my Future Death.
The 1st fret capo used for this suite meant that, in
conjunction with a warm summer’s evening, tuning
difficulties lasted some way into Ponce’s Sonata
Romantica. By the time the second movement came
along, all was well, and Devine made much of its
Schubertian overtones.
Contemporary pieces by Juan Antonio Sanchez and
Javier Contreras brought the first half to an end, and
led naturally to the Brouwer group that formed the
entire second half.
The single encore was more Brouwer, his elegant
Homage to Szymanowski. It brought to an end a con-
cert full of interest and achievement. The performance
of the trio in the presence of its distinguished com-
poser (now a lively septuagenarian) made it landmark
in the 18 years’ history of the International Classical
Guitar Festival at West Dean.
Colin Cooper
DUO MONTES-KIRCHER
Sussex Barn, West Dean, August 19, 2009.
Adding another voice to 2009 as a year reflecting on
music anniversaries, if measured from their debut
performance in 1984, Duo Montes-Kircher now cele-
brates a 25-year partnership. More than a mere time
marker however, the real draw of this ensemble is the
intrinsic musical understanding and experience that
goes with this period.
Two early items on the programme could be loose-
ly viewed as the most canonised works for guitar
54
ensemble: Espanoleta & Canarios - Gaspar Sanz (arr.
Kircher); and excerpts from El amor brujo - Falla (arr.
Montes-Kircher). These pieces also provided a chrono-
logical basis from which the remaining programme
could unfold. Separating these works was Montes’
Tonada & Joropo, a melodic and sensitive composition
well placed within the overall scheme.
Ulrich Uhland Warnecke, as the composer apparent-
ly likes to be known, from Stuttgart was the next fea-
tured composer. His Jubilee Suite, dedicated to Montes-
Kircher, was receiving its British premiere on this occa-
sion. Pluralistic in nature, this work employs Metheny-
like melodies and harmonies in the first movement; a
tricky 7/8 metre in the second almost minimalist in
construction; a late romantic collage mixed with mys-
terious Arab sonorities in the third; and a funky dis-
play of rhythm and colour in the last. This truly was a
multi movement work with something for everyone.
‘The Beatles Suite’ comprising Till There Was You,
Here There and Everywhere, All My Loving , The Fool
on the Hill and Penny Lane, introduced part two. With
the exception of the final two items borrowing from
Leo Brouwer, all songs were arranged by Montes him-
self. Although the presence of Lennon and McCartney
on the page stood out at first glance, the vast majori-
ty of composers represented in this concert belonged
to the latter two thirds of the twentieth century: a tes-
tament to the diversity of that period perhaps.
Mirroring the first half of the concert was music by
another German composer to dedicate a piece to the
ensemble. Ulrich Wedlich studied guitar and composi-
tion at both the Music Academy of Stuttgart and
Vienna, in addition to philosophy at the Academy of
Performing Arts. El Cielo Que Esta was written for Duo
Montes-Kircher for their 10th Anniversary, and they
offered a sample of this work by presenting two move-
ments: El Horizonte & El Sol. With influences encom-
passing Greek, Spanish, impressionist and rock
music, this was attractive music not least because of
underlying widespread appeal.
Subsumed under the heading ‘Popular and Latin
American’, the duo turned firstly to Hugo Blanco’s
Moliendo Cafe. The infectious syncopated accents
were carried off with rhythmical precision, and the
straight unison runs further demonstrated this tight
weld. To conclude, Alfonsina y el Mar - Ariel Ramirez -
provided a plateau before a particularly vibrant pre-
sentation of Antonio Lauro’s Seis por Derecho, in
which Montes exchanges his guitar for the cuatro.
Adopting a profile stance in order to aid acoustic bal-
ance with this instrument, and in doing so placing
greater visual emphasis on Kircher’s leading role, the
duo produced a gypsy-like virtuosic display. The audi-
ence then engaged the ensemble in a way that result-
ed in three encores. Reinforcing this as an event to
speak of, Duo Montes-Kircher was to surprise com-
poser Peter Stuart who was in attendance with a piece
he had once written for a special friend (An uchd a
mhathair (In your mother’s eyes). Stepping up to this
new level of performer-audience interaction, the duo
finally departed the platform.
Guy Traviss
XUEFEI YANG
West Sussex Guitar Club, Recital Hall,
Bognor Regis, September 4 2009.
West Sussex Guitar Club has once again staged a
world class performer within the intimate surrounds
of the Recital Hall in Bognor Regis. This venue was
particularly cosy on the occasion, since Xuefei Yang
carries a name that is now synonymous with the gui-
tar. So with extra seating in place and barely allowing
for the audience’s physical presence, Yang settled in
with the Prelude from BWV 999, and Fugue from BWV
1000 (a daunting task by any standard). The next item
Classical Guitar Magazine
introduced music by Albéniz, a composer for which
Yang has a natural affinity, in the form of Suite
Espana, Op. 165, Seis Hojas de Album. It is gratifying
to hear this set in its entirety, considering the atten-
tion it receives and the fact that the Tango has forged
a place for itself in the repertoire. All six movements
demonstrated Yang’s innate understanding of the
romantic style, particularly within more sonorous and
bold moments. The first half was rounded off with two
pieces by Tárrega (Fantasy on Themes from Verdi’s La
Traviata & Carnival of Venice), and with him came the
end of pre-war compositions and any theme and vari-
ation-type framework.
Following the interval, and demonstrating her
ambition to bring Chinese music to a western instru-
ment, Yang presented her arrangement of the 1st
movement from The Butterfly Lovers, Violin Concerto
- Zhanhao He & Gang Chen. Although not readily
recognised for addressing her listeners at length,
Yang informed her audience as to the origin and pur-
pose of the piece. This understanding most definite-
ly contributed to an enhanced experience, particu-
larly in regard to the sonic depiction of both the male
and female butterfly by dividing the guitar’s range in
two accordingly. Often regarded as the Chinese
equivalent of Romeo & Juliet, this work provides a
platform for western audiences to identify with
Chinese music. It is also a feature of her most recent
disc, 40 Degrees North.
Based on the merits of a recent recital where, at
the request of concert organisers in Belgium, she
L etters
Letters for publication should be kept short and to the point. We reserve the right to edit
or abbreviate as we consider necessary. Please enclose a prepaid envelope if you want a reply.
MAY I use the letters page of this magazine to express
my thanks to John Williams for publishing his music
scores on his website free of charge? There is a huge
amount of free guitar music on the internet but little of
it is of the quality and originality of the work found here.
This is indeed a generous gift to all the classical gui-
tarists in the world and I look forward to other scores
appearing there soon.
GEOFFREY NEEDHAM
Stocksfield.
Colin Cooper in his review (CG, October) of Jérémy
Jouve’s recording of Arcas’s Fantasy on Themes from ‘La
Traviata’ (Naxos 8.557597, notes by Mark Delpriora), is
correct in stating that a paragraph about Tárrega in the
annotation is misplaced ‘as there is not a note of
[Tárrega’s] music to be heard’. But one could go further
down the rocky path of Tárrega ‘confusions’.
Mark Delpriora comments in his notes that the
Fantasy on Themes from ‘La Traviata’ by Julián Arcas is
often attributed to Tárrega’. The accuracy of often should
perhaps be challenged. I can only find one such false
attribution and that comes, surprisingly, in David
Russell’s Francisco Tárrega: Integral de Guitarra (Opera
tres, CDS 1003/4, 1991), where it should not actually
have been included at all.
In the sleeve note for Alice Artzt’s long-playing record,
Guitar Music by Francisco Tárrega (Meridian E77026,
1978), John W. Duarte assumed that the arrangement of
Paganini’s Variations on ‘The Carnival of Venice’ was one
of Tárrega’s original compositions, claiming that the work
represents ‘a rare lapse from Tárrega’s state of musical
grace’. The item was thus placed on Side 1 of the record-
ing among Tárrega’s original compositions (when it
should have been on Side 2 among ‘Transcriptions’), and
also omitted from the list of arrangements.
Classical Guitar Magazine
was asked to perform music derived from popular
C oncert R eviews
culture, Yang decided to incorporate some of these
same pieces into her programme for the West
Sussex Guitar Club patrons. Adding to Michelle -
Beatles (arr. Takemitsu) - which featured of her first
disc, Yesterday from the same collection of arrange-
ments was performed exceptionally well. The colour
and rubato essential to this piece’s character was
controlled with a precise yet seemingly effortless
touch. Also in this section was Dyens’ arrange-
ments of All of Me (Seymour Simons) and two pieces
form Black Orpheus: Manha de Carnival (Louis
Bonfá) & Felicidade (Antonio Carlos Jobim). In
keeping with this theme, and returning to an
instrument-intended composition for only the sec-
ond time thus far, Yang performed Andrew York’s
Sunburst. Despite approaching this piece without a
consistent inner pulse, she employed her great
technical facility to produce a vivacious interpreta-
tion nonetheless.
Yang finalised her programme with her iconic
arrangement of La Cumparsita, before returning to the
platform and offering two works, each representing
one of her two discs to date. Firstly, Antonio Lauro’s
ever popular Seis por Derecho (Romance de Amor); and
then, departing from Latin-American, Gerald Garcia’s
traditional Chinese folk song arrangement of Plum
Blossoms in the Snow, which left listener’s with
enough melodic fragments to accompany themselves
homeward.
Guy Traviss
to the E ditor
A frequent (more comprehensible) ambiguity occurs,
mainly in recital programmes, with Tárrega’s extended
transcription of Arcas’s Fantasy on ‘La Jota Aragonesa’.
Here Tárrega’s edition, complete with introduction, runs
to some 325 bars of music, while Arcas gives us less
than 200 bars. Tárrega borrows some episodes directly
from Arcas but elsewhere the younger master’s imagi-
nation is let loose around traditional (and composed)
themes. Thus Tárrega has a claim to being the compos-
er here but not altogether! (On the compilation CD, Ida
Presti and Luise Walker- (Pearl, GEMM CD 9135, 1995),
this Fantasy is attributed to ‘Tárrega (arr. Roch)’, mak-
ing the process of ascertaining the true source of the
arrangement even more complicated!)
Another perennial mislabelling is Tárrega’s version of
Étude No. 2 written by the great French violinist and
composer, Delphin Alard (1815-1888), a study often
found masquerading under the title of Estudio brillante.
The original violin score, significantly marked to be
played Andante con espressione, poco marcato la melo-
dia, includes a statement of the purpose of the exercise:
Absolute equality in the value of the notes; place the bow
broadly on the string and endeavour to obtain perfect
smoothness in going from one string to the other. That a
work so far from Tárrega’s characteristic style was ever
considered as one of his original compositions was due
to a certain casual attitude about such matters in past
decades.
Such confusions are now part and parcel of guitar
mythology. But in this age of greater factual awareness
it is essential for both players and writers of notes to be
scrupulous and vigilant in how they present classics of
the repertoire to the public.
GRAHAM WADE
Withernsea,
East Yorkshire,
Northumberland.
55
 CLASSICAL GUITAR TEACHERS
A FREE SERVICE FOR ALL TEACHERS WHO ARE SUBSCRIBERS
AVON
Adam Khan, 64 Winchester Road, Bristol, Avon, BS4
3NH. Tel: 0117 972 1942.
Matthew Machin, BA (Hons) Music, Flat 1, 44 St.
John’s Lane, Bedminster, Bristol BS3 5AD. Tel:
07709 400 194.
email: matthewmachin@yahoo.co.uk
The Spanish Guitar Centre, 103 Cold Harbour
Road, Westbury Park, Bristol BS6 7SD. Tel: (0117)
942 0479.
BEDFORDSHIRE
Bertram Whitton, LTCL, TD, 94 Chiltern Road,
Dunstable, Beds, LU6 1ES. Tel: (01582) 603 185.
BERKSHIRE
Mr. Colin Arenstein, BYMT, 100 Cockney Hill,
Reading, RG30 4EZ.
Michael Hinchliff, BSc, BA(Music), 4 Windsor Rise,
Newbury RG14 7TY. Tel: 48501.
BIRMINGHAM
The Classical Guitar Centre, 51A, St Mary’s Road,
Bearwood, West Midlands B67 5DH. Tel: (0121) 429
7446.
e-mail: info@classicalguitar.co.uk
Andrew Gough, MA, PGDip, BMus(Hons), 27 St
Laurence Road, Northfield, Birmingham B31 2AU.
Mob: 07702 742418.
e-mail: andrew@classicalguitar.org.uk
Web: www.classicalguitar.org.uk
Miss E. Larner, BMus Hons, PGDip, Birmingham,
B17 8TA. Tel: 0773 683 9134.
e-mail: lizzielarner@yahoo.co.uk
www.liz-larner.co.uk
BUCKINGHAMSHIRE
Nicholas Tillyer, ALCM, 40 Pheasant Drive, High
Wycombe, Buckinghamshire HP13 5JL. Tel: (01494)
533669.
CHESHIRE
Peter Baldwin, 1 Barley Croft, Cheadle Hume,
Cheshire ST8 6SL. Tel: (0161) 485 7389.
John R. Gort, LGSM, Flat 2c, Sunnybank Avenue,
Heaton Mersey, Stockport, Cheshire SK4 3PR. Tel:
(0161) 442 4107.
DERBYSHIRE
Steve Marsh, ALCM, 5 Shaftesbury Ave, Ashgate,
Chesterfield, Derbyshire S40 1HN. Tel: (01246)
233496.
email: stevemarsh@theguitarstudio.freeserve.co.uk
www.stevemarsh.uk.com
James Rippingale, BPA, 4 Clement Road, Horsley
Woodhouse, Ilkeston, Derbyshire, DE7 6BH England.
Tel: 01332 781026 Mobile: 07934 386701.
Website: www.james-rippingale.co.uk
Email: jamesrippingale@tiscali.co.uk
Peter Swaby, cpfa alcm alcm.td, Yellow Grove
House, Moor Lane, Youlgrave, Bakewell DE45 1US.
Tel: 0775 459 2106
peter@pswaby.co.uk
DEVON
Alison Smith GTCLHons PGTCMperfDist 100
Lynwood Avenue, Woodford, Plymouth, Devon
PL74SG. Tel. 01752 346 805.
email: alison@smith99a.freeserve.co.uk
www.alisonsmithguitar.com
DORSET
John Edwards, LTCL, LRAM, MSTAT, Flat 2, 72
Southcote Road, Boscombe, Bournemouth, BH13SS.
Tel: 01202 293917.
email: guitar@john717.orangehome.co.uk
Stephen Kenyon, BA Dip ABRSM, 36 Poundbury
Crescent, Dorchester DT1 2NX. Tel: 01305 257099.
e-mail: stephen@jacaranda-music.com
ESSEX
Judith Tonge, A.B.S.M., 6 St. Kildas Road,
Brentwood, ESSEX, CM15 9EX. Tel: (01277)
217812.
Ian K. Woolway, ALCM, 2 Nursery Road, Chelmsford,
Essex CM2 9PJ. Tel: (01245) 358 131.
GLOUCESTERSHIRE
Marguerite Pettit, LGSM, LTCL, 46 Courtenay Street,
Cheltenham, Glos GL50 4LR. Tel: (01242) 583 408.
HERTFORDSHIRE
Eric Hill, Radlett. Tel; 01923 854509.
E-mail; erichill03@aol.com
Over 100 free downloads at;
www.erichillguitardownloads.co.uk
Deborah Wiggins-Hay BA(Hons), Castle End Farm,
Lea, Ross on Wye, Hertfordshire HR9 7JY
Herefordshire / Gloucestershire border. Telephone:
01989 750342
e-mail: forestofdeanguitars@fsmail.net
Tom Parsons, ALCM, 67 Regent Street, Watford, Herts,
WD2 5AT. Tel: (01923) 245 559.
Neil Simon, 20 Bull Stag Green, Hatfield, Herts, AL9
5DE. Tel: (01707) 267 511.
IRELAND
Alec O’Leary, B.Mus. M.Mus., Kilkenny, Ireland Tel.
087 234 6256.
56
KENT
Roy Chilton Music, 15 Hawkhurst Way, West
Wickham, Kent BR4 9PE. Tel: (020 8777 6414).
roy@roychiltonmusic.co.uk
LANCASHIRE
Chris Dumigan, 14 Rochester Road, Davyhulme,
Manchester M41 0RL. Tel: (0161) 747 3851.
Paul Fowles, BA, LLCM, A.Mus.TCL, c/o Manchester
Guitar Circle, Flixton House, Flixton Road,
Manchester M41 5GJ.
Email: guitarcircle@hotmail.com
Voicemail: 07831-416358
Website: www.guitarcircle.co.uk
Stephen Henshaw, CT,FVCM LVCM (Hons) AVCM
(Hons) 72-74 Topping Street, Blackpool FY1 3A0. Tel:
(01253) 751 450.
Mark Houghton, ALCM, 29 Alcester Road, West Derby,
Liverpool L12 9EA. Tel: 0779 0174465.
e-mail: wmh@liverpool.ac.uk
Sebastian Karstad, 13 Delaine Road, Withington,
Manchester M20 4QP. Tel: 07749 340505.
e-mail: seb_karstad@hotmail.com
Rory Russell, 24 Ladysmith Road, Didsbury,
Manchester M20 6HL.
Tel: 07766 58 37 37.
rory@roryrussell.co.uk
Neil Smith, FLCM, 177 Lee Lane, Horwich, Bolton,
Lancs. BL6 7JD. Tel: (01204) 468 945.
www.guitaristuk.com
Paul Twine, LRSM, CTABRSM, 75 Chelsfield Grove,
Manchester, M21 7BD. Tel: (0161) 881 1484.
Email: paul@innovation-music.com
Website: www.innovation-music.com
LEICESTERSHIRE
Roger Coombs, 97 Frederick Street, Loughborough,
Leicestershire, LE11 3BH. Tel: 01509 263542.
Christopher Susans, “Wavertree” 26 Burton Road,
Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicester LE65 2LL. Tel: (01530)
416564.
Alan Thomas, guitarist, teacher, and composer. Tel:
07905 035444.
e-mail: info@alanthomas-guitar.com
Web: www.alanthomas-guitar.com
LONDON
Petros Andreou, LLCM, ALCM, 20 Pollard Road,
Whetstone, London N20 0UB. Tel: (0208) 368 6717.
Mr. C. Bonell, info@carlosbonell.com
Robert Boyle, 417A Finchley Road, London, NW3
6HJ. Tel: 0207 4357438.
Hubert de Camillis, 53 Gondar Gardens, West
Hampstead, London NW6 1EP Tel: (0207) 794 1892.
Steve Dell, Flat J, 10 Sutherland Road, West Ealing,
London W13. Tel: 020 8621 1394.
Guy Depreux, Flat 8, Allingham Court, Haverstock Hill,
Belsize Park, London NW3 2AH. Tel: (0207) 435 7203.
Colin Downs, Hon A.R A M, 50, Holly Park Road,
London N11 3HD. Tel: 020 8361 3192. mobile:
07760107386
email- ham.co@virgin.net
Mohie Elsayed, Mohie Elsayed, 31 Cascades Court,
13-19 Hartfield Crescent, Wimbledon, LONDON,
SW19 3RL. Tel: 020 87155574
email guitar@m-elsayed.co.uk
www.m-elsayed.co.uk
Richard Hand, ARAM, DipRAM, LRAM, 61 Balcombe
Street, Marylebone, London NW1 6ND. Tel/Fax: (0207)
724 3806.
Eleftheria Kotzia, 56 Fernwood, Albert Drive,
Southfields, London SW19 6LR. Tel: (0208) 785 4054.
e-mail: ellie@eleftheria.info
Tony Rath, 27 Brunswick Street, London E17 9NB
Tel: 0208 521 4340.
Thérèse Saba, 9 Methuen Park, Muswell Hill, London
N10 2JR. Tel/Fax: (0208) 442 1489.
e-mail: guitar@theresesaba.com
Timothy Walker, Hon ARAH, 16A Algernon Road,
London. NW6 6PU. Tel: 0207 624 7937
e-mail: alitim@amamserve.net
Spanish Guitar Centre, 36 Cranbourn Street,
WC2H 7AD. Tel: (0207) 240 0754.
MIDDLESEX
Dale Harris, BA(hon) MA PhD, 82 Squires Bridge Road,
Shepperton, Middx, TW17 0QA, Tel: 07941 582194.
Philip John Lee, Flamenco guitar tuition – all levels,
46 Fir Road, Hanworth, Middlesex TW13 6UJ. Tel:
(020) 8755 0528.
e-mail: pjl.flamenco@virgin.net
NORFOLK
J.E. Crisp, BA DipMus ALCM, Thetford, Norfolk Tel:
(01842) 752 697.
Bob Parslow, BA(Hons) Music, LGSM, Springfield
Cottage, 72 Gloucester Street, Norwich NR2 2DY. Tel:
(01603) 620 261.
Bob@parslowguitar.freeserve.co.uk
NORTHANTS
Peter Nuttall, MA (Oxon), 48 Hillside Crescent, Nether
Heyford, Northampton NN7 3LS. Tel: (01327) 341 133.
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE
Catherine Dickinson, Post Graduate RNCM, FLCM,
LLCM SMTC, Spanish Guitar Centre, 44 Nottingham
Road, New Basford, Nottingham. Tel: Nottingham
(0115) 962 2709.
OXFORDSHIRE
Raymond Burley, 'Ty Fynnon', 4 Yew Tree Mews,
Church St., Ducklington, Oxon OX29 7UQ Tel:
(01993) 700332
email: mailto:raymond@burley21.fsnet.co.uk
Brian J. Penny, ALCM, Classical Guitar Services,
The Studio, 68 Evenlode, Banbury, Oxon OX16 9PF.
Tel: (01295) 271900.
e-mail classicalguitarservices@btconnect.com
www.classicalguitarservices.co.uk
John Whitworth, MA. D.Phil, 25 Bickerton Road,
Oxford OX3 7LT. Tel: (01865) 761 273.
e-mail: info@holleymusic.co.uk
SCOTLAND
Lindsay Cargill, BA Hons. 77 Gairn Road, Aberdeen
AB10 6AP. Tel: (01224) 584 906
e-mail: LCARGILL@compuserve.com
Matthew McAllister Bmus (Honours) RSAMD, Flat
3/2, 96 Great George Street, Glasgow, Scotland G12
8RY. TEL:0141 339 4296
email: info@matthewmcallister.com
Website: www.matthewmcallister.com
Graeme Scott, Mmus RSAMD, 63 Sannox Drive,
Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, Scotland ML1 3PX
Tel: 07944 089015.
email: info@graemescott.com
website: www.graemescott.com
SOMERSET
Brian Sharman, Chancel View, Church Street,
Wiveliscombe, Taunton, Somerset TA4 2LT. Tel:
(01984) 623 132.
SURREY
Patrick Burke Guitar Studio, 92a High Street,
Carshalton, Surrey SM5 3AE Tel: 0208 6697052.
e-mail: kitaramusic@yahoo.com
Mr Roland Chadwick, 60a High Street, Haslemere,
Surrey GU27 2LA.
Mr P. de Fleury, CERTMUS, 4 Reynolds Place,
Richmond Upon Thames, SURREY TW10 6JZ Tel:
0208 9488480.
Stephen Goss, BA (Hons), PhD, LRAM, Hon ARAM,
specialist areas include composition, contemporary
music, and ensemble work. Parkers Lodge, Rectory
Place, Portsmouth Road, Guildford, Surrey GU2
4DG. Tel: (01483) 456177.
e-mail: s.goss@surrey.ac.uk
Fiona Harrison, MM, GRSM, Dip RCM, 14 Westlees
Close, North Holmwood, Dorking, Surrey RH5 4TN. Tel:
(01306) 882 323.
Milica Ilic. Richmond, Surrey, TW10 6DU.
Email: info@milicailic.com
Grahame Klippel, MPhil ARCM, 60 Pemberton Road,
East Molesey, Surrey KT8 9LH. Tel: 020 8941 0810.
e-mail: grahame.klippel@btinternet.com
Myer Rosen, BA (Hons), LTCL, PGCE, Knowsley, 7 Ash
Grove, Guildford, Surrey GU2 8UT. Tel: (01483) 35852.
e-mail: myer@rosen.force9.co.uk
SUSSEX
Vic Ellis, 172 Springfield Road, Brighton BN1 6DG
01273 558 217.
Linda Kelsall-Barnett, BA (Hons) LRAM, 3 The
Rummers, Brandy Hole Lane, Chichester, West
Sussex PO19 5RT. Tel: (01243) 784 442.
Registry of Guitar Tutors, Registry Mews, 11-13
Wilton Road, Bexhill, E. Sussex TN40 1HY. Tel:
(01424) 222222.
www.RegistryOfGuitarTutors.com
TEESSIDE
Stephen Munro, B.A. 12 Zetland Terrace, Saltburn by
the Sea, Cleveland TS12 1BS. Tel: (01287) 203437.
TYNE & WEAR
John Ferguson, LTCL, “Glenburn”, 4 Burn Road,
Blaydon Burn, Tyne & Wear NE21 6EA. Tel: (0191) 414
7469.
WALES
Jonathan N. Richards, LTCL, Ground Floor Flat, 12
Hawarden Road, Colwyn Bay, Conwy, North Wales
LL29 8NA. Tel: 01492 539589 Mobile: 07717224098.
Timothy Tate, BMus MMus, 33 Egerston Rd,
Canton, Cardiff, CF5 1RF Tel:07799 691 504.
tim_c_tate@hotmail.com
www.theguitarcircle.com/ttate.aspx
WILTSHIRE
Harry Drabble, LTCL Sycamores Back Lane,
Marlborough, Wilts SN8 1JJ. Tel: (01672) 513 699.
John and Cobie Mills, 1 Fairways, Dilton Marsh,
Westbury BA13 3RU.
WORCESTERSHIRE
Jon Godfrey, ALCM, 68 North Malvern Road, Malvern.
Worcester WR14 4LX Tel: (01684) 893 414.
Rod Willmott, Guitarist & Lutenist, May
Willmott, Guitarist & Teacher, L.R.A.M. 2
Classical Guitar Magazine
Pitmaston Road, St. John’s, Worcester WR2 4HY
Tel: (01905) 427 026.
www.rodwillmott.com
ARGENTINA
Prof. Juan Gallino - Classical guitar - Tango guitar.
Buenos Aires - Coghlan.
www.juangallino.com.ar
e mail: jlg@guitarristas.com
www.bocaccio-gallino.com
Director of www.guitarristas.com
BELGIUM
Alexis Blumberg, ARCM, Hessenstraatje 20/C1.1,
2000 Antwerpen. Tel: +32 (0)3 227 01 31. Mobile: +32
(0)475 63 07 71.
e-mail: alexis.blumberg@pandora.be
Norbert Leclerq, 12 Bld, de la Woluwe (B135), 1932
Woluwe St Etienne.
BRAZIL
Jonatas Batista Neto, Rua Bela Cintra, 359 Apt. 95,
Sao Paulo-SP. Brazil 01415-000. Tel/Fax (5511) 3231-
2690.
e-mail: jonatasneto@terra.com.br
BULGARIA
Ekaterina Vasseva-Ikonomova, BA in classical guitar, 14
years of teaching experience P.O.box 5 / 27 Skobelev
Blvd. BG-1463 Sofia, Bulgaria +359 88 6441994.
kate_vasseva@hotmail.com
CANADA
Mariette Stephenson, BA (Mus )ARCT, Cambridge,
Ontario, Canada.
Mariette.Stephenson@sympatico.ca
CHINA
Morgan S.S. Velautham, PO Box 38 Taipa, Macau,
S.A.R. of China. Tel: 853-557223.
e-mail: <morgan@macau.ctm.net>
DENMARK
Arnie Brown, Møllevej 8, Møgeltønder, 6270 Tønder,
Denmark. Tel: 74 738343.
Karen Dusgaard Nielsen, Infanterivej, 42D, 8900,
Randers, Denmark. Tel: 86 40 31 24.
FRANCE
Claudette Coinel, 25 Traverse Pitance, Mourepiane,
13016, Marseille.
Lorraine Eastwood, 26 Rue St. Jacques, Grenoble
38000, France. Telephone: (0033) 476 508025.
Email: lorraine.eastwood@gmail.com
James Wilson, 6 Rue Marguerin, 75014 Paris. Tel:
(1) 43 35 14 03.
GERMANY
Charles De Burgh, ALCM, LLCM, LTCL,
Ruedigerstrasse 30 70469 Stuttgart, Germany.
Jörg Gauchel, Diplom-Musiklehrer, Annettenstraße
13, D-53175 Bonn Tel: +49 228 384736.
Classical Guitar Societies Directory
Berkshire Guitar Society, Richard Butters, 10 The
Dell, Woodlands Park, Maidenhead, Berks, SL6 3NS.
Website: http://www.berkshireguitarsociety.org.uk
Birmingham - Classical Guitar - See web page on
Yahoo Groups or contact Paul Grant 07760 175 626.
Small informal meetings on a monthly basis.
Blackburn Classical Guitar Society. Jack
Wilkinson, 82 Queen Street, Great Harwood, Lanc's
BB6 7AL. Tel (01254) 889555
E mail: jackwilkinson@lineone.net
<mailto:jackwilkinson@lineone.net>
Brighton Classical Guitar. Small informal group
meets every 4th Thursday. Details: Jim Westbrook
01273 746192.
Bridge Guitar Circle. Meets Central Library, Albion
Street, Hull. Full details from Secretary Sue Jones,
34 Rockford Avenue, Hull. Tel: (01482) 75684.
Bristol Guitar Society, meets 2nd Thursday of the
month 8pm at The Pierian Centre,Portland
Square,Bristol. Contact David Evans Tel.(0117)
9567251 or Tony Lewis(0117) 9734070.
www.bristolguitarsociety.org
British BMG Federation. Secretary: Sandra
Woodruff, 104 Tower Road North, Warmley, Bristol
BS30 8XN.
E mail: sandra.woodruff@virgin.net
Website: www.banjomandolinguitar.org/>
Bromley Guitar Society Denis Stockton-
02087774887 Kent.
www.bromleyguitarsociety.org.uk
Cambridge Classical Guitar Society. Meets first
Thursday in the month. For information please tele-
phone Tim Christmas (01223) 565552.
Canterbury Guitar Society. For further information
ring John Kemp on (01227) 265 503.
e-mail: j.kemp@btopenworld.com
Cambridge Guitar Orchestra, Contact Tony
Ainsworth (Chairman) via www.cgo.org.uk or
tony.ainsworth1@btopenworld.com. We are a per-
forming ensemble and rehearse every two weeks or
so on Sundays during term time on the outskirts of
Cambridge. We will always welcome intermediate or
advanced players.
Chester Guitar Circle. Meets 1st Wed/Month at
Classical Guitar Magazine
e-mail: joerg.gauchel@t-online.de
GREECE
Dimitris Karvelis, Voreadi 20, 71409 Heraklion,
Crete, Greece.
ITALY
Giuseppe Caputo, Via Girolamo Santacroce 13, Naples
80129, Italy. Tel: 081 5785069.
Antonio De Innocentis, Via Dei Vecchi Pini, Coop.
Smeraldo, 81023 Falciano-Caserta, Italy. Tel/Fax: (823)
471 713.
ISRAEL
Sonia Michelson, c/o Elisheva Levin, Yishuv Ofra.
D.N. Mizrach Benyamin. Israel 90627.
smichelson@earthlink.net
JERSEY
Robert Ozard, ARCM, 49 La Grande Pouclee,
Richmond Road, St. Helier, Jersey JEZ 3GX, Tel: 01534
768 727.
MALTA
Charlotte Smith, L.L.C.M. (TD), L.Mus. V.C.M.,
A.L.C.M., A.Mus. L.S.M, “Sentosa” 7, Carmelo Bugeja
Street, Dingli DGL 1152, MALTA. Tel:
(0356)21450496 Mobile: (0356)79450496.
email: joesmith@maltanet.net
MEXICO
Juan Gaspar, Classical Guitar performer, composer
and maestro at the Puebla Conservatory of Music, 5
Norte 201-6, Puebla, Mexico. Telephone: (222) 232-
4202.
e-mail: jg68mailbox-music@yahoo.com.mx
www.juangaspar.com
NORWAY
Trond Davidsen, Klarinetten 12, 3033 Drammen,
Norway. Tel: 0047 32 886 286.
POLAND
Krzysztof Pelech, Bzowa 35/13, 53-224 Wroclaw,
Poland.
e-mail: gitara@post.pl
www.pelech.art.pl
PORTUGAL
Jorge Pires, Tel: +351965109150
E-mail: jorgepires.cb@gmail.com
SERBIA (SR Yugoslavia)
Uros Dojcinovic, Guitar Studio Solunska 12, 11000
Beograd. Tel/Fax (011) 180-587.
SINGAPORE
Thomas Liauw, M.A., B.A (Hons), LTCL, ALSD, PO Box
0596, Marine Parade, Singapore 914404. Tel (65) 6344
3671 Tel (65) 6344 3615.
e-mail: thomas@tomas-music.com
website: www.tomas-music.com
SOUTH AFRICA
A.M. Ludwig, P.O. Box 2340, Halfway House 1685,
Chester Deaf Centre, Southview Road, Chester. Sec:
Steve Smith, 16 Daleside Chester, CH2 1EP.
e-mail: chestguitar@aol.com
Web site: http://www.members.aol.com/chestguitarcirc
Chesterfield Guitar Circle. Contact Peter Swaby
(Secretary), Yellow Grove House, Moor Lane,
Youlgrave, Bakewell, Derbyshire DE45 1US Tel:
(01629) 636 165.
Derby Classical Guitar Society.
Contact: Nigel Harris, 9 Glamis Close, Oakwood,
Derby, DE21 2QJ. Tel: (01332) 664 425.
e-mail: derbycgs@gmail.com
website: www.derbycgs.org.uk
Dorset Guitar Society. Meetings on 3rd Sunday in
month at Kinson Community Centre, Pelhams Park,
Milham Lane, Kinson. Sec: Margaret Tredwell. Tel:
(01425) 613 739.
Durham University Guitar Society. C/o Dunelm
House, New Elvet, Durham. Sec: Elaine Young, Van
Mildert College, Durham. Visiting tutor: Peter
Batchelar.
Ealing Guitar Society. Meets 1st Sunday each
month at St Matthew’s Church Hall, North Common
Road, Ealing W5 at 7.30p.m. Correspondence: Steve
Dell, Flat J, 10 Sutherland Road, West Ealing,
London W13 0DT Tel: 0208 621 1394.
www.ealing-guitar-society.co.uk
Enfield Classical Guitar Society. Sec: Mrs J
Warwick, 43 Morley Hill, Enfield, Middlesex EN2
0BL.
e-mail: RButch3325@aol.comenfield_classical_guitar@hotmail.com
Website: http://members.lycos.co.uk/enfield_guitar/
Farnham, Surrey. Mozart Guitar Players. Meet every
Tuesday during term time. Musical Director Myer
Rosen, Knowsley, 7 Ash Grove, Guildford GU2 5UT.
Tel: (01483) 35852.
Federation of Guitar Societies UK, A group of Societies
mainly in the South of England that co-ordinate
together through a
Website. www.FederationofGuitarSocieties.org.uk
Annual meeting and Concert in June
E-mail guitar@martinshaw.plus.com
Fretful Federation Plucked Orchestra; Brighton.
Orchestra of mandolins, mandolas, mandocellos,
South Africa. Tel: (011) 314 1802.
e-mail: ludwig4u@icon.co.za
SPAIN
Clive Davies, Classical / Fingerstylist; Performer,
Composer and Teacher for over thirty years. Offers
‘Guitar innovation- broad outlook- workshop holi-
days‘ in Montefrio, Granada, Spain. Apartado de
Correos 22, 18270 Montefrio, Granada , Spain. Tel.
+34 685 201 265.
email; clive.sue@avired.com
mailto:clive.sue@avired.com>
www.clivedavies.eu
USA
Mariano Aguirre, Mannes College of Music, New
York Guitar Seminar-Coordinator, 150 West 85th
Street, New York, NY 10024 USA
marianoaguirre@verizon.net
Jeffrey Ashton, MAT Mus, BA Mus, 204 SE 63rd
Ave, Portland, OR 97215. Tel: (503) 235 1062.
Lyster Bass, 4154 Arrayo Dr. Snellville, Ga.30039,
USA. (Tel) 770-972-7178
Emai: lysterbass@comcast.net
William Buonocore, Guitar Dept. Co-ordinator, The
Boston Conservatory, 8 The Fenway, Boston, MA
02215. Tel: (617) 536 6340. Fax: (617) 536 3176.
wbuonocore@bostonconservatory.edu
Maud Laforest, Plano, TX.
e-mail: alix@maudlaforest.com
web site: www.maudlaforest.com
Ronald Louis Fernandez, Flamenco and Portuguese
guitar., P. O. Box 5153, Irvine, California, 92616. Tel:
949-856-1537.
website: www.fernandezmusic.com.
e-mail: ron@fernandezmusic.com
David Grimes, 8701 Bellmead Drive, Huntington
Beach, California 92646, USA.
Craig Yarbrough, 26 East Oak Ave, Flagstaff,
Arizona 86001. Tel: 928 213 0752.
Email: grandcanyonsociety@hotmail.com
● Our Teacher’s Column is updated Bi-
monthly starting February, April, June
issue etc.
When sending alterations or additions
please state: country, county, full name,
qualifications, address and telephone
number in this order. If changing areas,
state old county address so this can
easily be deleted.
guitars and mandobass. New members welcome. Ian
07939368874.
Grand Canyon Guitar Society, LTD, Flagstaff,
Arizona 928.213.0752. Craig Yarbrough, Executive
Director.
www.CanyonGuitar.org <http://
www.canyonguitar.org/>
Greenwood Classical Guitar Club. An informal group.
Meets every Friday 7.30-8.30pm at the Greenwood
Centre, School Road, Hampton Hill, Middlesex. Contact
Martin Shaw (0208 891 6889) or turn up at the Centre.
Hastings & Rother Classical Guitar Society, we
meet at 8pm on the 3rd Wednesday of every month at
The Beacon below St Mary’s Terrace, West Hill,
Hastings. Contact Richard Butler 01424 465 414 or
via the website http://www.hrcgs.org.uk
Hampshire Area Guitar Orchestra. Meets fortnight-
ly and has vacancies for intermediate and advanced
ensemble players. Ring Derek Hasted 023 9247 9200
or email: dir@hago.org.uk
Hertfordshire BA(Hons), Castle End Farm, Lea, Ross
on Wye, Herefordshire HR9 7JY Herefordshire /
Gloucestershire border. Telephone: 01989 750342
e-mail: forestofdeanguitars@fsmail.net
Haverhill Classical Guitar Society. Details: Colin
Shulman (01440) 705 371.
Hertfordshire Guitar Orchestra. Meets twice
monthly and is always looking for good ensemble
players. Details from Tom Parsons on Tel: (01923)
245 559 or
www.hertfordshireguitarorchestra.com
Highland Classical Guitar Society. C/o Roger Niven,
‘Iona’, High Street, Avoch, Rosshire. Tel: Fortrose
21012.
Hounslow Guitar Society. Hounslow Music Service, De
Brome Building, Boundaries Road, Feltham TW13 5DT.
Lauderdale Guitar Society. Meets at Lauderdale
House, Highgate Hill. Details from 63 Marlborough
Mansions, Cannon Hill, London NW6 1JS. Tel:
(0171) 794 9108.
Leeds Guitar Society. Sec: Matthew Hill, 1 Grosvenor
Terrace, Leeds LS6 2DY. Tel: (0113) 785 341.
Classical Guitar Society of East London. Informal
meetings last saturday each month at 3pm. Contact
57
Maria Sentivani on Tel: 020 507 8299 for details.
The Lute Society. Sec: Chris Goodwin, Southside
Cottage, Brook Hill, Albury, Guildford, Surrey, GU5
9DJ. Tel: (01483) 202 159 Fax: (01483) 203088.
Manchester Acoustic Guitar meets on the 3rd
Tuesday of every month at the Urmston Cricket
and Lawn Tennis Club, Moorside Rd, Urmston. All
acoustic and classical guitar styles welcomed.
Open mike, workshops, special recitals. All you
need is an interest in the guitar, not necessarily to
be able to play. For details contact: Chris, tel. 0161
747 3851.
www.manchesteracousticguitar.com
Manchester Guitar Circle, (Est. 1946).
Informal evenings on the first Thursday of
every month at Flixton House, Flixton Road
(opposite Rothiemay Road), Manchester M41
5GJ. Visitors always welcome. Contact: Paul
Fowles.
Email: guitarcircle@hotmail.com
Voicemail: 07831-416358
Website: www.guitarcircle.co.uk
Midlands Fretted Orchestra meets fortnightly on
Thursdays 7.30pm, at St. Mary’s Hall, St. Mary’s
Road, Bearwood Smethwick, B67 5Dh. Contact:
Danielle Saxon Reeves 01384 893 987
e-mail: daniellesaxonreeves@yahoo.co.uk
www.m-f-o.co.uk
Newent Guitar Society. Sec: Keith Sandall, Holts
House, Holts Road, Newent, Gloucestershire GL18
1BT. Tel: (01531) 820 436.
North Bucks Guitar Club. Meets 3rd Sunday of the
month. Information from Kevin Cook. Tel: (01296)
427 836.
www.northbucksguitarclub.org.uk
Classical Guitar Society for Northern Ireland .
Meets on the first Sunday of the month at the Ulster
College of Music, Belfast. Contact Keith Thompson
(028) 90703311.
Email: secretary_CGSNI@lycos.co.uk
Website:www.cgsni.org
The Northumbria Guitar Society. Correspondence
to: Pete Boothby, Engine Cottage, Accomb, Hexham
NE46 4RL. Tel: (01434) 600 340.
North Devon Guitar Society. Meets third Tuesday
of month in Barnstaple. Contact Terry Bourne at
North Lodge, Filleigh, Near Barnstaple, North Devon
EX32 ORE. Tel: (01271) 74529.
North East Scotland Classical Guitar Society
meets the third Wednesday of every month at
Queen’s Cross Church, Aberdeen. Contact Peter
Stock (chairman) on 01467 642729,
e-mail: info@nescgs.co.uk
www.nescgs.co.uk www.nescgs.co.uk
North Wales Guitar Circle, Meets the 2nd Tuesday
of every month at 7.45pm at The Anglesey Arms,
Menai Bridge, Anglesey. Contact Jane or Dave
Sinnett 01407 831480.
e-mail: davesinnett@btinternet.com
website: www.northwalesguitarcircle.co.uk
Nottingham Classical Guitar Society. Contact:
Ian Jones. Tel: 0115 923 1038
Email: IanJones66@yahoo.co.uk
Pena Flamenca de Hull. Sec: Ron Burbela, 40
Warton Avenue, Beverley, E. Yorks, HU17 0JB. Tel:
(01482) 863 553. Meetings 1st Sunday of month,
8.00pm, Blue Bell, Hull.
Pena Flamenca de Londres. Sec: Ron le Voi, Flat 6,
45/53 Myddelton Square, London EC1R 1YD.
Pendon Guitar Society. Peter Li, 15 King Henry Mews,
Harrow-on-the-Hill, HA2 0JS (020) 8423 3202.
Putney Guitar Society. Sec. Chris Blade, 18
Gwendwr Road, West Kensington, London W14
9BG. Tel: (0171) 603 1820.
Richmond Guitar Society meets every 4th Sunday
of each month 7-9 pm @ Richmond Parish Rooms,
Church Walk, Richmond upon Thames,Surrey
Details 0208 891 6889
Saddleworth Classical Guitar Society. Ring Hazel
and Colin Davies. Tel: (01457) 875 378.
Southampton Classical Guitar Society. Meets last
Wednesday of every month at 7:45pm. Contact
Wayne Lines. Tel: 01329 310792.
wwv.scgs-guitar.org.uk
South Lincolnshire Guitar Society and Orchestra.
Meetings are fortnightly on Tuesdays at Central
School, Grantham. Contact Peter Constable, The
Elms, 3 Sleaford Road, Ruskington, Lincs, NG34
9BP. Tel: (01526) 834 120.
South Wales Guitar Society. Chairperson: Kate
Williams, 18 Westbourne Crescent, Whitchurch,
Cardiff. Tel: (01222) 626 826.
Surrey Guitar Society, 2nd Wednesday monthly at
Tanyard Hall Gomshall 8pm. Contact: George
Swallow (01306) 886 196.
Swansea CG Circle. Keith Morris, 3 Dulais Grove,
Derwin Fawr, Sketty, Swansea, Glamorgan. Tel:
(01792) 202576
Warwickshire Spanish Guitar Society. Peter
Pettifor, 73 Lodge Road, Sratford-upon-Avon CV37
9DN Tel: (01789) 263 697
e-mail: peter.pettifor@ntlworld.com
Wealden Guitar Society. Meets at the Friends
Meeting House, Grosvenor Park,Tunbridge Wells on
58
the 2nd Wednesday of each month...nice hall, great
accoustics,supportive members.Contact Marcia
Burton on 01892 534631 or Richard Frenkel on
0207 233 9076’.
West Sussex Guitar Club. The Regis School of
Music, 46 Sudley Road, Bognor Regis, West Sussex,
PO21 1ER. (01243) 866 462.
www.westsussexguitar.com
Windsor Classical Guitar Society. An informal
group who enjoy playing together at 7.30pm first
and third Wednesday of each month at the Windsor
Arts Centre. Tel: (01753) 859 421.
The Wirksworth Classical Guitar Group. Contact:
Jonathan Priestley, 5 Cooks Yard, West End,
Wirksworth, Derbyshire. Tel: (01629) 825 129.
Worcester Classical Guitar Society: A per-
forming society of Junior and Senior orches-
tras and ensembles. We meet regularly dur-
ing term time. Contact: Andrew Filer. Tel.
0121 445 3345.
email: secretary@worcesterguitar.co.uk
www.worcesterguitar.co.uk
ARGENTINA
Musical Centre ‘Franz Liszt’. Directresses: Ana M.
Polinori and Mariana Vlaho, Montevideo 967 (1019),
Buenos Aires.
AUSTRALIA
Classical Guitar Society of South Australia.
Lincoln Brady, 19 Emerson Drive, Morphett-Vale,
Adelaide, SA 5162, Australia. Tel: (08) 832 51052.
The Classical Guitar Society Sydney. P.O. Box
829, Bondi Junction. N.S.W. 1355 Australia. Tel:
(02) 9453 3113.
BULGARIA
Classical Guitar Association (CGA). PO Box 879,
40900 Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
BRAZIL
BRAVIO - Associacao Brasiliense de Violao -
QI 25 bl. L apt. 501 - Cond. Sgto Wolff -
Guara 2 - Brasilia - DF - 71060-250 Tel +55
(61) 3567 6589 / 9968 5528 -
www.bravio.blogspot.com - Square II, 50 East Coast Road, Singapore 428769.
bravio@gmail.com
Géris Lopes Consalter (Fernando Sor Guitar
Association). Rodovia BR 116 No. 12500, b. São
Ciro ‘brasdiesel’, CAXIAS DO SUL-RS 95055-180.
CANADA
The Halifax Guitar Society. 6199 Chebucto Road,
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3L 1KY (902) 423-
6995.
ecormier@hotmail.com
Vancouver Guitar Concert Association. 1807
Collingwood St, Vancouver, B.C., V6R 3KA.
COSTA RICA
Asociacion Guitarristica Costaricense. Apartado
373-1009, San José, Costa Rica. Tel: 21-44-53.
CZECH REPUBLIC
Classical Guitar Society. The Czech Music Society,
Vladislav Blaha, Renneska 25 639 00 Brno. Czech
Republic. Tel. – Fax: 00420 – 543 242 407.
DENMARK
The Danish Guitar Society. c/o Jeff Duckett,
Karlemosevej 7, 4.tv., 4600 Koege, Denmark.
Web: www.danskguitarselskab.dk
E-mail: post@danskguitarselskab.dk
EGYPT
Cairo Classical Guitar Society. President: Sherif S.
El-Salhy, 7 Abdel-Hamid Said St, Apt. 22, Maarouf,
Cairo 11111, Egypt. Tel: +202 5758097. Fax: +202
3414168 (BISC).
FINLAND
Helsinki Guitar Society. President: Jussi-Pekka
Rannanmäki. Vanha Sotilastie 3, 00850 Helsinki,
Finland.
GERMANY
Kultur u. Gitarre. Dietmar Kunzler, MittelstraBe
69a, 66126 Saarbrücken, Germany. Meetings held
first Sunday of each month at Bistro Stadthalle
Dillingen/Saar, 10.30 am.
HONG KONG
Hong Kong Guitar Information Alliance. G/F 14
Nanking Street, Yaumatei, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Tel:
(852) 2780 4864. Fax: (852) 2770 5520.
IRELAND
Cork Classical Guitar Circle. Established in 1960.
Meets last Wednesday of month at Cork Arts Society
Rooms. Sec and Treasurer: Laurence Egar, Herbert
Park, Cork. Tel: (021) 504832.
Dublin Classical Guitar Society meets last
Thursday of each month at Booterstown Parish
Centre, Booterstown Ave., Blackrock.
email: dublinguitarcircle@yahoo.co.uk
ISRAEL
The Guitar Society of Israel. The Rubin Museum,
Bialik St. 14. Tel-Aviv 65241, Israel.
ITALY
Florence Guitar Association. Via del Bargellino 15,
50014 Fiesole, Firenze, Italy. Phone 055/597012.
JAPAN
International Guitar Orchestra Association. 143-14
Fujisawa, Fujisawa-shi Kanagawa-ken, 251-0052
Japan. Tel: +81-466-23-8338. Fax: +81-466-23-9337.
Japan Federation of Guitarists is the only official
corporation authorized by the Ministry of Education
in Japan since 1966, for the aim of contribution to
the culture by the study and spread of guitar music.
Akira Ugajin, Secretary General, Japan Federation
of Guitarists. Wada Bldg. 5F 6-14-4 Shimbashi,
Minano-ku, Tokyo, Japan. Tel. 81-3-3438-1819 Fax.
81-3-3438-1899.
e-mailto:jfg@guitarists.or.jp
website: www.guitarists.or.jp
MALAYSIA
Alor Setar Classical Guitar Club. Chairman: Chan
Kok Peng, 29 Taman Sultan Abdul Halim 05300 Alor
Setar, Kedah, Maylasia.
Kota Kinabalu Guitar Society. Sec: Lawrence
Chong. HSE. No. D47, Lorong Raja Udang 2A,
Taman Kingfisher, 88400, Kota Kingbalu, Saba,
Malaysia.
PERU
Centro de la Guitarra / Intermusica, Jr. Carabaya
421, Lima 01, Peru, telfs. 461-4670, 933-1599, Fax
336-6442,
Email:intermusica@rocketmail.com
POLAND
‘Gitariada’, ul Gdynska 5/g/16, 80-340 Gdansk,
Poland. Tel: (058) 57-80-83.
Wroclaw Guitar Society, BOX 1063, 50-131
Wroclaw, Poland
e-mail: wtg@op.pl
www.gitara.wroclaw.pl
SERBIA (SR Yugoslavia)
Yugoslav Association of Classical Guitarists
(Guitar Art Festival) Bosko Radojkovic, director;
address: Bul.Kralja Aleksandra 530, 11000
Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro; tel: +381 64
1407583, fax: +381 11 2623853.
e-maill: guitart@yubc.net <mailto:guitart@yubc.net
www.gaf.co.yu <http://www.gaf.co.yu
Yugoslav Guitar Society. Uros Dojcinovic,
Foundation Solunska 12, 11000 Beograd. Tel/Fax
(011) 180-587.
SINGAPORE
Tomas Music Consultants Pte Ltd. 01-97 Roxy
Tel (65) 6344 3671 Tel (65) 6344 3615.
e-mail: enquiries@tomas-music.com
website: www.tomas-music.com
SWEDEN
The Swedish Guitar and Lute Society. Established
in 1968. Sec: Erik Möllerström, Postbox 24038, S-
104 50, Stockholm, Sweden. Tel: +46 8 660 13 74
and +46 8 1059 82. Summer courses each year at
Ingesund, Arvika end July. Four reviews published
annually (Gitarr och Luta).
TURKEY
Izmir Guitar Club. Kibris Sehitleri CAD. No. 138/1,
D.301 Alsancak, Izmir. Tel: (90 232) 464 5287.
USA
Austin Classical Guitar Society. PO Box 49704,
Austin, TX 78765, USA.
The Columbus Guitar Society. 120 E. Northwood
Ave, Columbus, OH 43201, USA.
The Connecticut Classical Guitar Society. P.O.
Box 1528, Hartford, CT. 06144-1528.
Classical Guitar Society of Western Carolinas.
Roger A. Cope, President, 300 North Main St,
Hendersonville, NC 28792-4900, USA. Tel: 704 693
7666. Fax: 704 692 2630.
Denver Classical Guitar Society. Patrick M. ‘Rick’
Keller, Director. 1601 Ivanhoe, Denver, Co. 80220.
303-321-5690.
Guitar Houston. 4149 Bellaire Blvd., 229 Houston,
TX 77025 USA (713) 665-2712
www.neosoft.com/~guitar/index.htm
Long Island Classical Guitar Society LICGS c/o
Dennis Rief, 182 Parkside Ave, Miller Place, NY
11764, Phone: 631-821-5270
licgs@licgs.us <mailto:licgs@licgs.us>
www.licgs.us <http://www.licgs.us/>
Miami Classical Guitar Society. PO Box 0725,
Miami, Florida 33265-0725 (305) 386-3103. Carlos
Molina, President.
The Milwaukee Classical Guitar Society, Ltd.
1522 East Kane Place, Milwaukee, Wiscousin 53202
(414) 765 9398.
New Jersey Classical Guitar Society. President:
George Schindler, 267 South Street, N. Providence
N. J., 07974.
New York City Classical Guitar Society, John
Olson, President, P. O. Box 1691, New York, NY
10101.
www.nyccgs.com
president@nyccgs.com
Philadelphia Classical Guitar Society, 2038
Sansom St. Philadelphia, PA 19103 215.567.2972
http://www.PhillyGuitar.org.
The Utah Classical Guitar Society. Roy Johnson,
Director, 1121 E. 200 So. Salt Lake City, Utah
84102, USA. Tel: 801-364-7431.
Washington Guitar Society. C/o President: John
Rodgers, 4500 Connecticut Ave., NW a605
Washington, DC 20008 USA.
WEST INDIES
Classical Guitar Society of Trinidad and Tobago.
PO Box 1312. Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.
Sec: Stephen Cockburn.
Classical Guitar Magazine