The Bromley Guitar Society proudly presents
Carlos Bonell
St Marks Church Saturday 15th October 2011 7.30pm
Carlos Bonell is one of today's most celebrated guitarists. He studied at the Royal College of Music and gained prominence through his Decca recording of Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and Charles Dutoit.
His discography includes more than 20 CD and DVD recordings ranging from the music of Queen, The Beatles and the Bach lute suites. His latest album release is "Carlos Bonell’s Magical Guitar Tour" dedicated to the music of the Beatles.
In 2007 he was awarded the prestigious Spanish prize Premio Trujamán for his work for the solo guitar. His career includes TV, Film and CD recordings, worldwide tours, concertos with the major orchestras, and the creation of his own ensemble.
Carlos is a popular performer. He has performed as a guest for the BGS in the past and his concerts have been enjoyed immensely.
For more information about the concert please download the flyer
In the meantime here is a recording that Carlos made for City of Derry festival in honor of the 100 year anniversary of the deaths of Albeniz and Tarrega. Listed to the solo arrangement of the Concierto de Aranjuez!! It should whet your appetite for a great evening
Showing posts with label BGS Concert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BGS Concert. Show all posts
BGS Concert: Nora Buschmann
I suppose people will remember the weekend of April 17th for many reasons. Most likely it will be for the disruptions caused by the volcano with the unpronounceable name in Iceland. For us, lucky lot at the Bromley Guitar Society, it will be the memory of the wonderful UK debut for guitarist artiste Nora Buschmann.
And the God who smiles upon all classical guitar lovers was hard at work beforehand! The Icelandic volcano held its fury back long enough for Nora and her husband Fernando to arrive safely at Gatwick from Berlin thereby ensuring the success of the BGS concert!! (Hopefully they won’t have too much trouble returning!!)
The program was an eclectic mixture of pieces reflecting Nora’s passion for the musical influences associated with the Middle East along side the haunting vibrant themes associated with South America. Her guitar was especially crafted for her by the late Alejander Van Der Horst and, in Nora’s hands, it sang sweetly. There is an absolute truth and beauty in her performance. Some guitarists ‘scratch’ or claw at the strings. (I know because I tend to do it). Nora cajoles and insinuates. She gently draws out the melody in a way that catches your breath. She set the opening mood with a two lovely pieces -Fantasia in A minor by Kellner followed by a beautiful rendition of Elegie by Mertz.
Then, under Nora’s spell, we were transported to a variety of landscapes beginning with a musical homage to South America with Villa Lobos Suite Populaire Bresielenne.
The titles of these pieces, each of which combines a European form with a Brazilian dance, the chôro, reflect a mix of popular and classical styles and forms that were part of the tapestry of the music of the cinemas, nightclubs and cafes of the early part of the century that played such a strong influence on the composer . (Such hybrids were characteristic of Brazilian popular dance music at the time.) Nora captured these impressions with the opening Mazurka-Chôros, with its somewhat nostalgic tone, followed by a Schottisch-Chôros (the schottisch was a kind of polka-like dance popular in the nineteenth century), a bittersweet Valsa-Chôros, and a lovely, almost classically styled Gavota-Chôros. The concluding Chôrinho, a miniature chôros, is a bit darker-hued and dramatic than the previous four pieces.
As a student of Domeniconi, it was to be expected that Nora would include one or two of his compositions. We were treated to a technically flawless performance of Toccata in Blue a piece that was influenced by the style of George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. Toccata in Blue with its opening of high drama, eases into a more lyrical vein but towards the end there is a flurry of arpeggios and pedal point. It is a fiendishly difficult piece requiring firm mastery which Nora displayed easily.
After interval we returned back to the musical landscape of the South American tundra with a spell binding performance of three pieces by Augustin Barrios Mangore, Gran Tremelo, Maxixe and Vals No4 Optus 8 followed by Paolo Bellenati’s Un amor de Vals and the percussive fiery little piece Jongo (As I write this I am reliving the experience listening to the pieces on Nora’s CD Appassionata Latina. )
However, for me personally, the biggest treat of the evening was the performance of Koyunbaba, Domeniconi’s homage to his love of Turkish culture. The name is actually Turkish and literally translates as "sheep-father" (koyun-baba), or "shepherd", some sources also translate it to "the spirit of the sheep", but also refers to many other things, including a 13th century mystical saint-like figure.
And, like most of Domeniconi’s compositions, this is not one for the faint hearted. It requires firm but gentle mastery of the instrument.
Nora captured the intense moodiness and drama of the piece with its contrasting tempos and dynamics. Not a cough nor splutter from the audience during this performance!! Even the catankerous boiler at St Marks managed to remain silent!!
Because Koyunbaba requires the guitar strings to be tuned unconventionally to a C#minor chord, our Treasurer, Steve Pearson very generously and graciously loaned Nora his Rolf Eichinger guitar for the performance of Koyunbaba. And because of the amazing quality of the performance I will be surprised if he returns the guitar back to its traditional tuning.
All in all it was a fantastic evening and was thoroughly enjoyed by all who attended. It was her UK debut and we are extremely proud that we can say that Bromley Guitar Society provided the platform for her introduction to the UK Classical Guitar Scene.
As with all BGS concerts, they don’t just happen by magic. Usually you don’t see the hard work that goes on behind the scenes by the BGS Executive whose only reward is the audience’s enjoyment and excitement of the performance itself. It is time to mention those people and thank them for their hard work.
I’ll leave this part up to our chairman Denis Stockton whose kind email I have included below
“I would like to express my thanks to all of you for the tremendous amount of hard work that went into last Saturday's recital.
I am sorry that Shirley missed out, due to circumstances beyond anyone's control. However, both Shirley and Vince did a superb job regarding the ticketing, particularly with Vince "saving the day" at the last minute.
Steve Pearson handled the funding perfectly and the programme that he produced, together with his very talented daughter, is worth a special mention. Also, thank you for providing accommodation for Nora and Fernando. Please pass these thanks on to your parents.
Andrew Ferrier set the whole thing up and dealt with every detail from day one. Co-coordinating that enterprise must have been a nightmare so, well done Andrew. Also, thank you and Fran for wining and dining Nora and Fernando, and for showing them around Kent and Sussex.
Thanks to Trevor, as always, and to Steve Dowdell and Dave Hampton for their transporting of the stage.
All that I had to do was to make the closing address. It's good to know that, as I get older and less able to do the physical and organisational things so much, I can rely on such a dedicated team.”
And the God who smiles upon all classical guitar lovers was hard at work beforehand! The Icelandic volcano held its fury back long enough for Nora and her husband Fernando to arrive safely at Gatwick from Berlin thereby ensuring the success of the BGS concert!! (Hopefully they won’t have too much trouble returning!!)
The program was an eclectic mixture of pieces reflecting Nora’s passion for the musical influences associated with the Middle East along side the haunting vibrant themes associated with South America. Her guitar was especially crafted for her by the late Alejander Van Der Horst and, in Nora’s hands, it sang sweetly. There is an absolute truth and beauty in her performance. Some guitarists ‘scratch’ or claw at the strings. (I know because I tend to do it). Nora cajoles and insinuates. She gently draws out the melody in a way that catches your breath. She set the opening mood with a two lovely pieces -Fantasia in A minor by Kellner followed by a beautiful rendition of Elegie by Mertz.
Then, under Nora’s spell, we were transported to a variety of landscapes beginning with a musical homage to South America with Villa Lobos Suite Populaire Bresielenne.
The titles of these pieces, each of which combines a European form with a Brazilian dance, the chôro, reflect a mix of popular and classical styles and forms that were part of the tapestry of the music of the cinemas, nightclubs and cafes of the early part of the century that played such a strong influence on the composer . (Such hybrids were characteristic of Brazilian popular dance music at the time.) Nora captured these impressions with the opening Mazurka-Chôros, with its somewhat nostalgic tone, followed by a Schottisch-Chôros (the schottisch was a kind of polka-like dance popular in the nineteenth century), a bittersweet Valsa-Chôros, and a lovely, almost classically styled Gavota-Chôros. The concluding Chôrinho, a miniature chôros, is a bit darker-hued and dramatic than the previous four pieces.
As a student of Domeniconi, it was to be expected that Nora would include one or two of his compositions. We were treated to a technically flawless performance of Toccata in Blue a piece that was influenced by the style of George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. Toccata in Blue with its opening of high drama, eases into a more lyrical vein but towards the end there is a flurry of arpeggios and pedal point. It is a fiendishly difficult piece requiring firm mastery which Nora displayed easily.
After interval we returned back to the musical landscape of the South American tundra with a spell binding performance of three pieces by Augustin Barrios Mangore, Gran Tremelo, Maxixe and Vals No4 Optus 8 followed by Paolo Bellenati’s Un amor de Vals and the percussive fiery little piece Jongo (As I write this I am reliving the experience listening to the pieces on Nora’s CD Appassionata Latina. )
However, for me personally, the biggest treat of the evening was the performance of Koyunbaba, Domeniconi’s homage to his love of Turkish culture. The name is actually Turkish and literally translates as "sheep-father" (koyun-baba), or "shepherd", some sources also translate it to "the spirit of the sheep", but also refers to many other things, including a 13th century mystical saint-like figure.
And, like most of Domeniconi’s compositions, this is not one for the faint hearted. It requires firm but gentle mastery of the instrument.
Nora captured the intense moodiness and drama of the piece with its contrasting tempos and dynamics. Not a cough nor splutter from the audience during this performance!! Even the catankerous boiler at St Marks managed to remain silent!!
Because Koyunbaba requires the guitar strings to be tuned unconventionally to a C#minor chord, our Treasurer, Steve Pearson very generously and graciously loaned Nora his Rolf Eichinger guitar for the performance of Koyunbaba. And because of the amazing quality of the performance I will be surprised if he returns the guitar back to its traditional tuning.
All in all it was a fantastic evening and was thoroughly enjoyed by all who attended. It was her UK debut and we are extremely proud that we can say that Bromley Guitar Society provided the platform for her introduction to the UK Classical Guitar Scene.
As with all BGS concerts, they don’t just happen by magic. Usually you don’t see the hard work that goes on behind the scenes by the BGS Executive whose only reward is the audience’s enjoyment and excitement of the performance itself. It is time to mention those people and thank them for their hard work.
I’ll leave this part up to our chairman Denis Stockton whose kind email I have included below
“I would like to express my thanks to all of you for the tremendous amount of hard work that went into last Saturday's recital.
I am sorry that Shirley missed out, due to circumstances beyond anyone's control. However, both Shirley and Vince did a superb job regarding the ticketing, particularly with Vince "saving the day" at the last minute.
Steve Pearson handled the funding perfectly and the programme that he produced, together with his very talented daughter, is worth a special mention. Also, thank you for providing accommodation for Nora and Fernando. Please pass these thanks on to your parents.
Andrew Ferrier set the whole thing up and dealt with every detail from day one. Co-coordinating that enterprise must have been a nightmare so, well done Andrew. Also, thank you and Fran for wining and dining Nora and Fernando, and for showing them around Kent and Sussex.
Thanks to Trevor, as always, and to Steve Dowdell and Dave Hampton for their transporting of the stage.
All that I had to do was to make the closing address. It's good to know that, as I get older and less able to do the physical and organisational things so much, I can rely on such a dedicated team.”
For those of you who missed the concert, Nora is playing Bellenati's Un Amor de Vals, which was included on the concert program.
Nora Buschmann Concert Update
Bookings are now open for the Nora Buschmann Concert scheduled for April 17th at St Marks Church in Bromley.
Nora's recital program includes:
Phantasia a-Moll -David Kellner (1670-1748)
Elegie -Johann Kaspar Mertz (1806-1856)
Suite Populaire Bresilienne Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959)
Toccata in Blue -Carlo Domeniconi (1947)
Gran Tremolo-Augustin Barrios-Mangoré (1885-1944)
Gran Tremolo-Augustin Barrios-Mangoré (1885-1944)
Maxixe
Vals Nr.4 op.8
Um amor de valsa-Paolo Bellinati (1950)
Jongo
Koyunbaba Suite op.19- Carlo Domeniconi
Moderato
Mosso
Cantabile
Presto
Koyunbaba Suite op.19- Carlo Domeniconi
Moderato
Mosso
Cantabile
Presto
Book in early to avoid disappointment!!
Bromley Guitar Society Concert: Nora Buschmann 2010
Update....Update....Update....
Tickets are now available for the Nora Buschmann concert.
BGS Members
£8 per adult; £4 per child/student,£20 Family Ticket (2 Adults 2 chilcren)
Non Members
£10 per adult, £5 per child/student, £25 Family Ticket (2 Adults 2 Children)
Download booking form here
Please make sure that you have penciled in Saturday April 17th 2010 in your diary as we have booked renowned German Guitarist, Nora Buschmann to give a recital at St Marks Church (Westmoreland Road Bromley BR2 0TB).
Nora has been featured as the BGS Performer Spotlight for this month. She has performed widely in Europe, Sweden and South America. We are proud that the Bromley Guitar Society will be hosting her UK debut.
Reviews of her performances are listed below:
"Exquisite" (Frankfurter Rundschau)
"Brilliant and contentful" (Lahrer Zeitung)
"Profound and sensitive" (Fränkische Landeszeitung)
"... artist personality together with virtuous control of the instrument and the whole range of sound of a concert guitar... " (Mitteldeutsche Zeitung)
"... that rhythmic concentration and fragile luzide tone giving complete themselves ideally, which is a consequence of an extremely safe performance technique, a virtuousity, which is always in the sense of composition and shaping ..."(Nürnberger Nachrichten)
"Spirited and piquant" (Rheinische Zeitung)
Check out this performance of Nora playing Barrios 'Una Limosna por el amor de Dios'
Keep watching this space for more details about booking arrangements..
Tickets are now available for the Nora Buschmann concert.
BGS Members
£8 per adult; £4 per child/student,£20 Family Ticket (2 Adults 2 chilcren)
Non Members
£10 per adult, £5 per child/student, £25 Family Ticket (2 Adults 2 Children)
Download booking form here
Please make sure that you have penciled in Saturday April 17th 2010 in your diary as we have booked renowned German Guitarist, Nora Buschmann to give a recital at St Marks Church (Westmoreland Road Bromley BR2 0TB).
Nora has been featured as the BGS Performer Spotlight for this month. She has performed widely in Europe, Sweden and South America. We are proud that the Bromley Guitar Society will be hosting her UK debut.
Reviews of her performances are listed below:
"Exquisite" (Frankfurter Rundschau)
"Brilliant and contentful" (Lahrer Zeitung)
"Profound and sensitive" (Fränkische Landeszeitung)
"... artist personality together with virtuous control of the instrument and the whole range of sound of a concert guitar... " (Mitteldeutsche Zeitung)
"... that rhythmic concentration and fragile luzide tone giving complete themselves ideally, which is a consequence of an extremely safe performance technique, a virtuousity, which is always in the sense of composition and shaping ..."(Nürnberger Nachrichten)
"Spirited and piquant" (Rheinische Zeitung)
Check out this performance of Nora playing Barrios 'Una Limosna por el amor de Dios'
Keep watching this space for more details about booking arrangements..
Craig Ogden and Gary Ryan performing at Beechwood
(Thanks to Ray Love)
Beechwood '09 are presenting a concert of guitar solos and duets with Gary Ryan and Craig Ogden at the Beechwood Sacred Heart School (Pembury Road, Tunbridge Wells Kent)
Born in Australia, Craig Ogden has been a resident in the UK for a number of years and is currently principal lecturer in the guitar at the Royal Northern College of Music. His playing career has involved numerous international concert tours, television and radio broadcasts and the release of several CD's on the Chandos label.
Gary Ryan is also highly regarded for both his playing and composing and he is now firmly established as one of the country's most exciting performers.
With a selection of solos and duets (including a new duet by Gary), the concert promises to be a treat for all lovers of guitar music.
Tickets will be available at the door priced £12 for adults, and £8 for the usual concessions. Early bookings will see the price reduced by £2
For further information please call 01732832459 or download this flyer.
Widmore Guitar Ensemble Visit Saturday 21st March
Below are the programme notes and details for the performance of the Widmore Guitar Ensemble at the next BGS Meeting. (Thanks to Paul Brown for the notes)
- COME ON AND CELEBRATE Patricia Morgan
- SIYAHAMBA Traditional
- MINUETS from MUSIC FOR THE ROYAL FIREWORKS G F Handel
- SONATA D Scarlatti
- THE LORD BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU John Rutter
- JAMES BOND THEME Monty Morman
- LIVE AND LET DIE Paul McCartney
- YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE John Barry
Programme notes:
The Widmore Guitar Ensemble enjoys playing music in a wide variety of styles from rock to renaissance and from Bach to the Beatles. The ensemble began as a group of guitar students playing together in a Bromley adult education class discovering the classical guitar repertoire.
They soon found there was a much larger world of music that could be transcribed for the instrument and set about building entertaining programmes drawn from many different genres.
Under conductor Paul Brown the ensemble has now played in many local concerts and has won numerous awards in music festivals.
Under conductor Paul Brown the ensemble has now played in many local concerts and has won numerous awards in music festivals.
BGS Concert: Amanda Cook
Well , what were you doing last night? You could have been watching the telly. Or you could have been out for a meal? Or you could have been worrying about the recession?On the other hand, you could have joined us last night for an absolutely magical evening of entertainment and high quality music at St Marks Church. The concert numbers were such that the whole evening had a relaxed and intimate atmosphere. This seemed to suit everyone (Amanda included). Apart from being a brilliant guitarist, she managed to charm the whole audience, sharing her thoughts and descriptions of the pieces she had prepared.
After a few words from our esteemed Chairman, Amanda Cook took to the stage and our musical journey commenced.
The journey started silently with an understated but evocative performance of Bogdanovic's composition, Mysterious Habitats which gradually wove a spell around the audience, instantly drawing everyone in. ( I made a mental note that the committee was not to pay Amanda until she told me where I could get a copy of the music!! Not that they listened to me.. and actually she kindly did tell me at the end of the evening!)
Once our attention was captured, Amanda took us back to the eighteenth century Spain with some fine Scarlatti Sonatas. And then we came back to the twentieth century with a performance of Brouwer's El Cameron Negro which as she explained was based on a love story from a book of African legends which Brouwer skillfully mixed African Cuban rhythms and melodies. Her interpretation with its subtle mix of light and shade was conveyed with passionate energy. It totally took our breath away.
After interval, the journey continued with a moving performance of two pieces especially composed for her by William Lovelady, The Sounds of Rain and The Morning in Omagh The Sun Rose Again (dedicated to the victims of the Omagh bombings). Both were highly intensive and complex pieces yet she delivered them so effortlessly.
Then it was off for a tour of Spanish Castles or 'Castillos de Espana', courtesy of Moreno Torroba. We had a musical tour of Alba de Tormes, Zafra, Torija and Olite. Amanda confided to us that she would love to record a performance of these pieces at each castle in Spain. But we were more than happy to hear them at St Marks (despite the unwelcome accompaniment of the church's geriatric central heating system).
The evening finished with a latin flavour, featuring Bardi's Callo Ciego and Baden Powell (no not the Scoutmaster) and Moraes Samba Em Preludio and finally a traditional latin piece Arriba Los Panuelos (arranged by Salcedo). The evening seemed to finish all to quickly!
No sound files for you (and its your own fault if you didn't come to the concert) but you can hear examples of her work by visiting her web site (http://www.amandacook.co.uk/)
BGS Concerts don't happen by themselves. They represent the work and input by a team of fantastic volunteers prepared to give up their time to make these nights a success. So I would like to pay tribute to Shirley Russell for collating the ticket sales; Stephen Pearson for organising the program; Becky Clifford for preparing the advertising flyers and publicity; Dave and Janet Smyth for coordinating the tickets and seating; Trevor Pike for doing an outstanding job with the catering; Stephen Dowdell, and Dave Hampton for assisting with the stage construction; Jack Strivens for helping with the seating and our esteemed Master of Ceremonies- the BGS Godfather- Dapper Den Stockton! Here he is below doing his party trick to celebrate a great evening!! Even though we begged him to stop...
Despite all her hard work with the ticket sales, Shirley unfortunately couldn't attend the concert due to illness and we wish her all the best for a speedy recovery. And Shirley, we are not taking any excuses for next years concert!
Xuefei Yang Concert: Warmth of Spain in Chilly Bromley
Well it may have been a cold November Saturday night in Bromley, but everyone at St Marks Church was transported to the sunny climes of Spain thanks to the brilliant , flawless recital from Xuefei Yang.
The recital began with a magic rendition of Albeniz's Cordoba and Sevilla followed by Barrios Un Sueno un la Floresta. By this time the church at St Marks was now a warm and vibrant place. Xuefei then took us to South America with a moving arrangment of El Condor Pasa (arr, by Morel) and an enchanting version of Lauro's sei por derecho. Then it was back to Spain with a superbly delivered arrangement of Tarrega's Carnival of Venice and, to me ,one of the best peformances of Recuerdos del Alhambra I have ever heard.
After interval, the warmth became a fire as we were treated to Bach's Lute Suite in E and the highlight of technical virtuosity and dexterity with Brouwer's Sonata. It was one of the best concerts I have been to in a long time and I can only feel sorry for those outside in Bromley's chilly streets who missed out the warmth that we all enjoyed at St Marks.
The BGS have a proud tradition of organising recitals of high quality and they don't appear by magic. A lot of hard work (and worry) often takes place behind the scenes and I would like to take the opportunity of thanking Denis Stockton for his work in arranging for Xuefei to play for us. I would also like to acknowledge the hard work done by Dave and Janet Smyth in coordinating the bookings which is not an easy process. Jack Strivens, Trevor Pike, Stephen Dowdell, Dave Hampton, Theresa Stockton and Alan Green played a vital role in assisting with the management of the venue and publicity. The success of last night's concert would not have happened without their much valued input.
And as a postscript I would like it on record that it was my footstool that Xuefei Yang used during her recital! :)
Xuefei Yang: Concert Booking Information
The ticket prices for the concert on 17 November 2007 are as follows:
Adults - £8 (members) £10 (non members)
Child/Students - £4 (members) £5 (non members)
Family (max 2 adults, 2 children) £20 (members) £25 (non members)
Concert Booking Form is available from the Bromley Guitar Society website.
For enquiries about ticket availability etc please contact Dave Smyth
Xuefei Yang Concert Preview
For those of you who haven't seen Xuefei Yang in action here are a couple of clips (Thanks to Dave Hampton)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=W--gAvhTRZw
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=e_p0dxEGvj8
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=bcV2UIGFu60&mode=related&search=
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=W--gAvhTRZw
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=e_p0dxEGvj8
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=bcV2UIGFu60&mode=related&search=
Xuefei Yang Concert
Don't forget to mark the 17th of November on your calendar for the BGS Concert featuring Xuefei Yang.
For those of you interested in learning more about her please click here
For those of you interested in learning more about her please click here