It was a real smorgesbjord for the astute pluck and strummers out there!! The night's session began with the BGS practice of the Scarlatti Sonata under the gentle baton of Ray 'Don't Mess Me About' Butcher!!
While the turnout was quite good , we seeme to be missing some of the big hitters for Guitar 1 section of the Sonata which left poor Tom Page to carry the can for us all. (Which he did superbly). Unfortunately the speed issue was a problem with the result that I copped a musical 'speeding ticket' from the conductor for going too fast. I will have to spend more time between now and June in the slow lane with my metronome as punishment.
On the whole despite these few setbacks, the piece is coming on. However we will need the AWOL members of Guitar part 1 to be present next month (and more importantly) in July 18th when the Federation of Guitar Societies meets once more at Enfield. Ray has indicated that this time thre will be a small charge of £8 to cover costs for refreshments and other incidentals. Please note that more details about the Federation Meeting will be appear later on the blog site and in the BGS newsletter......as soon as I hear from Ray!! In the meantime keep watching this space!
The Wealden Guitar Society joined us later on inthe evening and presented a wonderful program of solos and ensembles. Special thanks to Ray Love and his team for providing such a great program for us all. There were some delightful pieces performed , much of which I captured on video (as you can see below)
Listen to this delightful version of Simone Molinaro's 'Passamezzo' performed by Eileen and Shalom Cohen.
Absolutely wonderful!!!
Showing posts with label Wealden Society. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wealden Society. Show all posts
Craig Ogden and Gary Ryan Concert at Beechwood
Absolute corker of a concert last night!! Set in the chapel at Beechwood Independent School, Craig Ogden and Gary Ryan delivered an exciting conference program with a great mixture of the old and new. The evening started with a duet of 'old favourites' from the 17th and 18th century including Drury's Accords,that old stand by 'Lord Willoughby's Welcome Home' (Dowland), Sonata K377 in E minor (Scarlatti) and a rarely performed piece Sonata No 84 in A major by Soler. Through their excellent performance of these pieces, Craig and Gary stamped their authority on the the evening with some great pieces following.
Gary, then took over with a flawless rendition of Sarabande and Double Bouree and Bouree (Bach) which was followed by a vibrant Recuerdos de la Alhambra (Tarrega), an old favourite which one never gets tired of listening. Excellent classical guitarists have that innate ability to control the aural 'light and shade' of a piece and this was conveyed in the warmth of Gary's performance.
Craig, too, was brilliantly effective in managing the right balance of aural light and shade with his stunning performance of a piece by his student (!!) Callum Dewar. Simply called Sonata, the piece was a highly complex and challenging study which certainly belies the age of the composer (20 years old). Callum Dewar is a composer to definitely look out for in the near future.
The first act finished with a performance of Gary's composition Generator, which, like most of Gary's compositions 'pushed the envelope' out incorporating a range of tunings, and performance techniques that were challenging. The piece represented the inner workings of an engine combined with a human element. It certainly painted a great aural picture. The starkness of the piece put me in mind of Fritz Langer Metropolos.
Interval gave me a chance to restore the blood supply to my backside which had suffered from the rigours of the hard seating in the vestry where the concert took place. (A restorative glass of red manage to help as well).
Craig opened up the second part of the program with a trip to sunny Spain with a wonderful performance of Sonatina (1st Movement) by Torroba followed by Asturias (Albeniz) and Soleares(Turina). I haven't heard Torroba's Sonatina performed for years- in fact the last time I heard it was at a Narciso Yepe concert sometime in my deep dark past. I loved it then and thoroughly enjoyed hearing it again. It is a challenging piece for the average 'pluck and strummer' like myself so I certainly could appreciate Craig's flawless interpretation..
Gary joined Craig on the podium for another series of duets. The Spanish theme continued with two De Falla pieces (Millers dance and Dance of the Corregidor). Then it was off to South America for a performance of Machados Sambalanca and a highly amusing piece Xaranga do Vovo (My Grandfathers car) complete with a bycle horn to add to the effect.
Gary then followed with a composition based on his experiences in America (Rockweed) and a highly evocative and moving piece called Lough Caragh.
Craig then joined Gary for a performance of another Ryan original called 'Bazaar' which was written to capture the mood of a Moroccan market. Lots of percussion, and sound additions from other sources which included flying ping pong balls , pens and teaspoons which caused some alarm for the audience in the front row. Just as well there were no Health and Safety Inspectors around!!
It was an evening of great music and laughter with two first rate guitarists!!
Special thanks to Ray Love and the Wealden Society for organising this concert.
WGS Concert: Laura Snowden and Tom Ellis
Wealden Guitar Society are pleased to present a concert of guitar solos and duets with Laura Snowden and Tom Ellis (The first pupils to study the guitar at the Yehudi Menuhin School on Scholarships funded by the Rolling Stones).
The concert will be held on Wednesday 12th November at the Friends Meeting House, Grosvenor Park, Tunbridge Wells commencing at 8pm.
Wealden Guitar Society has always been keen to promote younger players who are still studying or at the beginning of their careers, and this concert will be an opportunity to hear two outstanding players who already have a string of successful and prestigious concerts behind them. Yehudi Menuhin always wanted to include the guitar in his school, and, as it relies on donations for its funding, it was very pleased to accept the Rolling Stones offer to help fund the first pupils.
Laura and Tom will perform a programme of solos and duets to include music by carulli, Brahms and Rodrigo. Tickets will be available at the door at £10 (£6 for students, etc.).
For further information please contact Ray Love on 01732 832459
Wealden Guitar Society Performance
Well folks tonight we had a real music feast cooked up for us by the Wealden Guitar Society courtesy of head chef, Ray Love. (And he was much more restrained in his language than Gordon Ramsay!!) For those of you who missed the meeting you can download your portions by clicking the links. (The files are mp3 files - suggest that you download Quicktime or Itunes for best results)
BGS Starters
Like all good hosts, we thought we'd better provide our own starters prior to the main meal. Ray Butcher did a great job in leading the BGS members for a quick practice with a new piece in preparation for a battle of the sounds with the Enfield Society at the May Meeting. We had a very quick solo spot this evening with a medley of melodies from Len Ivell who had us 'begining the beguine' and then marching down to the Sunny Side of the street.
The next piece was a Pavan by Weiss, expertly delivered by Dave Hampton. We were now thoroughly ready for the main course which arrived promptly at 8pm!. The menu is reproduced below!
Wealden Guitar Society Music Menu
a delicious treat prepared and delivered by Tom, David, Liz and Ray
a tasty number prepared by Chris (and nothing was burnt!!)
based on the Thomas Morley recipe cooked and and presented superbly by Tom, Diana and David
prepared and served by David Liz and Ray (based on Gershwin's recipe)
a taste of South America from David, Tom, Liz and Ray
Prelude 3 (Villa Lobos) with a side dish from Sergio Assad's recipe book
prepared and served with panache from Miles Roberts
arranged by Ray Love and served by Ray, Val and Charlie
Pavan from Ravel's recipe book
A tasty little French dish prepared by David and Tom
arranged by Ray Love and served by Val and Ray
Latin Number and a pudding (aint she sweet)
arranged, and served by Colin
prepared by Tom, Liz and Ray
A tasty dessert served by Shalom, Eileen, Val and Charlie
Needless to say it was a great evening of entertainment and special thanks goes to Ray Love and the Wealden Society for preparing such a tasty musical menu. Michelin stars all round!!
While the Wealden Society catered for our musical appetites, a special mention should go to Trevor Pike for organising and providing the actual refreshments for everyone. Thanks again Trevor!!