YouTube Livestream today at 1pm Sunday 20th March (NZT)

Hi there fellow guitar slingers!

Today I’ll be going live on the NBN guitar YouTube channel to discuss what I’ve been up to since COVID began and my plans for the channel and website. I’ll also be giving you a sneak preview of two amazing pieces from the classical guitar repertoire from Albeniz and Barrios!

I hope to see your fingers flying there!

Josh

RIP Julian Bream

Moe mai ra e te Rangatira…(Sleep, oh chief)

Takoto mai, takoto mai, takoto mai…(Lie, lie, lie)

Haere ki runga i to waka rererangi…(Travel aboard your heavenly vessel)

Haere ki nga whetu kei runga i to po roa, to po nui, te po tapu…(Go to the many stars of the long night, the great night, the sacred night)

Haere, haere, haere…(Depart, depart, depart…)

Julian Bream was what I would like to call a ‘Musician’s musician’. He was everything that many of us aspire to be - a virtuoso; a gentleman and a scholar; an indefatigable tour de force in the guitar and lute world; a transcriptionist par excellence; and an all-round good chap.

I had the incredible privilege of seeing Julian perform in Napier in 1988 when I was in my first year at high school. Unfortunately, I was so new to the guitar that I had scarcely a clue as to who he was and what he was playing. I do remember that he played All in Twilight by the Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu (I believe it had been commissioned the year prior).

When I was undertaking my performance major in classical guitar at Victoria university in Wellington I would often pull out a vinyl recording of Julian Bream and listen to him playing the Concierto de Aranjuez by Joaquin Rodrigo. I had never heard anything so exquisite apart from Segovia playing J. S. Bach’s Chaconne. Even today rarely more than a few days go past without me listening to Julian playing a piece in his own way - the Julian Bream way.

To me the way Julian played was unique amongst all players. His thunderous pizzicato in the beginning stanza of Granados’ La Maya de Goya, or the sultry sul tasto in Turina’s Fandanguillo are truly unforgettable displays of his extraordinary depth of musical understanding. The tonal variations and his idiosyncratic approach to phrasing and interpretation, salient in a world so full of amazing players.

When I was a bit younger I was in camp Williams because I just couldn’t believe his technical command so I tended to model my playing to mimic John (falling way way short). However, as I have aged I have gone back to Julian and analysed many of his transcriptions and increased my admiration of his approach and sound. The ending of my performance of Serenata Espanola by Malats is totally JB. I listened to his performance several times and then transcribed it by ear. To my knowledge nobody ends that piece like Julian does.

I am happy and unimaginably thankful that JB left a massive lexicon of music for lute and guitar for us to enjoy through the coming years.

Please feel free to comment and share your experience with Julian and his music below.

Concentric Rings. Victoria Guitar Trio Album Review

Introduction

To be honest it's been years since I've bought a classical guitar album. With the growing popularity of YouTube, Vimeo, and Twitch I find myself watching AND listening to players more and more rather than merely listening to an mp3. However, a couple of weeks ago I thankfully stumbled across a new classical guitar recording from the Victoria Guitar Trio based in Victoria, Canada. I decided to purchase the album and let me tell you it was a very good decision.

The Guitarists -

• Adrian Verdejo
• Bradford Werner
• Michael Dias

The Composers -

• Jordan Nobles
• Scott Edward Godin
• Rodney Sharman
• rd wraggett (according to Bradford Werner this is exactly how he prefers his name to be written)
• Benton Roark

The Pieces -

The album is comprised of thirteen pieces with two from Nobles, seven from Godin (forming a suite called 'On Poeticos'), two from Sharman, and one each from wraggett & Roark. The album title is taken from the opening piece by Nobles and it sets the listener in a good, warm place. I won't go into too much detail as I think it best that you head on over to iTunes and listen to the sound samples to get a feel for the music from your own perspective.

Things I liked about the album

• Top notch playing
• Excellent recording fidelity
• New pieces from exciting composers
• Thirteen pieces representing great value

Things I might have changed about the album

• Different mixing to capture the essence of each guitarist

Conclusion

This really is a must-have album for lovers of excellent classical guitar music. It is a pleasant departure from the done-to-death pieces from yesteryear.

Let your fingers fly!

Josh