BIWAKO RECITAL SERIES
Vol.26 Raphaella Smits , Guitar Recital, Mar.-9, 2005

BIWAKO RECITAL SERIES
vol.26
Raphaella Smits

Guitar Recital

2005,Mar.9 (Wed.) 7pm
at Biwako Hotel Chapel


BIWAKO RECITAL SERIES
vol.26
Raphaella Smits

Guitar Recital


Mar.9 (Wed.) 7pm
at Biwako Hotel Chapel
4,000 yen
info/Manzana 075-972-2834

ticket reservation

 

"Raphaella Smits is ...

... a world class musician." (Fred Brouwers, Radio Klara, BE)
... an uncommonly musical guitarist." (Tim Page, New York Times, USA)
... one of the most delicate and most cultivated performers of our time." (Jean Bernard, Diapason, FR)
Raphaella Smits plays worldwide in her unique way eight-string guitars and historical instruments. Solo recitals as well as performances in duo with the most distinguished colleagues. Besides that stage-work she has made 14 successful albums, many of them being listed as indispensable to refined music lovers.
Raphaella Smits is internationally praised as a teacher for both guitar and chamber music. In addition to her chair at the Lemmens Institute in Belgium, she regularly gives master classes in West and East Europe, in North and South America and in Japan.

Organizers of international music competitions ask RaphaÏlla as a member of the jury because of her ability to listen and to judge so accurately. Here again she shows her talent to combine professional skills with a great sense of empathy.

Raphaella Smits is called quite rightly "une Grande Musicienne.

" More info at http://www.rsmits.com

PROGRAM ...
On a Mirecourt guitar (1827) / Luigi LEGNANI/Caprices, opus 20 Franz SCHUBERT/Aufenthalt Johann Kaspar MERTZ/Harmonie du soir
On a John Gilbert guitar (1980)/ Sergio ASSAD/Farewell Wim HENDERICKX/Saeta Johann Sebastian BACH/Chaconne, BWV 1004

Classical Music on 19th c. original guitar,
modern music and "Ciaccona" by J.S.Bach on J.Gilbert guitar...

Raphaella Smits makes 2nd JAPAN tour in March 2005. Many of Japanese guitar fans still remember her rich sound and exciting performance.
Raphaella will bring two guitars, one is original 19th c. guitar (Mirecourt/1827) and the another is famous J.Gilbert 8-strings Guitar. Music by Mertz, Schubert and Legnani will be played on Mirecourt. Assad, Henderickx and Bach will be played on Gilbert.

When Raphaella apears on the stage of BIWAKO RECITAL SERIES (Biwako Hotel Chapel), it will be real "Harmonie du soir"!

 

*Raphaella's last concert in BIWAKO

PROGRAM NOTE ...

Raphaella Smits
RECITAL PROGRAM

The Mirecourt guitar (1827)
My luthier Bernhard Kresse bought this instrument at an auction in Vichy, France, in 1995. Although the instrument was falling into pieces, all the parts were in good condition and showed no damage. It is a typical guitar of the late 1820's or the early 1830's, with its classical shape and design, which we know from the guitar makers of Mirecourt, Paris. I asked Bernhard Kresse to add a seventh string: this modification was quite usual in the 1840's and 1850's, and recalls the music of Mertz and Coste.

Luigi LEGNANI (1790-1877) - Caprices, opus 20
Legnani wrote these miniatures inspired by the Caprices of Paganini. The differences of key, color and thematic material give each Caprice its own distinct character. The Romantic style of the Italian bel canto is never far away.

Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828) Ð Aufenthalt
Schubert was above all the master of the Lied. He wrote his accompaniments simply, supporting the character of the text, with little agitation in the harmony or the rhythm. Thus he displayed his sympathy for the guitar, an instrument which he himself played.

Johann Kaspar MERTZ (1806-1856) - Harmonie du soir In 1986 Jim D'Addario introduced me to Mario Maccaferri. This legendary guitarist then played me several pieces by Mertz, a composer unknown to me. It was a revelation. Mertz is the supreme romantic with his inevitable vibrato, rubato and his demand for a personal artistic investment.

The John Gilbert guitar (1980)
John Gilbert (1922), a former tool engineer at the computer industry, became a completely self-taught guitar maker. Carrying out repairs and building guitars as a hobby since 1965, encouragements from players made him decide to become a full-time guitar maker in 1974. His experience in high-tech engineering gave Gilbert a special attitude, focusing on measurement of dimensions, weight and stiffness. The result was a reputation for consistency, both from one instrument to another and from the lowest to the highest fret. John GilbertÕs son William (Bill) joined him in 1991.

Sergio ASSAD - Farewell
ÔFarewellÕ was composed in 1993 for the score of the Japanese film Natsu no Niwa (Summer Garden) by Shinji Soumai, and it is dedicated to the memory of Sergio Assad's wife, who died after the film's completion.

Wim HENDERICKX - Saeta
A ÔSaetaÕ is a devotional song genre, one of the Andalusian categories of ÔCante HondoÕ (deep song). The saeta has long been associated with the Holy Week in Seville: it is sung along the extended route of the all-night street procession in an atmosphere of fervour and vitality, intermixed with deep reverence and joy.
Saeta contains 7 parts, inspired by JesusÕ Way of the Cross:
1. Christ condemned to death
2. The way of the cross of Jesus
3. Lamentation of Mary
4. The crucifixion of Jesus
5. His death on the cross
6. The resurrection of Jesus
7. Meditation

Johann Sebastian BACH - Chaconne, BWV 1002
The Chaconne is a polyphonic work written for the violin, a non polyphonic instrument. However, Bach showed us how to adapt such work to other instruments. I play this music straight from the manuscript and I add the necessary harmonies Ð as Bach himself used to do.



*Our Japanese site has more contents about "Designing" and "Ringo Note"
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