WINCHESTER GUITAR FESTIVAL 31 May – 1 June 2024
FRIDAY 31 MAY
Songs of Mourning, Songs of Faith and Joy – 7PM St Paul’s Church SO22 5AB tickets
James Gilchrist (tenor) / Mark Eden (guitar)
PROGRAM: John Dowland, John Coprario, Alisa Dixson
James Gilchrist is widely regarded as one of the finest tenors of his generation, and appears here with guitarist and WGF director Mark Eden.
Their programme of songs for voice and guitar takes the listener on a journey spanning four hundred years of music. It begins with the exquisite repertoire of songs written in the English Renaissance expressing melancholy and grief, a tradition identified above all with the lute music of John Dowland. Alongside Dowland, the concert features his contemporary John Coprario, whose Songs of Mourningwere written on the death of Prince Henry, eldest son of James I, in 1612. Sometimes referred to as the first song cycle, they offer an intimate exploration of grief, and a desolate beauty that embodies both sorrow and its consolation.
The revival of the lute in the second half of the twentieth century inspired a new repertoire of music responding to the work of Dowland and other composers of the English Renaissance. Ailsa Dixon (recently hailed by the British Music Society as ‘one of the many female composers missing from the history of British music in the twentieth century’) studied the lute with Dowland’s biographer Diana Poulton, and was a founder member of the Lute Society. Her Songs of Faith and Joy, a set of five Biblical settings written to contrast with Coprario’s Songs of Mourning, take their inspiration from Psalm 126: ‘they that sow in tears shall reap in joy’.
James Gilchrist is widely regarded as one of the finest tenors of his generation, and appears here with guitarist and WGF director Mark Eden, international recitalist and winner of the Julian Bream Prize.
Their programme of songs for voice and guitar takes the listener on a journey spanning four hundred years of music. It begins with the exquisite repertoire of songs written in the English Renaissance expressing melancholy and grief, a tradition identified above all with the lute music of John Dowland. Alongside Dowland, the concert features his contemporary John Coprario, whose Songs of Mourningwere written on the death of Prince Henry, eldest son of James I, in 1612. Sometimes referred to as the first song cycle, they offer an intimate exploration of grief, and a desolate beauty that embodies both sorrow and its consolation.
Young Artist Concert – PAWEL POLTORAK – 9PM St Paul’s Church SO22 5AB tickets
Pawel is an exciting emerging performer who also has a passion for teaching and arranging. A graduate of the Polish National Music School of First and Second degree in Białystok in the class of Marcin Skutnicki. A laureate of numerous national and international competitions, including the National Guitar Competition in Elbląg and the National Spring Guitar Competition in Lublin. He graduated with distinction from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in the class of Mark Eden and Mark Ashford. He is currently studying for his Masters there. University scholarship holder and winner of the Academic Guitar Prize. Participated in numerous master classes, including those of Xuefei Yang, Paul Galbraith, Laura Snowden and Marek Pasieczny.
SATURDAY 1 JUNE
MOSAIC Guitar Ensemble – directed by Amanda Cook – 1pm Paul’s Church SO22 5AB tickets
Mosaic Guitar Ensemble was formed in 2012, when a group of like-minded classical guitar enthusiasts began looking for a more intensive and progressive guitar ensemble. Under the direction of Chris Stell they sought to expand on the musical achievements gained at various guitar festivals and workshops and the result, “Mosaic” came together with a shared passion for the guitar in ensemble. Amanda Cook took over the baton in January 2024 and they continue to perform repertoire to a high standard, and give concerts raising funds for charity. Their concert is in aid of Play2 Charity who organise a youth guitar festival in Armenia.
SATURDAY 1 JUNE
EDEN STELL GUITAR DUO – 7.30pm St Paul’s Church SO22 5AB tickets
Internationally renowned for their dynamism, innovation and breathtaking virtuosity the Eden Stell Guitar Duo – Mark Eden & Chris Stell, have ‘breathed new life into the world of the classical guitar’ (Rotterdam Dagblad). Widely regarded as one of the world’s leading guitar ensembles, the duo’s chameleon-like ability to communicate in a multitude of musical styles makes them a constantly evolving entity with a unique creative voice.
The Duo’s program will celebrate the centenary year of guitar legend Ida Presti (1924-1966) who together with Alexandra Lagoya formed a guitar duo partnership which inspired a generation of players and created a richly original repertoire of music for two guitars including works by Andre Jolivet and Daniel Lesur as well as Presti herself.
The program will also feature folkloric arrangements of Armenian music by Komitas, Babajanyan, and Sarajyan, and baroque sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti from the Duo’s recent recording release on the Deux-Elles Classical label reviewed on BBC Radio 3 – “The (Scarlatti) arrangements work so well. The clarity of the lines remind me of listening to classic Horowitz piano recordings. It’s a good recording!”
“The fantastic Eden Stell duo manage to extract every gram of essence from this music and re-present it tastefully and imaginatively” MusicWeb International