Thursday 9th April 2026

It was a pleasure to witness the masterful performance of Gonçalo Maia Caetano at Bristol Classical Guitar Society on 9/04/2026,  as part of IGF’s Young Artist Platform, which he completed last year. 

He was born in Coimbra, Portugal and started playing guitar at the age of 7 years. 

After studying in the Academia de Musica in Pinhel with Prof Pedro Espino, he completed his BA in classical guitar at the Royal Academy of Music with Professor Michael Lewin and went on to complete an advanced Diploma. Whilst at the Royal Academy of Musica, he won the Blyth Watson Concerto prize. He has performed in many concerts across Portugal, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria and the UK , and has won more than 10 international competitions. He was awarded the Prince’s Prize in 2023, and was the Musicians’ Company Award winner 2022/23. He has a passion for Jazz music and plays in the Phemo quartet as a bass player along with pianist Ashkan Layegh who wrote the commissioned piece we heard this evening. 

Gonçalo played a varied programme starting with Sylvius Leopold Weiss’ Overture in B-flat major.   He created bright, joyful and warm tones with his new Greg Smallman guitar. He played wonderfully clear harmonics and ligados. 

We were then treated to 4 movements by Toru Takamitsu under the title All in Twilight. The composer had been very influenced by a Paul Klee painting exhibited in New York under the same name, which inspired the composition . The first movement was discordant, and full of harmonics, the dark 2nd piece haunting with resonant base tones, the 3rd full of ascending and descending arpeggiated sequences which gave a dramatic feel and the 4th a slightly lighter and faster theme with more harmonics. 

Miguel Llobet’s Scherzo-Vals was obviously very demanding of his left hand, with its very rapid scale sequences and ligados and its playful cadences. 

In Augustin Barrios-Mangore’s Mazurka Appassionata, Gonçalo expertly mastered the essence of the mazurka, balancing the sensuous, ethereal song-like passages with moments of dramatic tension.

The IGF-commissioned piece (For Solo Guitar 2) by Ashkan Layegh was entirely suited to Gonçalo’s love of jazz, and explored the concept of “consistency through inconsistency”. The core of the music is built on 12 groove-based patterns which are treated as fragments which are regularly juxtaposed and reconfigured, successfully blurring the margins between classical music and jazz. 

The evening ended with a wonderful rendition of Sergio Assad’s Aquarelle, a movement of 3 pieces which reflects on the structure of Brazilian folk rhythms. Gonçalo showed his mastery of the technical difficulties of the pieces.  The 2nd movement, Valseana, named after one of Assad’s students, was the most recognisable, and the high energy and syncopated rhythms of Preludio e Toccatina brought the concert to a finale. 

I think that the BCGS would agree we have witnessed an incredible new talent with amazing lightness and speed of hand. We will hear a lot more of him in the future I’m sure!

Programme

Silvius Leopold Weiss (1687–1750)
Overture in B-flat major

Toru Takemitsu (1930–1996)
All in Twilight
I. —
II. Dark
III. —
IV. Slightly Fast

Miguel Llobet (1878–1938)
Scherzo-Vals

Agustín Barrios Mangoré (1885–1944)
Mazurka Appassionata

Ashkan Layegh (b. 1997)
For Solo Guitar 2 (IGF Commission, 2025)

Sérgio Assad (b. 1952)
Aquarelle
I. Divertimento
II. Valseana
III. Prelúdio e Toccatina

Thursday 12th March 2026

It was an honour and real treat for BCGS to host Johan at one of our Thursday, monthly meet-ups. His recital focussed upon music written for guitar in Victorian London during the middle of the 19th century – arguably the high point of classical guitar playing in the UK. Contrasting with the deep resonance and sustain of a modern (post-Torres) guitar, Johan’s use of an original 1850’s parlor guitar propelled us back in time to the Victorian Salon.

That Johan is a committed teacher of the guitar was evidenced in tonight’s concert by his mixture of playing, presenting and reflection. Through his presentation he conjured up a colourful image of the players, composers, as well as the guitar scene, of ‘Pratten’s London’. Interestingly, although all the composers cited in tonight’s concert lived for a time in England (indeed, Nuske, Pratten, and Regondi all died in London), they were all born outside of the UK.

The same is also true for Swedish born Johan.

Johan opened his recital with a brilliant rendition of the Russian-born Nuske’s Fantasia in C Major, Variations on ‘God Save the King’. From this, it was immediately apparent why Johan uses a guitar made well over 100 years ago: this little, relatively quiet, guitar is capable of producing an astonishing variety of colour and dynamism, an effect that exudes a unique character. This was amply illustrated in Nuske’s fantasia. Johan’s performance provided not only a masterclass of playing on a Victorian guitar, but also highlighted Nuske’s exceptional ability as a composer of music for the guitar.

Johan treated us next to a small selection from the vast compositional output of Catharina Pratten. Moving with her family to England when she was a small child, Catharina was the daughter of the German guitarist and music teacher Ferdinand Pelzer, with herself becoming a leading figure in the guitar world. As a player, not only did she start touring at the incredibly young age of 8 years old, composed over 250 pieces for guitar and voice, and taught widely – including to the daughters of Queen Victoria – she also wrote highly respected teaching methods. Providing us with printed excerpts from Pratten’s method, Johan commented on their remarkable level of detail. In the three pieces he played, Johan very ably demonstrated all of the techniques taught by Pratten: the tonal effects of moving the right hand position in the melancholic A Lost Love; left hand slides, the use of tremolo, harmonics and rasgueado in Forgotten; and the harmonizing of voice and guitar in Twilight. Taken together, these pieces, played by Johan with impressive skill and style, provided striking evidence of how and why the young virtuoso Catherina Pelzer developed into the towering Grande Dame of the Victorian classical guitar, Catherina Pratten.

The next piece Johan played was by the Spaniard Huerta. Huerta was a celebrated guitarist, nicknamed ‘the Paganini of the guitar’ and referred to by Berlioz as one of the three best musicians of his time. Lola Montès was a wonderful dance-like, driven piece, with a bouncy bass line, full of Spanish color, augmented by lavish use of tremolo, arpeggio, pizzicato, and rasgueado.

Johan ended his recital with the virtuosic classic of 19th Century guitar repertoire, Introduction et Caprice, by the Swiss-born Giulio Regondi. Two years Pratten’s senior, like her, Regondi was also a child prodigy. However, his youthful concertizing earned him the great honour of having a
piece of music (op. 46) dedicated to him by no less than Fernando Sor. As in the other offerings from Johan tonight, he performed this very challenging piece with seeming ease, along with huge verve and charm. To hear this wonderful piece performed with such skill and musicality on an original guitar – dating from the period during which it was composed – felt like a privilege and a dreamy time-travel back to a very high point in the history of the classical guitar.

Programme

Johann Abraham Nüske (1796-1865)
Fantasia in C Major: Variations on ‘God Save the King’

Catharina Pratten (1824-1895)
A Lost Love
Forgotten
Twilight

Francisco Trinidad Huerta (1800-1874)
Lola Montès; Boléro Favori et Original Op. 54

Giulio Regondi (1822-1872)
Introduction et Caprice Op. 23

Saturday 15th November 2025

Dressed in smart black jacket and trousers, black polo-neck sweater, polished shoes, and with no introduction other than a courteous bow, Ian Watt opened this recital with the clear trebles and ringing basses of Villa Lobos’s Prelude No. 2. It was immediately impressed upon the audience that here was an extremely capable musician with a confident precision (his eyes were mostly closed) and clarity of sound. Sections 1 and 3 of its ABA structure were played with a charm fitting to ‘the Rascal of Rio’ referred to in its subtitle; yet its middle section had a rhythmic intensity appropriate to its war-dance origins. Ian played Prelude No. 3 with an equal yet different intensity, this time one fitting to the Baroque grandeur of the soundworld of Bach, to whom Villa Lobos dedicated this piece. This was created via the use of slow, deep resonating chords and by ending musical phrases with a strong vibrato. Prelude No. 3 ended with a mesmerising gentle touch that returned us to silence; followed by an enthusiastic applause.

Staying in South America for the whole of the first half of the recital, Ian followed Villa-Lobos’s Preludes with a selection of pieces by the Paraguayan composer, Augustin Barrios. Prior to playing, Ian introduced himself as well as the next composer, referencing Barrios’s flamboyant character and self-conscious aura of mysticism. Ian grouped the first three pieces together, which worked very well, moving from the colorful and highly melodic Madrigal-Gavota; to a yearning, introspective Prelude in C minor, to a technically brilliant Contemplacion. Following these, he introduced his next two pieces by Barrios, both of which are very highly acclaimed both within and beyond the guitar world: the Peruvian waltz, Vals No. 3, and the romantic barcarolle, Julia Florida. Both of these pieces are respected as masterworks of composition for the guitar, yet also offering much interpretational latitude. Ian’s renditions were infused with musical virtuosity and emotional depth. Taken together, these five pieces by Barrios illustrated not only Ian Watt’s mastery of the guitar, but also remind us of the incredible sophistication, range, and quality of Barrios’s compositional output.

Ian ended the first half of this recital with a masterpiece and staple of the classical guitar repertoire: Barrios’s La Catedral. Although it’s hard to imagine La Catedral without its deeply nostalgic and melancholic opening movement, introducing it Ian explained how it was originally published as a two movement piece in 1921, with a third (the initial) movement being added in 1938. I never tire of hearing La Catedral. It is simply stunning, with each player offering it in a slightly different hue. Ian’s rendition was powerfully muscular, robust and virtuosic, with a grandeur that evokes both the Montevideo Cathedral which inspired Barrios in the conception of this piece, as well as the intense, colourful polyphony of the music of his hero, JS Bach.

Opening the second half of the recital, Ian talked about the work of the late John Mcleod, a composer with whom Ian (a fellow Scot) was personally acquainted. Although Mcleod started composing for the guitar only towards the end of his life, his contribution is distinctive and notable. Ian’s performance of Three Mythical Pieces was a real treat: fascinating music that seems to fit Ian’s style of playing perfectly. It’s astonishing that Mcleod was not a guitarist – or maybe it’s due to Ian’s expressive abilities – as these very contemporary, atonal pieces were multi-layered with colour, texture, and technical sophistication, inspiring all sorts of sounds and effects from the guitar. Moving from the rich, resonating harp-like quality in Amphion’s Lyre, to the percussive, insistent, jarring discords of Salamander, to the mysterious, searching quality of Ariadne’s Thread, this was an intense and very pleasurable guitaristic experience.

Guiding us out from Mcleod’s mythical sound world, Ian’s next offering took us back to the centre of modern classical music, by way of Debussy’s much cherished Prelude No. 8, The girl with the flaxen hair. Composed in 1910 and forming part of book 1 of Debussy’s significant 24 preludes for solo piano, Ian Watt’s transcription and playing of this piece not only foregrounds the music’s very charming and innocent beauty, but also the guitar’s ability to render these qualities through its distinctive dynamical range, tonal colour graduations, and harmonic effects. Ian played Prelude No. 8 with much gentleness and care, allowing the music to breathe and radiate. His next piece, also from book 1 of Debussy’s 24 Preludes, Prelude No. 12, Minstrels (transcribed by Castelnuovo-Tadesco), had a very different feel and effect: a more tightly-knit, choppy, almost claustrophobic, rhythm and melody; but nevertheless, it was a piece that changed and developed, or even experimented, in a fantasia-like way. Taken together, these two pieces from Debussy’s 24 preludes, provided a glimpse of this very influential composer’s brilliantly poetic, variable, sketch-like style. They also aptly demonstrated how the enormous versatility of the guitar can render his music with aplomb.

Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco was very prolific. Writing over 100 pieces for the guitar alone, he is celebrated as a great composer for this instrument. His Capriccio Diabolico (“diabolical caprice”) is a homage to the legendary violinist and composer, Niccolo Paganini. Fittingly, it seems to be a devilishly difficult piece to play, with virtuosic mastery of the guitar being mandatory. Ian played Capriccio Diabolico with incredible agility, yet never lost sight of musicality. Indeed, alongside its frantic passages, this piece has grace and beauty. It was a phenomenal performance, amply rewarded by loud applause from an uplifted audience.

Saving us from the allure of Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s devil music, Ian transported us to the spacious wilderness of the Sergio-Leone’s wild west, via his transcription of Ennio Morricone’s film score C’era una Volta il West (Once Upon a Time in the West). Its elegiac, heart-warming nature was heightened by Ian’s gentle tempo and floating harmonics. Ian ended this recital with his own transcription of Isaac Albeniz’s Spanish dance, Seguidillas. It was played with a repeated, conspicuously jaunty rhythm, interspersed with pleasant chord progressions and pleasing gradations of tonal colour. With its sparkling harmonics towards the end, the effect of this final piece in the concert was to leave the listener with a smile on their face.

Ian indulged the audience’s sustained-applause request for an encore with another Spanish dance, composed by Albeniz’s contemporary Enrique Granados. Played with the same skillful musicality as Seguidillas, Ian’s performance of Granados’s Danza No. 5 only served to add further, contented satiety to listener’s fulfilment, perhaps inspiring a skip in their step upon departure from the concert venue.

Programme

Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959)
Cinq Preludes
Prelude No. 2 in E major – “Melodia capadócia”
Prelude No. 3 in A minor – “Homenagem a Bach”

Agustín Barrios Mangoré (1885-1944)
Madrigal – Gavota
Prelude in C minor
Contemplación
Vals No. 3, Op. 8
Julia Florida
La Catedral
i. Preludio (Saudade)
ii. Andante Religioso
iii. Allegro Solemne

John McLeod (1934-2022)
Three Mythical Pieces
Amphion’s Lyre
Salamander
Ariadne’s Thread

Interval

Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Préludes, Book I
No. 8 “La fille aux cheveux de lin” (The girl with the flaxen hair) (tr.: Watt)
No. 12- “Minstrels” (tr.: Castelnuovo-Tedesco)

Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895-1968)
Capriccio Diabolico (Omaggio a Paganini), Op. 85

Ennio Morricone (1928-2020)
C’era una Volta il West (tr.: Watt)

Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909)
Seguidillas, Op. 232/5 (tr.: Watt)

The term Fika comes from the Swedish tradition of enjoying a break during the day to eat or drink something sweet to recharge one‘s energy. The duo aims to build a unique concert repertoire through new arrangements and collaborations with composers, including Zoë‘s own
compositions and live improvisations. I think, based upon their performance, they certainly achieved their goals.

The duo produced a thoughtful programme, showcasing excellent technique and musical synergy, which resonated well with the audience.

The flute can often dominate the sound of a classical guitar in such pairings, but Zoë and Emma were perfectly matched, creating a harmonious interplay which felt both natural and deliberate. This balance set the stage for a high quality performance throughout.

A highlight of the evening was the performance of Swarming, a commissioned piece by Effy Efthymiou which through the duo‘s interplay with rapid, intricate passages, evoked the frenetic buzz of swarming insects.

The duo‘s rendition of Histoire du Tango (Astor Piazzolla) transported the audience through the gritty bordellos of the 1900s, to the more romantic setting of Parisian cafes in the 1930s , Nightclub 1960, infused with bossa nova vibes and the Concert of Today (1985).

Other standouts were Cable to the Sun by fellow student Franklin Onyeso and Zoë‘s improvised composition Low Earth Orbit. Equally impressive was Stephen Goss‘s composition La Catedral Sumergida, a piece originally commissioned for BCGS‘s own Francisco and Emily Correa. The evening concluded with a playful encore, Philip Houghton‘s Gary the Gecko.

I’m sure I can say on behalf of the audience that it was an excellent recital and we look forward to further
performances by this talented duo.

Programme

ASTOR PIAZZOLLA (1921–1992)
Histoire du Tango
i. Bordel 1900

EFFY EFTHYMIOU (1980-)

Swarming (IGF Commission)

ASTOR PIAZZOLLA
Histoire du Tango (ctd.)
ii. Café 1930

FRANKLIN ONYESO (2005–)
Cable to the Sun

ZOË MEADOWCROFT (2005–)
Low Earth Orbit

ASTOR PIAZZOLLA
Histoire du Tango (ctd.)
iii. Nightclub 1960

STEPHEN GOSS (1964–)
La Catedral Sumergida

ASTOR PIAZZOLLA
Histoire du Tango (ctd.)
iv. Concert d’Aujourd’hui

For Micaela, this tour was a chance to perform internationally, but also immerse herself in the UK’s vibrant guitar community, to learn, to teach, and to build friendships through music. For everyone who heard her play, it was an unforgettable reminder of the power of cultural exchange.

About Mica

Micaela (“Mica”) trained at the National Conservatory of Music of Paraguay and the Institute of Fine Arts, before pursuing further studies at the National University of Rosario in Argentina. Along the way, she has studied with leading guitarists including Eduardo Isaac, Eduardo Fernández, and Juan Almada, and taken masterclasses with an impressive list of international stars such as Berta Rojas, William Kanengiser, Edelton Gloeden, and Víctor Villadangos.

Her artistry reflects this wide-ranging background: deeply rooted in Latin American traditions but refined through the discipline of the classical canon. Mica was a member of the “Ensamble Pu Rory” project, directed by Maestra Berta Rojas, and was a recipient of the Instrumentoteca Toyota prize, which gave her not only a fine concert guitar but also the opportunity to travel and develop her career abroad.

A Summer of Music

Mica’s whirlwind UK adventure in August 2025  took her to some of the country’s most important guitar gatherings, as both student and performer.

She first joined the Ammerdown Guitar Summer School, where she quickly impressed both tutors and fellow participants with her sensitive playing and warmth of character. She performed as a guest artist with co-sponsor WAGO at Ammerdown, in the premiere performance of a new 7 mov composition written for WAGO called Wessex Wyverns by Stephen Goss (solists Mark Eden and Nicola Russell).

From there, she travelled to Bath for the International Guitar Foundation (IGF) Summer School, immersing herself in workshops and performances alongside an international mix of players and world-class performers.

Her journey continued to the West Dean Classical Guitar Summer School, one of the UK’s most respected courses. Here, Mica found herself in the company of renowned teachers and fellow students passionate about pushing their playing to the next level. She relished the chance to learn and to share her own musical insights, especially around Latin American repertoire.

One of the standout moments of her trip came at Hawkwood College, where she took part in a masterclass with Craig Ogden, one of Britain’s best-loved guitarists. Not only did she learn from him, but she also had the thrill of sharing the stage with Craig in concert – an early career milestone that will surely stay with her forever.

The tour reached its peak with Mica’s solo full-length recital at St Mary’s Church, Yatton, presented by the Yatton Music Society in partnership with BCGS and the Wyvern Afinado Guitar Orchestra. In this beautiful village setting, she offered a programme that blended the Romantic elegance of Napoléon Coste, the rhythmic drive of Paulo Bellinati, the haunting lyricism of Leo Brouwer, and the unmistakable voice of Paraguay’s own Agustín Barrios Mangoré. It was a performance that left the audience spellbound – a perfect example of how a single guitar, in the hands of the right player, can fill a room with colour, emotion, and narrative.

The Repertoire

Across her various UK appearances, Mica’s repertoire showcased the breadth of her artistry. She moved seamlessly from demanding Romantic era pieces (e.g. Napoleon Coste – Fantasie Op.31 Le Depart) to Spanish classics such as Albéniz’s Sevilla, to Latin American gems including Barrios’s Julia Florida and La Catedral, to modern works like Solís’s Pasaje Abierto and Bellinati’s Jongo and Brouwer’s El Decameron Negro.

Her choices reflected not only her technical command but also her musical identity: a guitarist equally at home with the folk-infused rhythms of her homeland and the wider international guitar concert music. Listeners were treated to music that was both virtuosic and deeply personal – every phrase seemed to carry a story.

Building Bridges

What made this tour so special  was the way Mica connected with people – summer school students, teachers, audiences, and fellow performers. She brought with her a sense of curiosity and openness.

By the time she left, she had built friendships that stretched across continents. For those of us lucky enough to hear her, it was a reminder that music is more than sound: it’s a conversation, a bridge between cultures, and a celebration of our shared humanity.

Gratitude and Looking Forward

This visit wouldn’t have been possible without the generosity of the Bristol Classical Guitar Society, whose sponsorship ensured that Mica could travel and perform here. Special thanks also go to Helen and Vince Smith, who welcomed her into their home and supported her throughout her stay, with Vince also lending Mica a concert guitar for the duration of her trip. 

As Mica returns to Paraguay, she carries with her the experiences, connections, and memories of a truly remarkable summer. And for those of us in the UK, we carry the memory of her playing – sensitive, vibrant, and full of heart.

Her story is still being written, but one thing is certain: this is just the beginning. Next year, Mica will further her studies with a Masters programme in the US. We look forward to following Mica’s career and hearing her play again!

The programme reflected the depth and diversity of our society’s talent:

• Cari and Thorben performed 5 short South American pieces arranged by Yvon Rivoall, and Carolan’s Concert by Turlough Carolan (Arr. Gerald Garcia).
• Tim and Tony L gave a lively set: Scherzo Sobre la Sonrise de un Niño (Arr. Barbosa/Rojas), Fantasia for 2 Lutes (Thomas Robinson), and Tango No.2/Suite España (Albeniz).
• Katherine D played Canarios by Gaspar Sanz
• Paul H brought us Ernest Shand’s Il Pensieroso.
• Andy W closed the first half with Philippe Drogoz’s Prélude à la Mise à Mort – a hugely entertaining and theatrical percussion piece that, remarkably, calls for the use of 12 knitting needles!
• Lewis T played Antonio Lauro’s El Niño
• Vince and Tony M delivered Milan Tesar’s Suita Karrusel.
• Steve W presented Recitativo from Mompou’s Suite Compostelana.
• Tony E played his own evocative composition, Bu Farw Cathod.
• The BCGS Ensemble, under the direction of Francisco, delighted the audience with Valenciana (Arr. Helen James) and Ostinato from St Paul’s Suite by Gustav Holst (arr. Alan Rinehart).

Here are some photos from the night:

Here’s the programme and quiz from the night:

Each performance brought its own character, from Renaissance lute duets to contemporary compositions, from vibrant ensemble playing to intimate solo pieces. The range of styles – classical, romantic, folk-inspired, and modern – showcased just how much richness there is within the guitar repertoire.

A special thank you goes to Francisco for directing the ensemble with such energy and skill, and to all our members who contributed their music to the evening. The concert was not only a celebration of classical guitar but also of community – proof again of how much joy shared music-making can bring.

We wish everyone a wonderful summer, and we look forward to seeing you all again at our autumn meetings and events.

NOTE: Our next meeting will be September.

Composed in 1774, just prior to the birth of the first great classical composers for the guitar, such as Fernando Sor and Mauro Giuliani, the opening piece of this recital provided a fine example of how beautiful music written originally for the piano accumulates new dimensions when performed on guitar.

Mark Eden’s transcription of Mozart’s Sonata No. 4, together with Eden–Stell Duo’s performance of it, made vivid the music’s strongly dialogical character, wherein each voice is pitted against the other in a — by turns — loving, dancing, teasing, and competitive match.

Composed in 1962, almost two hundred years after Mozart’s Sonata No. 4, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s Les Guitares bien Tempérées (1974) is a masterwork of composition for two guitars. Inspired by, and a tribute to, J. S. Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier, it has been described as the longest and most important cycle of works ever composed for two guitars.

In the piece as a whole, there are 24 prelude–fugue pairs, and tonight we were treated to the initial six. If Eden–Stell’s opening piece brought out the dialogical character of Mozart’s Sonata, in this series we had an intense, searching conversation, wherein the two voices were engaged in an almost continuous interlacing, interpenetrating, harmonic exploration and development.

Given that Les Guitares bien Tempérées was written for the Duo Presti–Lagoya, it is fitting that it was followed by a piece composed by Ida Presti. As well as being celebrated as a virtuoso performer, Presti is also considered a first-rate composer for the guitar. Eden–Stell’s wonderful performance of Étude Fantastique intimated both: not only is the music fantasia-like, fascinating for its constant shifts in rhythm and changes in melody — whilst integrating a range of stylistic influences — but it also required, and exhibited, a flawless interweaving of playing wherein the musicians seemingly merged into one living, breathing source of sound.

Eden–Stell opened the second half of their recital with the oldest piece in their program. The Concerto in D is of both eminent and unique provenance: J. S. Bach’s 1715 composition for harpsichord was in fact a transcription of an Oboe Concerto by his contemporary Marcello; which Chris Stell, in turn, arranged for guitar duet.

The long journey this music took to the guitar was worth it:
the Andante was played with a gorgeous alternation of firm touch and singing lightness (spiccato);
its haunting Adagio was imbued with a profundity due to the extent of colour contrast offered by two guitars (one of which — Chris’s — has a deep bass provided by a 7th string);
and its Presto rang out and flowed with the wonderful resonance of sound that is unique to spruce-topped guitars.

Turning to a very different sound world, Eden–Stell’s next offering was a selection of pieces by the 20th-century Armenian composer Arno Babajanyan. From Bach’s formal, Western European Baroque, we were invited into a quiet reflective space, rich in human emotion and Middle Eastern culture.

The pieces selected were from the beginning (Prelude, Impromptu) and end (Elegy) of Babajanyan’s output. Although each of these short pieces was meditative and hypnotic, the last one was filled with a powerful sense of loss and mourning.

To end their program, Eden–Stell stayed within the 20th century, but this time within the atonal sound world of André Jolivet. With their program nodding once again to their esteemed forebears, Sérénade pour deux guitares (1956) was commissioned by Duo Presti–Lagoya.

Eden–Stell described the Sérénade as “unique in its sonic originality, showcasing Jolivet’s command for the guitar’s harmonic scope, tone colour, texture, and articulation … in short, it is a masterpiece of extraordinary originality.”

The deep respect Eden–Stell have for both Jolivet’s composition, as well as Duo Presti–Lagoya’s contribution to the history of the guitar, could be seen, heard, and felt in every note of their performance of the Sérénade.

Indeed, Eden–Stell’s rendition of Sérénade constituted the final part of a masterclass concert of exceptional skill and verve, dedication to the guitar and its history, and teamwork coordinated at the level of breath.

For the audience of this wonderful recital, it allowed for a celebration of enormous musicality.

Programme

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)
Sonata No. 4 K282 (arr. Mark Eden)

• Adagio
• Minuet I / Minuet II
• Allegro

Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895–1968)
Preludes and Fugues from Les Guitares bien Tempérées

• Prelude and Fugue I – G minor
• Prelude and Fugue II – D major
• Prelude and Fugue III – A minor
• Prelude and Fugue IV – E major
• Prelude and Fugue V – B minor
• Prelude and Fugue VI – F♯ major

Ida Presti (1924–1967)
Étude Fantastique

INTERVAL

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
Concerto in D BWV 974 (after Marcello, arr. Chris Stell)

• I. Andante e spiccato
• II. Adagio
• III. Presto

Arno Babajanyan (1921–1983)
Three Pieces (arr. Chris Stell)

• Prelude
• Impromptu
• Elegy

André Jolivet (1905–1974)
Sérénade pour deux guitares

• I. Preludio e canzona
• II. Allegro Trepidante
• III. Andante Malinconico
• IV. Con Allegria

Despite being a well known advocate for new music, Pavel began his recital with a cornerstone of the classical guitar repertoire, Villa-Lobos’ Cinq Préludes. Looking at this choice in the context of the concert as a whole, it can be seen that not only did the Préludes provide him with a marvellous vehicle through which he was able to exhibit his flawless touch, assured virtuosity, and mastery of tone, but the Préludes’ stylistic variation are also in keeping with the unique mixture of poetics, tradition, mystique, searching exploration and experimentation that Pavel’s playing communicates.

Moving on from the visionary boldness of Villa-Lobos’s expansive Préludes, Pavel’s natural delicacy of touch enabled him to play Dowland’s intimate and poetic fantasias with a beguiling warmth and sensitivity. Pavel’s conjuring of the imaginative realm of Dowland’s Elizabethan England provided a fitting passage to his next offering, Pure Imagination, a modern fantasia constituted by delicious discordant chords and floating harmonics that hypnotised the audience.

The Italian composer Domeniconi’s Koyunbaba (“Koyun” = “sheep”, “Baba” = “father”) is a piece that is obviously very important to Pavel, not only because it is about a region of Turkey — a country which neighbours his homeland of Bulgaria — but also because it is a work filled with a sense of native tradition and culture, of otherliness, akin to much of the music of Villa-Lobos. And like in his performance of the Préludes, in Pavel’s skilful hands the rhythmic intensity of Koyunbaba evoked a captivating aura of mystery and legend.

Following the interval, Pavel played his own transcription of Bach’s monumental Chaconne from the Partita for Violin. Described by Johannes Brahms as a piece containing “a whole world of the deepest thoughts and most powerful feelings,” Pavel’s performance amply illustrated that he has both the technical ability and musical sensitivity to present Bach’s vision to stunning effect.

Following this Pavel/Bach vision, the audience was treated to another one — this time that of Steve Reich’s Electric Counterpoint, arranged by Pavel. Relying upon pre-recorded backing tracks against which he played classical guitar, Electric Counterpoint was a truly immersive experience. Indeed, commenting upon Pavel’s recording of his minimalist work, Reich himself praised it for its “combination of clarity and extremely rich ringing overtone texture.”

Pavel closed his concert with one of his own compositions, Wave 1, a piece which, as he explained, was inspired by particle physics — specifically Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle, which shows how we cannot know a particle’s position and momentum at the same time; a principle which points to the ultimate mystery and unknowability of matter, of life. Like much of his playing tonight, Wave 1 was thought-provoking and enigmatic, delivered with delicacy and grace.

Given his ability to conjure up worlds through his playing — be they that of the native Brazilian, one of Elizabethan longing, sheep-farming in the rugged landscapes of the Middle East, the pure music of imagination or of Bach, or, indeed, those of synthesised electronics or even vibrating particles — John Williams’ characterisation of Pavel Ralev as “a poet of the guitar” is spot on. Like exemplary poetry, his playing stops us in our tracks, lifts us out of the mundane, transports us to new, other-worldly places, from which we can view, and re-appreciate, both music and life.

Programme

Cinq Préludes – H. Villa-Lobos (1887–1959)

• No. 1 Homenagem ao sertanejo brasileiro
• No. 2 Homenagem ao Malandra Carioca
• No. 3 Homenagem a Bach
• No. 4 Homenagem ao Indio Brasileiro
• No. 5 Homenagem a Vida Social

Awake, sweet love, thou art return’d – J. Dowland (1563–1626)

• A Fancy P5
• A Fancy P6

Pure Imagination (arr. Ant Law) – Newley, Bricusse & Hannon

Koyunbaba – Carlo Domeniconi (b. 1947)

• I. Moderato
• II. Mosso
• III. Cantabile
• IV. Presto

INTERVAL

Partita for Violin No. 2, BWV 1004 – J. S. Bach (1685–1750)

• Chaconne (trans. Ralev)

Electric Counterpoint – S. Reich (b. 1936)

• I. Fast
• II. Slow
• III. Fast

Wave I – P. Ralev (b. 1991)

Introduction

It was a great privilege to welcome Cai Charles and Oliver Manning, two very talented and up-and-coming players, to give a performance through the IGF Young Artists’ Platform on 13 March 2025. Cai and Oliver have been performing as a duo since 2020, having met during their undergraduate studies at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Oliver Manning was selected by John Williams to become a Julian Bream Trust Scholar in 2023 to support his postgraduate studies at the Royal College of Music, London, and was winner of the John Mills Guitar Competition and also of the Orpheus Voice and Guitar Competition. Cai Charles was a winner of the Solo String Competition at the Wales National Eisteddfod. He also gave the UK premiere solo performance of the Dos Dalias concerto by Gerard Tamez during the World Harp Congress in St David’s Hall, Wales, in 2022. The duo has performed both in the UK and at the Maestros de la Guitarra concert series in Granada, Spain.

The IGF helps to launch the career of young guitarists as they embark on their concert careers, and by commissioning music written specifically for the players.

Programme (selections)

• Stephen Goss — Cocktail List (six of twelve miniatures): “Boulevardier”, “Negroni”, “Alabama Slammer”, “Vodka Martini”, “Vieux Carré”, “Manhattan”.
• Traditional Welsh (arr. Stephen Goss) — “David of the White Rock”, “Suo Gan”, “Hunting the Hare”.
• David John Roche — Quaver Dreams and Quaver Nightmares:
  I. Limited Chordal Universe; II. NotBach; III. Aggressive Bicycle Music. (World premiere of a BCGS-commissioned work in three movements.)
• Carlo Domeniconi — Fire Brigade on Ice from Circus Music.

Performance

Cai and Oliver exuded confidence as they started their performance with 6 out of the 12 miniature pieces of the Cocktail List by popular British Composer Stephen Goss. ( “Boulevardier”, “Negroni”, “Alabama Slammer”, “Vodka martini”, “Vieu Carré” and “Manhattan”). The selection gave the duo the opportunity to show their virtuosity, rapidly switching styles between Jazz, nostalgic, discordant, hints of James Bond, Blues and music reflecting a mood of New York. They definitely have good stage chemistry, know each others play so well and their technique and timing were immaculate.

The mood changed as the duo played a selection of well known Welsh folk songs arranged by Stephen Goss, including the much loved “David of the white Rock”, “Suo Gan” and “Hunting the Hare”. The performers played with great sensitivity to achieve a much more soulful, lilting and melancholic sound.

The Duo then performed a world premiere of their commissioned piece in 3 Movements by young composer David John Roche Quaver dreams and quaver nightmares I. Limited Chordal Universe II. NotBach and III. Aggressive Bicycle Music.The final piece brought out their strong sense of fun when they donned red noses to play Carlo Domeniconi’s Fire Brigade on Ice from Circus Music.

Closing Thoughts

The Wales Duo gave a memorable and technically brilliant performance and the pair clearly has a bright future ahead. You can follow them on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/walesguitarduo/