Category: Interviews

Introducing Rising Star of the Classical Guitar Daniel Nistico…..Ooh and hear about the Adelaide International Guitar Festival too!

Nicole Neal3 Comments

I’ve previously mentioned the up-and-coming young Melbourne-based guitarist Daniel Nistico on this blog. He really is a guitarist to watch out for in the next year or two. I’ve seen him develop as a guitarist and musician over the last 18 months or so (and have even had the pleasure of playing alongside him in a Slava Grigoryan Masterclass and most recently with the CGSV Guitar Orchestra) – he truly is player of fantastic talent and musicality, not to mention being a thoroughly decent kind of chap, incredibly modest, oh and has awesome hair too.

Daniel frequently performs around Melbourne, including the Classical Guitar Society of Victoria‘s Twilight Recitals, and is a very active member of the Society too. He features regularly on both 3MBS Fine Music and ABC Classic FM.  Last year Daniel represented Australia and New Zealand, winning the 2011 Lions Global Youth Music Competition, really establishing himself as a concert guitarist of high calibre.

So, I thought I’d take the opportunity of introducing you, dear readers – particularly those of you outside Australia – to one of Australia’s hottest rising stars. Remember you saw him here first!!

Daniel took some time out of his busy schedule between practice session, competing in the finals of the Adelaide International Guitar competition and hanging out with the glitterati of the classical guitar world to put pen to paper (or rather fingers to keyboard) to tell us a bit about himself.
What’s your background with the guitar? How did you get started?
My dad played some tapes of John Williams and Karin Schaupp (yes, cassette tapes!) in the car when I was young and I really enjoyed listening to them. Also during this time my dad played classical guitar as a hobby, having previously been in a band. When I was around 12 I asked my dad to teach me what he was playing and so he did.

The first pieces I learned were mainly Italian and Spanish popular song arrangements like Granada, Besame Mucho and Spanish Romance. Due to the fact that my dad taught me frequently (almost every night) and by imitation I learned these pieces in a short period of time. Eventually I was instructed to read music by myself. I then spent hours each day figuring out how to read music on the guitar. Not too long after this I studied with Susan Ellis and then attended ANAM young academy and VCASS where I studied with Ben Dix.

How was your preparation for the Adelaide International Guitar Festival?
Well preparation for concerts is always a bit daunting, especially for something like a competition or exam where the panel are listening very critically.

I chose pieces that I’ve known for quite some time so it’s mainly been about refining the interpretative elements and keeping the difficult passages under control technically. I’ve been recording myself a lot and I find that very useful because it often reveals how distorted the balance of your ideas can be sometimes – they’re either not happening or being overdone!

What else are you working on at the moment and what can we expect to see from Dan Nistico in the next year or so?
I’m working on some repertoire for the end of year exam at uni (Daniel is currently studying for a Masters degree in Music Performance at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music). This includes Prelude Fugue and Allegro by Bach, Sonatina in A by Torroba and a much more recently composed piece by American composer John Anthony Lennon, also called Sonatina.

I’m also preparing for my debut album that will be recorded in December. The repertoire for this will include Invocation et Danse by Rodrigo, Mazurka Appasionatta by Barrios and the previously mentioned Sonatina by Lennon.

By mid next year I will have completed my Masters degree if all goes to plan. Once the CD that I’ll be recording is released I’d like to do an Australia-wide tour to promote it.

I’m also currently applying for a scholarship to study a Doctor of Musical Arts in the United States at either Yale or Eastman School of Music. I would also like to travel and attend guitar/music festivals overseas and participate in more competitions – they’re a great way of gaining some exposure amongst great artists and guitarists.

What music excites you the most and why?
The answer to this question probably changes from time to time. In terms of playing and performing, the music of Bach is probably one of the most exciting for me because there is always such depth in structure, technique and expression. I find Bach to be very challenging at times because sometimes the structural complexity can hinder my ability to interpret the piece in a manner that will be moving for myself and listeners. But this is why it is exciting for me!

What are your top tips for someone learning or thinking of learning the classical guitar?
The first tip I can give is to get absorbed in the culture of the guitar, which is quite easy to do these days with the help of technology. Find pieces and guitarists that you enjoy listening to. Go to live concerts. Develop a passion for the music and the instrument if you don’t have it already.

Find a suitable teacher. For a beginner this might be different than for a more experienced guitarist. Again there are many resources online for finding teachers.

Look for a decent instrument, as it can be a hindering for your development if your guitar is not working for you.

Try and find other beginners who have similar interests to you and play at a similar level. A good way of doing this in Melbourne is to attend the guitar gatherings and play in the Guitar Orchestra. That would probably establish a good starting point and from there it is up to the person to follow through and see where it takes them – it’s well worth the journey. Imagination and discipline are two ingredients that I think can create a good recipe for a musician.

The Aussie classical guitar scene, I think you’d agree, is definitely growing and becoming stronger. Where do you see it headed in the next couple years?
Yes I definitely agree with you there. There are many strong guitarists and guitar ensembles emerging in Australia. I think this is largely due to the increasing numbers of quality guitar teachers in Australia including my own, Anthony Field and his teacher Tim Kain.

The incredible number of quality guitar luthiers is playing a part as they have helped define the “Aussie sound”. It also seems to me that the international guitar scene in general is flourishing. There are more festivals, competitions, masterclasses and concerts and I think Australia is starting to be part of this culture. The Adelaide Guitar Festival is a good reflection of this.

Which players do you find the most inspiring or exciting?
This can change somewhat from time to time, but there are a few that I’ve recently found inspiring. Jorge Caballero, Rafael Aguirre, Marcin Dylla, Zoran Dukic and Ricardo Gallen are to name but a few. If you haven’t heard of them then I recommend going on YouTube right now!

When you’re not practicing and playing, what do you get up to? Activities with minimal nail damaging potentially presumably?!
Yes, nail damage can be an influence on the hobbies us guitarists take up. I enjoy reading, Yoga, video games and drinking good beer with friends. I find the balance of practice to be really important – sometimes staying inside and practicing all day can have negative impacts. It can also be beneficial to take a break from music related activities in order to refresh your mind.

How was the Adelaide International Guitar Festival experience for you?
It was a great festival this year! A spectacular line up of performances, including Ana Vidovic and Paolo Bellinati. It was a good vibe being surrounded by luthiers, students, professionals and guitar aficionados all in the one place – very inspiring. The schedule was jam packed and very hectic, especially when you have to fit in some time for practice! Basically you’d wake up, get ready, go to some classes or talks, watch a few concerts, hang out at the bar and go to bed!

You did fantastically well getting through to the final of the competition. What are your thoughts on the competition? How you played? How others played?
Thank you, it was nice to get through to the final round. I thought I played quite well in the semi-final round – it was a bit more casual and the room was small and not hard to fill with sound. In the finals I found the venue to be a little dry acoustically and coupled with the fact that it was such a big performance I think I might have pushed myself a little harder than usual, which can have quite negative affects on your playing.

I performed Prelude from Lute Suite 995 by Bach and La Catedral by Barrios. We had a 15 minute time limit with at least one work needing to be pre-1850 and another post-1850. The standard was incredible all round this year – I managed to watch the second half of the finals in which 3 out of the 4 performers got placed, including the winner Andrey Lebedev and big congrats to him!

What really stood out to me was the different styles of playing you observe when hearing players back to back – it’s great to see such individual style even when the same pieces are being performed. Not to mention all the different guitars used, from traditional to Smallman. Even appearances were quite varied and unique.

Which acts did you check out at the Festival and which was your favourite?
I went to almost every concert! There was Slava and Leonard Grigoryan and they did an arrangement of The Seasons by Tchaikovsky – that was absolutely stunning playing, they even swapped guitars for one of the movements.

Ana Vidovic played a solo concert and she is certainly an incredibly refined performer. Her sensitive phrasing, dynamics and command of the instrument really stood out to me. I was a little disappointed with the repertoire, but I can understand that it’s her first Australian appearance so it’s probably a safer option to stick with the “classics”.

Paolo Bellinati and another guitarist Weber Lopes performed some groovy Brazilian original compositions, including Bellinati’s big hit Jongo. This concert just kept getting better and better, some really rhythmic and expressive playing happening.

The little I saw of jazz legend John Scofield was utterly incredible – unfortunately I had to do a sound check for the competition at the same time as his concert. Scofield has an incredible musical language and sound palette, coupled with an extreme mastery of the instrument. There seemed to be no boundaries in what he was doing.

Edin Karamazov was one of the most unique players I’ve ever seen. He played lute and guitar and fairly standard repertoire including Bach’s Chaconne, 3 Barrios Valses and Invierno Porteno by Piazzolla. Eden sounded as if he hadn’t touched a guitar for a few weeks, but somehow he managed to enrapture the audience with his charismatic and eccentric playing style, taking liberties at every corner of every bar of the pieces he played (and even not adhering to his program, playing pieces that weren’t on there and not playing pieces that were!).

I think his performance caused a little controversy as some people would be utterly gobsmacked at how much liberty Edin was taking. Nonetheless I enjoyed his concert simply for the fact that it was so different to what you normally here, quite refreshing.

Guitar Trek played a marvellous concert, including some big Australian works. Phillip Houghton’s News From Nowhere (a work that I’vve performed) was the highlight for me. It’s a work that uses the guitar family, which includes a bass, baritone, standard and treble guitar, creating a big scope for extending the range of the ensemble. This work also uses some cool effects including banging a tuning fork on your knee and resonating it on the guitar and swiping a New Zealand $2 coin on the strings (it has frayed edges and makes a particularly scratchy effect).

What got my attention with Guitar Trek was there incredibly rich and beautiful sound and great ensemble communication.

The Australian String Quartet played some quintets with four guitarists – Slava, Ana, Simon Powis and Edin. They performed quintets by Tedesco, Houghton, Boccherini and Beatles arrangements by Brouwer. Stunning concert and repertoire; it was so good to hear a quality string quartet amongst all this guitar playing!

The final concert that ended the festival Caminos Flamencos from the US. The guitarist Jason McGuire was phenomenal (I’m running out of adjectives now) his electrifying playing was coupled with incredible dancing and singing – it was a bit of a fusion between jazz, contemporary and flamenco, but it worked very effectively. It’s too difficult to pick a favourite, so my apologies but I simply can’t!

Be sure to check out some of Daniel’s playing here:

And don’t forget to check out his own blog and website here, too:  www.danielnistico.com

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Swede Sounds… An interview with classical guitarist Mattias Jacobsson

Nicole Neal2 Comments

I had the incredible pleasure last week of being invited to Skype (yes, I am using it as a verb) with rising talent, classical guitarist Mattias Jacobsson.

Photo credit: Mats Bäcker

The New York-based Swedish guitarist has just made his recording debut with the release of his first album Invocación. He took some time out of this busy practice schedule to share with me – and you! – his thoughts and ideas behind the album and a little of what makes Mattias Jacobsson, the man and the guitarist, tick.

Who is Mattias Jacobsson? 

Mattias was born near Stockholm, Sweden and started playing guitar – like I’m sure a number of us did – at the age of seven picking up a guitar a friend’s house, gradually prising the guitar from his friend’s clutches, with grand visions of being a rock star.

That early passion for the guitar and music soon translated into something a lot more channelled and focussed when he begged his parents for lessons and managed to enroll at his local music school (the Nacka Municipal School of Music).

It was at this school that Jacobsson became truly passionate about the guitar.

“Gradually through those lessons, I realised that – wow! – classical music is something that really speaks to me. And the reason for that happening, I think, was pure chance because the teacher I landed happened to be a sort of pioneering figure in the Swedish guitar world. He was a student of Eduardo Sainz de la Maza in Barcelona, before there was established guitar teaching in Sweden. It’s completely because of him, Erik Möllerström, that I even discovered classical music.”

Following his recital debut at age 17, Mattias then went on to study at the Malmö Academy of Music, following that up with study at the Juilliard School in New York with Sharon Isbin. Not too shabby eh?! His guitar of choice is not too shabby either, choosing to play and record with a 1971 Ignacio Fleta e hijos guitar.

Invocación, a new light on Tarrega 

Invocación is produced by Grammy Award-winner David Frost, released by Avie Records and provides Mattias’ unique perspective on Francisco Tárrega – showing his influence from Chopin. This is a connection I’d previously not really made, and a connection which doesn’t get much discussion at all.

Much to Mattias’ credit, Invocación has been named Gramophone Choice in the September issue of Gramophone Magazine, and chosen as CD of the Week by Classic FM. Mattias was also featured in a cover story in the June issue of Classical Guitar Magazine.

A lot of thought and care has gone into making this album. Mattias’ inspiration for his recording debut comes from a long-held love affair with the Valencian guitarist-composer.

“Personally to me Tárrega has always spoken to me, it has always appealed to me very much, so that always felt like a natural centre.”

Whilst Mattias was growing up playing and practicing Tárrega works, he was doing so whilst “always having Chopin in my CD player….loving it every bit as much as everything I had been playing“. He soon began to make the connections between the two composers.

“When I was 10 years old and learning Adelita I didn’t know what a mazurka was or that that was even called a mazurka or why Tárrega was writing a mazurka in Spain, you know. I gradually realised more and more how much Tárrega was inspired by Chopin. ” 

Mattias notes, however, that he hasn’t really heard anyone make that connection in recent times or say “look guys Tárrega was really inspired by Chopin”. 

Jacobsson makes the point that Pujol had made the connection between the two composers in his biography of Tárrega, but feels that it is time to restate the influence that Chopin had on Tárrega once again. I concur that this connection between the maestri of the Romantic piano and Romantic guitar, brings a refreshingly different point of view and reflection point on works we hear so frequently.

More Tárrega?! 

Mattias was initially somewhat reluctant to record and release an album focussed on the works of Tárrega. This reluctance stemmed from the fact that this part of the classical guitar the repertoire is, in the kindest terms, rather well-known (or in perhaps unkind terms, overplayed).

“I thought, who cares?!” said Jacobsson. “I love it and I hope that will come across. And also show it in the light of the Chopin; it adds a different dimension to it.” 

I admittedly had similar ambivalence when I first saw the album cover – “what?! More Tárrega “, I thought…. Hmmm…..However, when one sees the track listing and listens to the quality of the playing it’s apparent that there is more than meets the eye – and that one shouldn’t necessarily make assumptions!

Stand-out tracks 

The stand-out tracks for me on the album are the Capricho Arabe and Tarrega’s transcription (with a bit of Jacobsson editorial magic) of Chopin’s Prelude No. 15 “Raindrop”.

In the Capricho Arabe the choice of tempo feels really spot-on – just like Goldilocks supping on baby bear’s porridge, it’s just right. Too often the Capricho Arabe gets played at too fast a tempo that detracts from the true flavour of the piece (in my very humble opinion!)

Mattias’ tempo here really allows the music to speak for itself, without dominating it. As does his musical phrasing. He plays with a lightly directed touch, great clarity and precision. His playing is not overly schmaltzy, but not too directly straightforward. Just the right amount of sugar sprinkled on top. Mmmm mmmmm.

Apparently, Mattias originally wasn’t going to include the Chopin Raindrop Prelude on the album, but I’m blooming glad he did. It’s really stunning and a transcription that works fantastically well on the guitar, particularly given it’s such a well-known and quintessentially pianistic piece of music. This is part of the reason Mattias was initially reluctant to include it on the album.

But it works so very well. Again he uses just the right touch to convey the spirit of the piece, sounding at once pianistic and guitaristic in its style. The pianistic quality comes from Mattias’ approach to editing. He, of course, initially based his approach on the Tárrega transcription.

The Tárrega version is fairly sparse and pared down from the original piano score, however, to facilitate easier playing on the guitar. Mattias, not overly happy with the scant sound of this version alone, also consulted the original piano score and essentially added most, if not all, of the notes back in. This results in some crazy left hand finger gymnastics and insane contortions, but it sounds awesome! Well worth playing finger twister for its effects I say!

If you want to check out some wee snippets of the album head here: http://invocacion.tumblr.com/listen

Check out some of his sweet playing here:

So what’s next for Mattias? 

Mattias is currently preparing for the Uppsala International Guitar Festival in October, where he’ll showcase the new album (head along if you’re in Sweden then!). He’s also polishing up his rendering of Boccherini’s Fandango for the occasion.

In addition to the Uppsala International Guitar Festival in October, Mattias is also preparing for a concert at Strathmore in Maryland, USA in early 2013.

He is also preparing a version of Domeniconi’s Koyunbaba – again, in spite of it being playing by every guitarist and his dog! However, he felt that he could now offer something slightly different and bring something of himself of the piece, as well as having a lot of fun with the tuning whilst practicing it. “After playing it (Koyunbaba) every other tuning in the guitar seems not as effective. Now I wish everything could be played in an open C# minor tuning! 

Jacobsson also thinks that now could be the right time for him to start working on Britten’s Nocturnal “it’s another one of those pieces. I hold it in such awe“.

Obviously happy to be rather a busy-bee, Mattias is also currently working on a guitar concerto, which is still a work-in-progress, with composer Jakub Ciupiński. “I feel really very honoured and very happy to be part of that process. It’s really flattering“.

Receiving drafts of various parts of the work and being involved in the compositional process, he likens to being fitted up for a new suit at the tailors – the tailor knows the overall structure and make-up of the suit, but the wearer can help decide on which little tweaks here or there to make the final fitting just so.

Mattias’ words of wisdom 

Mattias has some excellent advice for those learning the guitar, or thinking of picking up the guitar for the first time. It’s advice that I would agree whole-heartedly with too.

His advice is “to enjoy it, and to not feel that it’s something they have to do and practice all day long, but to enjoy it and to create themselves on the guitar.”

Mattias advocates that instead of just sitting in front of sheet music all the time, learning a piece that you perhaps may not understand or that doesn’t really speak to you, aspiring guitarists should also try their hand at arranging their favourite pop song or improvising and translating your emotions onto the guitar.

He’s a strong advocate of playing with others too, playing with your friends, perhaps “arranging a Lady Gaga song for two guitars” (that would sound sweet – Alejandro for classical guitar!). “If one has those kind of ideals and things to work towards, the technique will come, rather than the other way around. I think it will at least sound more inspired. The audience want to hear whether the emotions are coming through.” 

Guitar hero 

Photo credit: Mats Bäcker

Jacobsson is a man after my own heart in terms of his “guitar hero”, to coin a phrase, which is unequivocally, Julian Bream. He admires Bream for his ability to communicate with the music he played and in developing the repertoire.

“I think Bream is always spot on musically. I really admire his courage in playing the guitar at that time in England and how he really created a 20th century repertoire for the guitar. Today it’s not even modern, it’s just great music and it all came from him. And he has such enthusiasm and energy for everything he does, and it’s for that reason he’s my biggest inspiration on the guitar.”

Kicking back 

When not practicing, playing or recording Mattias enjoys listening to and drawing inspiration from a veritable smörgåsbord (to use a Swedish analogy) of music – cellist Bernard Greenhouse, violinists Arnold Steinhardt and Itzhak Perlman, Arthur Rubinstein’s Chopin recordings, and Spanish pianist Alicia de Larrocha (“I can listen to her playing for hours and hours and hours, non-stop”).

Swedish tenor Jussi Björling is somewhat of a hero for him (“definitely on par with any great singer that ever lived….he has something in his voice that really speaks to me”), Bjork, he doesn’t mind a bit of Lady Gaga, and is also a self-confessed Radiohead fan “I’ve been listening a lot lately to Hail To The Thief” (nice choice Mattias, although I’m a fan of the Kid A album myself). He likes the way that Radiohead do “all these crazy things” with their music, and have millions and millions of fans. He makes the point though, that when classical composers try to do the same, people say “oh no, you can’t do that”, it tends to drive people away – are we missing something here?!

When really kicking back Mattias likes nothing better than hanging out with friends and drinking coffee. He’d certainly enjoy Melbourne in that case! Mattias doesn’t have any plans at present to come to the Land Down Under, but said he’d “love to go to Australia so much!” I can hardly wait until he does! Come on over Mattias!

Invocacion is out now on Avie Records, and available for download on iTunes and Spotify.

Check out Mattias website here: http://www.mattiasjacobsson.com/

And here’s a wee taster of the album for you…….

Head along to