Tag: Arts

Time to Get Excited! Karin Schaupp and Pavel Steidl on Tour in Oz!

Nicole Neal2 Comments

Yes, that’s right – two of the best guitarists in the world under the one roof playing and performing for us throughout Australia in February and March. Woop woop!

English: Image based on this one, so I credite...
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The lovely folks at Musica Viva are presenting these two artists together for the first time, with Karin and Pavel collaborating for us here in Australia in spite of the fact that they normally live some 16,000 km apart from one another!

The concert will delve into the history of the famous instrument from the tiny ‘Terz’ guitar made especially for this tour through the elegant 19th Century model beloved by Paganini before then moving on to the modern instrument.

Karin Schaupp, one of the most outstanding guitarists on the international scene, was taught almost exclusively by her mother from the age of five. While still in her teens Karin won prizes at international competitions in Italy and Spain, shooting. She is also a talented and engaging actress, performing (and playing) in Lotte’s Gift, a one woman show penned just for Karin by David Williamson in 2006. It’s a fantastic show and one I highly recommend you to see if you get the opportunity.

Pavel Steidl has amassed legions of fans, from his critically acclaimed, high-energy concerts, having performed in more than 40 countries. Aside from his truly outstanding playing his facial expressions are something to behold. This is a man who truly feels and expresses the essence of the music with every fibre of his being.

Speaking about the concert Pavel says that “This tour was Karin’s idea, and I immediately said yes. Because I know her recordings, and her work is very well-known. I didn’t hesitate. I immediately said yes, it’s fantastic.’’

Likewise Karin had to say that touring with Pavel will be a privilege. “I had attended his concerts. We’d met, but we’d never played together. I was of course completely awe-struck, because he’s an incredible guitarist and an incredible performer… I am super excited.”  Me too Karin!

The concert looks like it’s going to be a real stonker with some seriously good repertoire on the list. We’re going to be treated to a mix of solo and duo works including the following:

Johann Kaspar MERTZ
Am Grabe der Geliebten
Unruhe
Mazurka


Fernando SOR
L’Encouragement, op 34

Niccolò PAGANINI
Minuetto che va chiamando Dida, MS104
Valtz, MS84

Franz SCHUBERT
Selections from from String Quartet no 9 in G minor, D173
(arranged by Julian Bream for two guitars, c 1983)

Enrique GRANADOS
Selections from Spanish Dances, op 37

Isaac ALBÉNIZ
Torre Bermeja from 12 Piezas Caractéristicas, op 92

Ross EDWARDS
Djanaba (1997)

Leoš JANÁCEK
The barn owl has not flown away from On an Overgrown Path (1901)

Phillip HOUGHTON
Brolga (1994)

Radamés GNATTALI
Chiquinha Gonzaga (Corta Jaca) from Suite Retratos (1956, arranged for two guitars 1981)

I’m personally really looking forward to hearing Karin and Pavel’s interpretation of Phillip Houghton’s Brolga. I’m also looking forward to hearing the stories and anecdotes that they’re going to regale the audience with between pieces too.

The tour kicks off in Noosa on 17th February and takes in Albany, Perth, Newcastle, Sydney, Melbourne (twice – lucky us! On the 26th February and 2nd March), Canberra, Brisbane, back to Sydney and then rounding off the tour in Adelaide on 12th March. Phew! That’s a seriously fantastic schedule and if you’re in one of those cities I highly recommend you head along. Check out the Musica Viva website for further details: http://www.musicaviva.com.au/whatson/international-concert-season-2013/artists-touring/karin_schaupp_pavel_steidl

I’ll be headed along to the Melbourne 2nd March date FOR SURE!! See you there!!

And if you can’t wait until then, here are a couple of tasters of Karin and Pavel in action to whet your appetite:

Climbing the mountain….. Enjoy the journey!

Nicole NealLeave a comment
English: Mount Buller from the Howqua Valley
Mount Buller, Victoria (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When we’ve set ourselves a certain goal, such as taking a grade exam, or mastering a certain technical aspect of our playing, or getting out there and performing that goal can oftentimes seem pretty daunting, far away and almost kind of surreal. A bit like standing at the base camp of some snow-capped, wind-swept mountain knowing that in a few days time you’ll be all the way up there.

Sheesh. Seems weird.

And really overwhelming too. All the way up there?! But I’m all the way down here!

You’ll have plotted put the best route or routes (allowing some contingency in case something prevents you using your preferred route). But, like all great journeys, it starts with putting just one foot in front of the other and taking each step one at a time and as it comes. Some days you make more progress than others, some days you cross easy gradients and well-worn paths. Other times you struggle onward up sheer cliff faces making millimetres of progress.

So we do with our guitar playing goals.

You want to take that exam by this time next year? This is the top of your mountain. How is the best way to get ready for this summit? Which is your preferred route to take? What other routes can you take in case things don’t quite work out as initially planned?

Break it down month by month or week by week depending on what your “summit” is and when you want to get there.

And then get on with the journey!

Take the first step. And then the next. And then the next. Keep on. Even when the gradient is a little harder than you’d like, and progress is seemingly slow. Just know that the cliff face will even out eventually and you’ll likely have a nice smooth pathway to walk on just over the brow of the next bit. Just keep on.

And whatever you do, remember to stop and take a look around once in a while – check out the scenery, check out how you’re feeling, check out how far you’ve come so far.

And once you get to the summit enjoy it! Celebrate it! Celebrate that you did it and you got yourself this far. Then take a look around… All the way down there to where you came from. You did get all the way up there after all. Just by taking it a step at a time.

And then continue to look around. What do you see?

There’s another peak beyond this one! Another summit for you to conquer, another journey for you to embark upon!

Go get up there! But most importantly enjoy the journey. After all, you spend much longer on the journey itself than at your actual destination at the summit.

What summits are you going to scale in 2013?