Tag: live music

Melbourne Guitar Foundation presents Guitar Virtuoso Minh Le Hoang in Concert, Saturday 9th May 2015

Nicole Neal3 Comments

Michael MacManus and Evan Hopkins of the Melbourne Guitar Foundation have been busy little bunnies over the summer off-season putting together what I’m sure will be an awesome line-up of concerts and guitar-related awesomeness for the 2015/16 season.

And to kick things off they’ve lined up none other than Canberra-based guitar virtuoso Minh Le Hoang on Saturday May 9th at 7pm at St Mary’s Church, 430 Queensberry St, North Melbourne in a program of guitar works inspired by the  music of Spain, Latin America and J.S. Bach.

The Melbourne Guitar Foundation was created in 2014 to promote and cultivate the classical guitar in Australia through concerts and masterclasses with the world’s most prominent guitarists. This concert, part of the MGF’s second concert season, promotes one of the world’s leading players – Head of guitar studies at the Australian National University and winner of the 50th Tokyo International Guitar Competition, Minh Le Hoang.

Minh Le Hoang

Minh’s program features many Spanish favourites, including works by Rodrigo, Torroba and Ascencio. He will also present 4 South American Pieces by Garoto, Gismonti and Fernandez and the renowned Lute Suite no.1 by J.S. Bach.

The award-winning Minh Le Hoang has toured throughout the United States, Southeast Asia and Australia both as a soloist and as a member of the leading guitar ensemble, “Guitar Trek”. In 2008 he released the critically acclaimed solo album “The Fall of Birds” and a more recent recording “Duo Merindah” featuring music for guitar and flute.

Tickets for the concert may be purchased online at melbourneguitarfoundation.com or at the door. Online tickets are $25 ($20 concession) if booked before April 24. Tickets at the door are $30 ($25 concession). 

“One of the members of Guitar Trek, Minh Le Hoang established his solo credentials with a dynamic Ginastera Sonata. In an inspired piece of programming, the Ginastera was followed by the charming and under-rated Collectici Intim by Vicente Asencio, the rare juxtaposition of these contrasting middleweights yielding a kaleidoscopic finale.” Paul Fowles – Classical Guitar Magazine.

Be sure to head back this way in a couple of weeks folks for an interview with the man himself!

Concert Review – Joseph Tawadros: Melbourne Recital Centre, 28th March 2015

Nicole NealLeave a comment

As my regular readers will know, I’m a big fan of musical cross-polination – it gives one differing sources of inspiration, different perspectives on musical performance, different colour palettes and sound worlds to store and draw upon and, of course, generally broadens ones horizons.

So when I heard that Aussie oud legend Joseph Tawadros was in town for a one night only initimate gig at the Salon of the Melbourne Recital Centre I booked in my ticket quicker than you could say “What is an oud? Oh, it’s kinda like an Middle Eastern mandolin or lute.”  Why? Tawadros is a musician of incredible proportions, and is a musician that enjoys and excels in cross-pollination, combining flavours of western classical, jazz and eastern classical musics.

In spite of having a number of Joseph’s recordings (and a number of recordings by Tunisian oud player Anouar Brahem) this was the first time I’d seen oud playing live and in the flesh. Starting with multi-ARIA award winning Joseph Tawadros was certainly a very good idea on my part!

The evening was an intimate little setting in Melbourne Recital Centre’s Salon, the audience within grasping distance of Joseph. I really like the space for chamber-type recitals generally but the space, replete with atmospheric lighting to enhance the ambiance, really lent itself very well to the solo oud (rhymes with “would” for those unfamiliar) performance.

The music the audience were treated too was simply stunning. All pieces obviously eastern and Egyptian (Tawadros being of Egyptian descent) in their nature, infused with subtle aspects of jazz throughout.  And all deftly delivered by a blistering left hand, flying around the neck, and an equally eye-blurring right hand.

More than this, however, is the special musicianship with which the music was delivered. Tawadros is clearly one of those musicians, rare in number, who can seemingly weave a magic spell on the audience – drawing us in with lulling bass drones, moving modal melodies and delicious eastern cross-rhythms. The excitement in the audience was almost palpable at points, such was the level of energy Joseph was pouring into the room with some pieces. Gare de l’Est and Forbidden Fruit from his 2010 album The Hour of Separation were particular high points from my point of view.

Not only is Joseph an amazing musician, he is also a very entertaining, and rather witty story-teller. The stories he told of his adventures on the road in Egypt, New York, and country New South Wales, and how Egyptians apparently like eating pigeon (?!) had us all chuckling in our seats.

And as well building the audience up into a state of excitement with his wit and rapid fire playing, Joseph also demonstrated his skill in bringing the audience to a more reflective mood – his performance  of Heal (also from The Hour of Separation), dedicated to his late parents, is a beautiful piece, that was performed in an equally beautiful fashion.

This performance was one of those truly special performances and shall remain in the memory banks for a very long time to come. If you get the opportunity to see Joseph Tawadros playing live and in the flesh I highly encourage you to take it.

If you’d like to find out more about Joseph, and his newest recording Permission To Evaporate,  head along to his website: http://www.josephtawadros.com/

And I’ll leave you with this clip of Heal……

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpFcc6NnSZU