The first concert of the 2013 Montreal International Classical Guitar Festival was Matthew McAllister’s and it definitely started things off on the right note (get it? get it?! sorry, I had to…).  The concert was well thought out and played, with suites by Bach and Brouwer, as well as traditional Scottish pieces, some Albeniz and another traditional Irish/Scottish piece (depending on who you ask). The program flowed nicely and by the end, everything sat just perfectly, like a well trained dog, or a full meal… or something else that’s really good at sitting.

As we discussed in our interview with Matthew, which we will be posting soon, one of the nice things about there being talented guitarists from all over the world is having the opportunity to hear music you might not have otherwise been exposed to.  This was certainly the case with the more recently uncovered lute manuscripts he played, as well as his encore performance, Lament for the Death of His Second Wife, by Niel Gow. Matthew may not have performed a magic trick for his encore, but he really didn’t need to.

Another entertaining aspect of Mr. McAllister’s concert was the dialogue between pieces – turns out he’s informative and funny. If he weren’t such an incredible guitarist, I would say he should try out a comedy act. As you’ll see in the video below though, he clearly doesn’t need to worry about that. I’ll let him give you the background on the piece at this point, and let the music do the rest of the talking:

This is my interview post since covering the 2013 Montreal International Classical Guitar Festival and Competition last April 26-28, as it’s taken almost a week to get things in order and begin the editing process. Overall I think it was a very successful weekend and we were able to cover a lot of great performances and masterclasses, not to mention sit down for interviews with the artists and some of the competition finalists.

The first interview I decided to post was with award winning author Ann Ireland. Normally you wouldn’t expect an author to be a featured guest at a guitar festival, but Ann’s most recent work, The Blue Guitar, was particularly relevant that weekend as it uses a guitar competition in Montreal as its backdrop.  Published in January 2013 by Dundurn Press, the book presents a portrait of a guitarist trying to break back into the competition scene, along with the eclectic mix of competitors and judges one would expect to see in the guitar world. I’ll spare you the full synopsis, which you can hear a bit of in the interview or on any website that sells The Blue Guitar (Like right here), and just tell you that it was the physiological reaction to the book that had more of an effect on me than anything.

Reading it as a guitarist (although any classical musician would be able to easily relate), the book effectively and subtly injects you with the adrenaline you would feel before a big performance or competition as you follow the characters on stage. It wasn’t too much unlike the feeling I started to have sitting in the hall of the competition area during the semi-finals, listening to the competitors warm up and then seeing them prepare moment before playing. Other than becoming anxious for the characters that were competing, it was also nice to be able to pick up on the smaller nuances, which showed that Ann did her research. Having combined experiences from her own playing with extensive research with various guitarists, the story always maintained an air of authenticity by including accurate details, whether it was about a specific piece, a technique or some other less tangible aspect of the guitar. Ann definitely did her homework. The appeal for me to read the book initially came from being a guitarist, but I realized more and more that it’s applicable to anybody who’s pursing something they really care about and potentially taking a risk in doing so. A music competition full of expectations and people scrutinizing you is only one manifestation of a very common human experience.

Watch the interview we did live with Ann Ireland at the Montreal Classical Guitar Festival:

If you’re interested in buying the book or finding out more, it’s available here on paperback or convenient Kindle format:

This is my first actual post since covering the 2013 Montreal International Classical Guitar Festival and Competition (the name is a bit of a mouthful every time I tried to say it). Since that is the case, I want to give a big thank you to Patrick Kearney for giving us full access to the festival, and also to the artists (and author) who were generous enough to set aside time for interviews. The competition was also chalk full of talent, not to mention the masterclasses.  I’ll go into the details of the weekend more as we release footage from the various events.

With more GBs of media than we know what to do with, I just wanted to share something a little lighter and entertaining before I start slaving over the computer trying to edit the meatier interviews, masterclasses and performances.

I wouldn’t be surprised to hear anyone describe Marcin Dylla’s playing as magical; anyone at his concert in Montreal would likely agree. The end though, was literally magic – an unexpected encore for sure! Check out this video to see what I mean:

Hey Everyone,

Here is a quick chat I had with our friend Emma Rush about the Hamilton Classical Guitar Festival. It’s still a couple of months away so book some tickets and start practicing!

P.S. This was our 99th post! And we have some big things from the Montreal Guitar Festival coming up for our 100th post! Stay tuned!

-Rob

Another one of my favorites from the great Barrios!

Vals No. 3 – Agustin Barrios Mangore

Hey Everyone,

I thought I’d use this week to focus on one of my favourite guitar composers of all time: Agustin Barrios Mangore.

A little drip from Wikipedia:

Agustín Pío Barrios (also known as Agustín Barrios Mangoré, May 5, 1885 – August 7, 1944), was a Paraguayan classical guitarist and composer. Barrios is perhaps best known for his 1921 classical guitar piece, La Catedral, a work inspired by Johann Sebastian Bach, and widely considered to be Barrios’ magnum opus. Also, many guitarists regard “Julia Florida (barcarola)” as being one of the most beautiful songs ever written for the instrument.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agust%C3%ADn_Barrios

For our first video:

ClassicalGuitarTraining.com’s very own Jonah Snyder performing the Prelude G Minor in a wide variety of different settings, including his bathroom! Hahah this was a project Jonah did for one of his classes and I’ve always thought it was pretty cool!

Stay tuned for more Barrios throughout the week.

I recently sat down with Patrick Kearney to discuss this year’s Montreal International Guitar Festival, which takes place from April 26-28th.  In fact, you can even watch our conversation below:

Let’s take a moment to outline some of the things you can expect this year:

1. Concerts.  Awesome concerts.  Marcin Dylla and Matthew McAllister are two headlining acts.  I honestly shouldn’t have to tell you how great those are going to be, but if that is necessary, I’ll direct your attention towards the two videos below my interview with Patrick and let the playing speak for itself. Also performing is David Steinhardt. While his name may not carry the same weight as Marcin or Matt, the simple reason for that is that he is still only 16. He’s already broken into the international competition scene though, and has been awarded a scholarship to study at the Eastman Community School of Music, making this a concert you’ll some day be able talk about and say “..and I saw him when he was only 16!“
2. Competitions.  Enjoy all the action and excitement of gladiators, but with the depth and emotion of music.  With several rounds of each a general and youth competition, refereed by some of the world’s best artists, there’s plenty of action (and prizes) to look forward to!
3. Masterclasses!  Whether you play or audit, there will be masterclasses with Marcin Dylla, Matt McAllister and Patrick Kearney.
4. A live interview with Ann Ireland.  Author of The Blue Guitar, Ann Ireland is a Canadian Author, already well known for her book A Certain Mr. Takahashi. Her most recent offering is of particular relevance to this festival, in that it uses a (fictional) guitar competition in Montreal for its backdrop. The Blue Guitar is a fantastic read for anyone who’s picked up a guitar, let alone competed, and the interview should give even more insight.
5. Partners and products. There will be lots of instruments and products to check out as well. Some time spent browsing gear has never hurt anyone! 

In addition to all of this, the festival takes place in downtown Montreal on the campus of Concordia University. If you’re not from Montreal or familiar, this is a great chance for a weekend of classical guitar in arguably the best city in North America.

You can visit the festival website at: http://guitaremontreal.com/ for more information and registration. Hope to see you there!

An hour of Marcin Dylla playing in a Polish castle.

Meanwhile at the Cathedral of the Isles, Matthew McAllister:

The Brouwer Sonata is one of my favourite pieces to see performed, as Kyuhee Park does below.  I’d also file this under the “size and strength of the player doesn’t matter” section.  Seriously though, the guitar looks like it’s about half her size, but it doesn’t really matter in the end.  Pretty damn good performance though, enjoy!

Hey Everyone,

Have been a big fan of the Brasil Guitar Duo for some time and just found this hour long recital on Youtube, Enjoy!

-Rob

Hey everybody!  I know it’s been a while since we were last able to post up an interview, but I hope you enjoy this one with Dr. Eduardo Minozzi Costa.  We talked for close to an hour and a half, diving into some of the concepts behind having an effective practice routine, how to improve your playing in the most efficient ways, playing the equivalent of a high end BMW worth of guitars in one night and more. This video is a must see for anyone who’s ever felt stuck with their playing, let alone picked up a guitar!

Also, you should check out Dr. Costa’s website, http://www.GuitarImpact.com, which features extensive material that expands on what we talked about here, as well as recordings and a lot more. You can also arrange online classical guitar lessons here, which he offers via Skype, and study with him from anywhere in the world. His YouTube channel is also great for a browse, so check that out @ http://www.youtube.com/user/edumusic2.

Alright, let’s get to the interview!