THE BELFAST MUSIC SOCIETY Ch POLIE E ELEBRITY CONCERTS -1989-90- AT THE ELMWOOD HALL

from Les Adieux Op 21 Gran Solo Op 14 Six Sonatas in year Chôro no. 1 chere Cadiz EDUARDO FERNANDEZ Sevilla Saturday 26 May 1990 enly 7.30 pm Elmwood Hall Guitar One Thousand and One Faces Fernando Sor Scarlatti *** INTERVAL *** Villa-Lobos Albéniz Torres

1 Les Adieux, op 21 Gran Solo, op 14 The Spanish (Catalan) guitarist Fernando Sor was one of the most famous performers of his time, and his compositions for the guitar are among the most important of the classical/early romantic repertoire of that instrument. Although he composed music in nearly every genre, including symphonies and other large scale orchestral works, it is only for his guitar compositions that he is remembered today. These can be grouped into three periods according to their dates of publication; the later ones were published by the composer himself - a mistaken move, as they quickly went out of print and have been neglected until recently. Many of the best known pieces, including the two we hear tonight, date from the earliest group, published between 1810 and 1823. Les Adieux (The Farewell) is the last of five Fantasias dating from this period.do Six sonatas Fernando Sor (1778-1839) an ora Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757) In 1719, Scarlatti left Rome, where he had been for ten years in service, and travelled to Portugal, becoming mestre of the patriarchal chapel in Lisbon. His duties there included being keyboard tutor for King John V's daughter, Maria Barbara. When, in 1728, she married the Spanish Crown Prince, he followed her there as part of the court, remaining there for the rest of his life. The Spanish influence can be strongly felt in many the more than 500 single-movement keyboard sonatas he wrote for her, inspired by her playing. In quite a few of these works Scarlatti imitates the sounds of traditional Spanish folk guitarists, and so it is fitting, or ironic, depending on your point of view, that guitarists have taken arrangements of some of his keyboard sonatas into their repertoire.

Chôro no 1 Cadiz 2 Sevilla *** INTERVAL *** The Brazilian composer Villa-Lobos was one of the most prolific composers of all time; as is also the case with two other twentieth-century composers, Martinů and Milhaud, his output in all forms is so large that it is very difficult for the ordinary listener to become acquainted with a balanced cross-section of his music, let alone to separate the wheat from the chaff (which, not suprisingly, is to be found in the works of all three composers). Among the wheat in Villa-Lobos' output, however, must be considered the small number of works for guitar; these have become an important part of the repertoire. His main instrument was actually the cello, but he was also a skilled guitarist - as a boy he played the violao (folk guitar) in a street band. These bands were called chôros, and the chôro became the name given to the type of music they played. Villa-Lobos borrowed the name for a series of 17 folk-inspired pieces written between 1920 and 1929 for a wide variety of instrumental and orchestral forces. The numbering of the works isn't precisely chronological, but the solo guitar chôro no 1 dates from 1920/21. Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959) Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909) Albéniz was one of the most important figures in Spanish music, helping to create a nationalist 'school' in that country, in the same way that Smetana had done in Czechoslovakia and 'the Five' in Russia. He was an exceptional pianist, appearing in public for the first. time at the age of four, when he dazzled the audience with his virtuosity. His often highly virtuosic piano

music reflects his skill as a performer, and is in the Lisztian mould. Although he never wrote for the guitar, many of his piano pieces lend themselves well to arrangement for that instrument, as he himself acknowledged after hearing Tárrega play some of his music on the guitar. 'Cadiz' and 'Sevilla' began life as movements from his Suite Española for piano, written in 1886. 2801 daugha al boss One Thousand and One Faces 3 asdas begin odd ni lavises abans d 300 nt bo Ana Torres was born in Bogota, Colombia in 1961. One Thousand and One Faces, her first work for guitar, was commissioned by, and is dedicated to Eduardo Fernandez. atsbol Torres TONIGHT'S ARTIST Notes by Alec Macdonald 1990 43393010 Isiseqs a Since his spectacular New York debut in 1977, Eduardo Fernandez has been hailed as one of the most brilliant guitarists of his generation. Reporting his debut, the New York Times reviewer was prompted to say: 'Rarely has this reviewer heard a more impressive debut recital on any instrument .... his formidable musical gift, coupled with an appealingly simple and modest stage manner, make it likely that Mr Fernandez is at the door of a major concert career'. Born in 1952 in Montevideo, Uruguay, Eduardo Fernandez began to study the guitar at the age of seven. He

4 started his professional career at the age of eleven, appearing with his brother in a guitar duo. However, since 1971 he has pursued a career as a soloist and has swept the board at many major guitar competitions, most notably in 1975, when he was first prize-winner at the Andres Segovia Competition in Palma de Mallorca. Eduardo Fernandez has a long-term contract with Decca, and his first solo recording was released in August 1985 to outstanding critical acclaim. His recording of the Rodrigo Concierto de Aranjuez with the English Chamber Orchestra was released in October 1986 and releases in the near future will include two CDs of Bach transcriptions and the Guitar Concerto by Andre Previn with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by the composer. Eduardo Fernandez' frequent visits to the United Kingdom include regular appearances with the English Chamber Orchestra. He tours extensively in the United States and in Germany every year, and in June 1988 took part in a special series of concerts at the Granada Festival dedicated to the memory of Segovia. In addition to teaching in international seminars, Eduardo Fernandez has also made his own transcriptions and editions of works for guitar, which have been published by Ricordi Americana and Berben (Italy). Among Eduardo Fernandez' future plans are further tours of West Germany, France and the United States and more concerto and recital recordings with Decca. He will be playing at the Concertgebouw, and a tour of the United Kingdom with Camerata Bern is planned for 1990.

Jint The BMS has been presenting concerts of first-rate chamber music, including masterpieces which are landmarks in European culture, for almost 70 years. Some of the world-famous artists who have played and sung for us have included the Amadeus Quartet, Elly Ameling, Claudio Arrau, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Janet Baker, Pierre Bernac and Francis Poulenc, Alfred Brendel, Kathleen Ferrier, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, John Lill, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Gerard Souzay and Rosalyn Tureck. Copies of BMS brochures available from the Secretary, Janet Quigg, 48, Bawnmore Road, Belfast, BT9 6LB, tel. 660115. CITY HOSPITAL ELMWOOD HALL LISBURN ROAD CAMDEN ST ELMWOOD AVENUE COLLEGE GARDENS METHODIST COLLEGE WELLESLEY AVENUE TOWER CREE MOUNT CHARLES. UNIVERSI STREE UNIVERSITY SQUARE DONEGALL PASS La QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY BOTANIC GARDENS T