DANIEL CUDDIHY is in his late teens and his guitar playing has won him a number of performance competitions throughout Ireland.
In his lunchtime recital last week at the Bank of Ireland Arts Centre in Foster Place, Dublin, it was not hard to see why, for many aspects of his playing show a natural, communicative musicality. This was, in spite of some serious limitations in technique.
The programme consisted of nine pieces, ordered more or less chronologically from the Baroque period to the present day. It was striking that the most musically complete results were not in the Iberian style pieces which, inspire so many young guitarists to take up, the instrument and with which the majority of them seem most relaxed
In Prelude No. 5 by the Brazilian Villa Lobos, for example, phrases were differentiated by colour; but any advantages won thereby were nullified by breaks of rhythm and by fitful, uncontrolled dynamics.
Cuddihy's playing was much more persuasive in his own compositions, Study and Tranquility. Their conservatives style owes more to the guitar composers of the Classical period than to any 20th century models, though their diffuseness of form is very unClassical.
These compositions came after a number of Baroque and Classical pieces, where Cuddihy seemed truly at home. Despite some technical slips, a suite of six dance pieces by de Visee, the 17th century French composer, showed a good instinct for style, a pleasing rhythmic, flow and clarity of part writing. Best of all was the Rondo from, Sonatine Op. ,71 No. 24 by Giuliani, the Italian Classical composer.
So Daniel Cuddihy needs to develop his technique. If he can do this, technical proficiency will be well served by his relaxed mode of music making, epitomised by his informal introductions, to each piece, as well as by his playing style.
