TOMORROW sees the start of Dublin Guitar Week, a 13 concert celebration of guitar music and guitarists from around the world, writes Michael Dervan.
The guitar is a popular instrument, portable and affordable, and as prevalent in the homes of the 20th century as the piano was in those of the 19th. The instrument's repertoire is large but not distinguished, and guitarists continue to rely as heavily as ever on composers such as Albeniz and Granados, Spaniards who didn't actually compose anything for the guitar. Their presence in guitar - recitals comes via performers' appropriation of piano pieces which took their inspiration from the guitar - even Spain's greatest composer, Manuel de Ealla, who did write pieces for the guitar, usually makes his way into guitar concerts by way of arrangements.
The old reliables feature in the Guitar Week programme: Albeniz in tomorrow's opening recital by Alan Grundy at the Instituto Cervantes, in Thomas Muller Pering's programme at the Hugh Lane Gallery on Sunday, and in the programme of a Lebanese duo, Joseph Ichkhanian and Joseph Atallah (who play guitar and lute at the Bank of Ireland Arts Centre on Friday 21st) Granados is among the offerings from John Feeley and Raymond Burley (at St Ann's, Dawson Street, on Saturday). Other ensembles which feature are the Trio Ricercare from Italy (at the John Field Room on Monday 17th) and Les Quatre Guitares from France (at the Bank of Ireland Arts Centre on Wednesday 19th).
The representation of contemporary composers includes Takemitsu, Brouwer, Piazolla, Rodrigo, Hurley, Shields and a numbers of the performers themselves. Towards the end of the festival there's a flamenco recital by Manolo Franco (Rotunda Pillar Room on Saturday 22nd) and two historically focused programmes from Jose Miguel Moreno (who plays vihuela and guitar "From the Renaissance to the Baroque" at the John Field Room on Friday 21st, and explores "The Spanish Guitar, 1818-1918, The Art of Expressiveness and Sentiment" in the closing concert at the Bank of Ireland Arts Centre on Sunday 23rd). Full details of the festival programme can be had from the Institato Cervantes on 01-668 2024.
