Reviews

Idle ushers are a rare sight in the final frantic minutes before a capacity concert, yet a full 10 minutes before the start of John Williams's first ever Irish date outside Dublin, and practically every seat had been occupied. Rarely has the Glór Irish Music Centre in Ennis witnessed such faithful devotion, rewarded in turn with a performance of sublime virtuoso control, writes Brian O'Connell

Undisputedly the world's greatest classical guitarist, John Williams is also that rarest of species - a humble and generous performer in sync with the expectations of his audience.

A quietly intense opening was dictated by three sonatas from Italian composer Scarlatti, reflecting the 18th-century courtly fancies of both Spain and Portugal. The third of these opening sonatas borrowed heavily from the flamenco tradition, and displayed an unassuming grace that prevailed throughout.

From there, Williams swiftly introduced the world of Isaac Albéniz, and one his most recognisable variations, Asturias, made popular through re-workings by The Doors and more recently DJ Shadow, leaving Williams free to mine the folk traditions of Europe and South America with only the briefest glances at contemporary composition.

This was an homage to tradition and landscape; a distant world order where the folk tradition ruled supreme. Of his contemporaries, Italian Carlo Domeniconi was one of the few to get a look in with his evocative and harmonically challenging Turkish composition Koyunbaba marking a stunning end to the opening segment.

Williams, vocal on each song's origins throughout, introduced the ending with an almost scientific clarity: "This is the last piece before you go get a drink. It's in four segments, lasts about 14 minutes in total, and you'll know when it's over."

After the interval, the mood turned pensive, beginning with the familiar Japanese tune Sakura from Yuquijiro Yocoh, which displayed its harpic origins through precision picking. This was followed by the aboriginal tune Whistling Duck on a Billabong, in a variation by Peter Sculthorpe, before making way for three of Williams's own naturalistic compositions from his songbird collection, culminating in the upbeat Hello Francis.

The encore was a fitting rendition of the last-known composition by the great Paraguayan composer Agustín Barrios Mangoré, entitled L'Ultima Cancion. It means simply "last song", and was composed days before the composer's death in 1944, making a fitting finale for both masters.

The Chord International Guitar Festival continues until Mon. For more information see www.chordfestival.com