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1/2009, Soundboard, Magazine of Guitar Foundation of America,  

by Jim Skinger:

Brno XVII International Guitar Festival 2008

Director Vladislav Bláha

Assistant: Martin Wiesner

Festival Secretary: Katarina Greňová

Assistants: Tana Źiźková, Nikolaj and Elena Petruk

Miloš Brzák: Secretary of the Czech Classical Guitar Society

Brno Cultural Center Programming Section

The theme of this year’s festival was eloquently expressed by the festival’s artistic director Vladislav Blaha.

“The magical power of music with all its diversity can and does bring about a unity and spirit that transcends all the things one can think of that divide people.”

In this all too short week, guitarists from around the world gathered in Brno to express and demonstrate their love for music and for the guitar through performances, lectures, master classes or in informal conversation over a meal or drink.

 The annual competition called Guitar Talent is comprised of two categories: Part I for younger performers born after August 1994, part II for performers born after 1990.

For these two rounds, performers in the first round were required to play works by Czech composers plus a free choice for a total of 6 minutes. For the older group, the same requirements applied except the maximum was 7 minutes.

Those that made it to the second round in both categories had to perform a work from the Classical era plus a free choice.

Category 1 Winners:

1^st prize: Rosa Francizka Maier, Austria, 2^nd Prize: Vojtěch Kaluža, Czech Republic and David Liu, Austria. No 3^rd Prize was given.

Category II Winners:

1^st prize: Vit Dvořáček, Czech Republic, 2^nd prize: Wojciech Rysiecki, Poland,  3^rd prize: Edoardo Lamacchia, Italy

All of the winners were awarded prizes that included Savarez and D’Addario strings, a Schneider Guitar (awarded to first prize winner category II), Efel guitar supports and Sofit glass nail files. 

Members of the jury for the Guitar Talent “o8

Maria Linnemann         Germany

Julian Byzantine           Australia

Roberto Fabbri              Italy

Jim Skinger                   USA

Lucio Dosso                  Italy

Luciano Tortorelli Italy

Finn Svit                       Denmark

Milan Tesař                  CR.

Vladislav  Petrášek      CR.

Igor Shoshyn               Belarus

Guest Performers and lectures:

Julian Byzantine

Sandro di Stefano

Finn Svit

Jochen Brusch

Roberto Fabbri

Scott Tennant

Dale Kavanagh

Victor Monge

Maria Linnermann

Jim Skinger

Sandra Milutinovic

Gianluigi Mutti

The Performances:

A performance by internationally renowned performers took place each evening in the New City Hall, a beautifully restored Baroque Building set high in the Brno Hills.

Sunday, August 3rd

The opening concert was given by Julian Byzantine; though a native Londoner, he now makes his home in Australia.

Julian’s performance was solid and confidently played throughout. 

Interestingly, I first met Julian in 1975 when he gave a performance at the Romford Library in Essex England. It was a great pleasure to witness the enormous growth as an artist Julian has achieved since those early days.

 Program

Jose Merlin:                                        Carnavalito

                                                            Evocation

                                                            Joropo

                                                        (From, Suite del Recuerdó)

Peter Sculthorpe                               From Kakado

Manuel Ponce                                  Sonatina Meridional

Mikis Theodorakis                           3 Epitafio

Phillip Houghton                             Bronze Apollo

                                                          Dervish

                                                        (from, Stele)

Maximo Diego Pujol                       Elegia por la muerte de un tangero

                                                         Confuseta

                                                         Melancolia

                                                         Epilogo

Bela Bartok                                      Five Balkan pieces

 Dusan Bogdanovic                         Dudasok

                                                         Jutarnje

                                                         Zalopojka

                                                         Makedonsko

Nikita Koshkin                                Usher Waltz, op.29

Isaac Albeniz                                  Cadiz

                                                        Puerta de Tierra 

Monday, August 4th

The concerts were as diverse as the artists themselves which was much in evidence with

composer/guitarist, Sandro di Stefano whose performance and compositions on his remarkable midi guitar created fresh and unusual textures and sonorities.

Much of his efforts are still in an experimental stage of development as heard in the mixing of styles: classical, jazz, contemporary, world and ethnic music all become fused into a new stylistic synthesis, allowing the guitar the opportunity to move into a new musical ethos.

                     Program

Compositions by                     Sandro Di Stefano

                                                 Mario Gangi

                                                 Lennon & McCartney

Stanley Mayers

                                                 Pat Metheny

Tuesday August 5^th

This evening’s concerts were shared by the violin and guitar duo; Jochen Brusch, violin, and Finn Svit, guitar, followed by an engaging solo performance by Roberto Fabbri.

Most notable in the duo’s performance was the superb musicianship and originality of their program.

                                                  Program

Francesco Veracini                    Sonata from op. 2

Largo

                                                  Allegro

Antonio Vivaldi                        Sonata in A Major

                                                  Prelude

                                                  Presto

                                                  Courante

                                                  Adagio

                                                  Giga

Mauro Giuliani                        Variation on a theme of Handel, op.107

Nicolo Paganini                       Cantabile

                                                 Caprice for Violin solo  

Antonio Bazzini                       Rondo de Lutin

The second half of the evening featured Roberto Fabbri in a solo performance.

No stranger to the European festival circuit, Roberto seems to be everywhere in Europe these days; his program a mixture of his own compositions as well as those by both familiar and some less familiar composers, resulting in a nicely balanced program. Judging from the enthusiastic audience’s response, this was a wonderful finale to a great evening.

Program

Roberto Fabbri                     La Passeggiata  

                                              Atocha

                                              Preludio

                                              Canzone 

 Mauro Giuliani                    Rossiniana 6, op.124

Roberto Fabbri                     Ballade

Roland Dyens                      Fuoco

Leo Brouwer                       Catilena de los bosques (dedicated to Roberto)

Giovanni Allevi                   Il Bacio

Roberto Fabbri                    Notte a Belgrado

                                            Hammam

                                            Dance for Dale 

Wednesday, August 6^th

The Wednesday evening recital was a much anticipated concert by the Grammy-award artist Scott Tennant. I have seen Scott’s performances with the L.A. Guitar Quartet; however, this was the first I have heard Scott perform as a soloist.

Not surprisingly, it was a solid and well played program from beginning to end.

Program

John Dowland                    Queen Elizabeth’s Galliard

                                           The Frog Galliard

                                            A Fancy

Leo Brouwer                      Homenaje a Falla

                                           Pieza sin título

                                           Danza Caracteristica  

Johan Jakob Froberger       Lamento

Antonio Ruiz –Pipó               Canción y Danza No. 1

Joaquin Rodrigo                    Selections from Por los Campos de España

Georg Philipp Telemann       Fantasia No. 1

Largo

                                                  Allegro

                                                 Adagio-Allegro 

Federico Moreno Torroba       Burgalesa

                                                Suite Castellana

                                                Fandanquillo

                                                Arada

                                                Danza

Mirolav Tadic                         3 Balkan Pieces

                                                Makedonsko Devoje

                                                Rustmul

                                               Walk Dance

Eduardo Sainz de la Maza     Campanas del Alba   

Thursday August 7^th

Canadian guitarist Dale Kavanagh’s performance was not only innovative and varied, but she brought a flair and elegance to her program that had everyone wanting more at the end.

Dale began her program with one of her own pieces “Briny Ocean” the first of what turned out to be nine original works that were interlaced with more familiar fare, including a remarkable performance of her own transcription of the 2^nd movement of H. Villa Lobos Guitar Concerto.

                                                Program

Dale Kavanagh Briny Ocean

Lennox Berkeley                      Sonatina, op51

                                                 Allegretto

                                                  Lento

                                                  Rondo

Heitor Villa Lobos                   Guitar Concerto

                                                 (2^nd movement)

Dale Kavanagh                         Two Etudes

Carlo Domeniconi                    Trilogy

                                                 Calata

                                                 Intonazione

                                                 Ragtime

                                                A step to Paradise

                                                Toccata in Blue, 1997

Dale Kavanagh                        Prelude

                                                Abbywood Trail

                                                Melissa

                                                Going Nowhere

                                                Prelude

                                                Contemplation

                                                Fueco 

Friday August 8^th

The final concert of the festival continued its long established tradition of having a Flamenco evening in Spilberk Castle set high in the Brno hills

.

This year’s spectacular offering was by Victor Monge also known as “Serranito”. Victor was ably assisted by Angel López Muńoz, (dance) Eva Durán  (singer) JuliáVaquero Moŕan (singer) with Francisco Vidal and Victor Luis Monge Fernández.

The program’s theme was called the “Fascination of Flamenco” – Dance & Guitar

Unlike last year’s Nuevo Flamenco, Serranito’s troupe performed traditional selections of  the Seguiriyas, Tangos, Alegrias and Bulerias all brilliantly played, bringing a close to a phenomenal week of music making.

In addition to the evening concerts there was a series of lectures, afternoon concerts

and master classes.

Unfortunately, I was not able to attend all the lectures, but, I did get to attend a lecture/performance by Maria Linnemann.

Maria is a specialist in teaching beginning and intermediate students and has written a series of her own beautifully crafted compositions for solo, duos and ensemble pieces that effectively demonstrate her particular concepts. Maria has a wide ranging background from which to draw on an insightful understanding of how children learn. This was made evident throughout her lecture and performance demonstration.

Additional lectures were given by Sanra Milutinovic of Serbia and Gialuigi Mutti of Italy.

I had the great pleasure of giving a lecture entitled “Roots of My Art” followed by a performance of my own compositions demonstrating how I was able to use melodic and harmonic material more often associated within the jazz idiom.

Members of the festival orchestra, comprised of students and teachers and ably conducted by Alois Menšík, assisted by Lubomír Ligas was presented for the Friday afternoon concert.. Vivaldi’s Concerto in A. with soloists Gianluigi Mutti, Luciano Tortorelli, Lucio Dosso and Jim Skinger was the highlight of the event..

Seven student members of the orchestra gave additional solo and duo performances.

Participants were:

K. Matkovská

O. Palŕček

J. Kuklin

I. Sučková

M. Škubal

Duo Cazopoli

Thanks to all of the supporters who have helped generously and enormously to make the festival and the competition so successful.  Particular thanks to the Municipality of Brno, thanks for collaboration with the competition to the Jihomaravský region, for perfect organization to BKC centre of cultural life in Brno, thanks to the Czech Guitar Society and all patrons and sponsors of festival. Everybody interested in the next XVIII International Guitar Festival is welcome to Contact:

    Special Thanks to:

Eva Vitkova Photographer/Videotographer

                                 Restaurant Gargano (Superb Restaurant)

                               Nikolaj Petruk      (accordionist extraordinaire)    

The International Guitar Festival and Courses Brno '03
(Aug.10th - 16th, 2003)

What can be said about the 12th International Guitar Festival Brno 2003? The theme of this year's festival, "Styles linked with improvisation", created room for an artistically rich programme of festival concerts, encompassing flamenco, romantic, renaissance and baroque music on period instruments, jazz and a combination of Cuban music with classical and jazz. This concept drew around 3500 listeners to the festival recitals and no one who took part regretted it. The festival entailed perfect organisation, colourful artistic direction and understandably the most crucial thing - the best soloists and teachers.

The gala opening, inaugurated by the mayor of the city of Brno, Petr Duchon, together with artistic director of the festival, Vladislav Blaha, was held in the presence of 1300 concert-goers on Sunday the 10th of August, in the great courtyard of the Brno castle Spilberg. After the introduction, the concert, titled "Night of Flamenco", got underway. The leading role of the evening was played by the group of Rafael Cortes. Cortes belongs amongst the best guitarists of flamenco, performing since the age of 6, having been considered as somewhat of a child prodigy. This charismatic thirty year old, born to a Spanish gypsy family, managed, together with his band (guitars, dance, singing, cajon drum, bass guitar) to fire the imagination of the public and collect his well deserved ovations. It is said about Rafael that there is nothing in the world of Flamenco that he could not play, and he fully persuaded us of that. Somewhat of a warm-up act was the flamenco group Viva Flamenco! of Polish roots, whose pivotal role is played by Miguel Czachowski, a student of Cortes. Despite the technical proficiency of the music and dance, there was a lack of the earthiness and interpretational power of the Spanish Gypsies, which was so strongly in evidence in the performance of Rafael Cortes and his group, who confirmed the impossibility of any duplication of this Spanish gypsy folk style from the regions of Andalusia by other nationalities or foreign players.

The next evening in the great assembly chamber of the New Town Hall saw the recital of guitarist Pavel Steidl, a Czech living in the Netherlands. Steidl initially played compositions by Johann Caspar Mertz, Nicoly Paganini and Luigi Legnani on a copy of a romantic period guitar. Precise technique, lightness and insight, but above all a refined musical sense, these are the properties that have put Steidl in amongst the leading concert performers. In his hands even the most trivial Paganini miniatures sounded delightful and, owing to his thespian expression, which Steidl accompanies his playing with, some even humorous. In the second half of the evening Steidl played a more contemporary guitar with pieces by Johan Antonin Losy, Maria Castenu-Tedesca, Jana Obrovska and his own composition And you too go to Ithaka.

Connoisseurs of lute music came to enjoy a concert by one of the best lutenists of today, Englishman Nigel North. Guided by North's fingers, music by John Dowland, William Byrd, Henry Purcell, Nicolas Vallet, Thomas Robinson, Francis Cutting and Alessandro Piccinini brought a renaissance mood to the New Town Hall. Undeniably interesting was the difference in interpretation between the renaissance repertoire played on a renaissance lute in the first half of the concert, and the baroque pieces played on the more than 2 meter long Theorbus in the second half of the concert. The listeners accredited North's achievement - as was the case in most of the other concerts - with a standing ovation.

Martin Myslivecek, guitarist and teacher at Gratz University in Austria, played, together with singers of the chamber choir Musica de Camera under the direction of Martin Franz, a contemporary programme of pieces by Maria Castelnuova- Tedesca, two pieces by Petr Eben and the choral piece Nunc est Bibendum by Antonin Tucapski.

Venezuelan Gabriel Guillen is without doubt a brilliant guitarist, having performed in the Brno guitar festival for the third time. His brilliance showed in his performance of pieces by composers of Spanish and Latin - American provenance: Manuel Marii Ponce, Federico Moreno- Torroba, Isaac Albeniz, Antonio Laura and Manuel de Fall, who above all fit with his nature.

Likewise, Massimo Felici definitely did not disappoint. Felici played lyrical compositions from Vincento Asencia, Astor Piazzolla, Toru Takemitsu, Mauro Giulliani and Alexandro Tansman. Felici has natural charisma and remarkable concentration even in stuffy summer temperatures (due to recording, the windows in the hall could not be open).

After Felici's concert came a night-time jam session with the 84 year old guitarist and composer John W. Duarte in the Livingstone club with a local jazz trio (Jan Beranek - violin, Milan Kasuba - guitar, Oldrich Svoboda - Double Bass). Played were jazz standards by famous composers - George Gerschwin, Cole Porter, Richard Rogers and others. Owing to the fact that it was to be a true jam session, John Duarte refused any rehearsal beforehand, so the performance onstage really was the first time the group of musicians had played together. After having to solve a slight technical hitch with the sound system in the first part of the session - all conducted in the heat and unbreathable air of the club - Duarte and the Brno musicians had the rest of the evening for enjoyable improvisation.

An hour before the beginning of the closing concert of the Husband and Wife duo of Vania del Monaco (English of Sicilian origin, living in Spain) and Alfredo Panebianco (from Cuba), the bridge on one of their guitars snapped off. Master guitar maker Jan Schneider readily lent the guitarist one of his own instruments. Even after this discomfort the duo performed wonderfully. Their repertoire is rooted in classical music, which they enrich with principles of Cuban music and Latin - American jazz. The majority of the pieces on the programme came from Alfred Panebianco himself. The concert was a welcome and refreshing addition to the festival, and a fun end to the series of evening concerts.

A significant part of the Brno festival are the performing courses, in which participants receive individual tuition in masterclasses with leading teachers. They took place in the Astorka hotel, belonging to the Janacek Academy of Performing Arts. Students from 15 countries had, during the week, the opportunity to take part in, or observe, masterclasses with Milan Tesar, Zdenek Dvorak, Leo Witoszynsky, John W. Duarte, Vladislav Blaha and some of the soloists from the concert evenings. Gabriel Guillen was sought after as the authority on Latin - American music, while the emphasis was on Italian music in Massimo Felici's classes. Thoroughly engaging were the classes and afternoon lecture by Nigel North.

The large festival guitar ensemble directed by Alois Mensik performed well rehearsed (despite only four rehearsals) renditions of Moravienne by John Duarte, three Czech songs arranged by A. Mensik, Recuerda by O. Munoz and Vivaldi concerto (the solo being played on the soprano guitar by Dusi Burmec). We cannot help but admire the result, which was heard at the Friday afternoon concert. It is not that often that one hears the well coordinated ensemble of 25 guitars playing together. Apart from Friday's afternoon concert, in which a number of course participants played in addition to the ensemble, participants also had the chance to play at two other afternoon concerts, although the main attractions of the series of afternoon recitals were the performances by various competition winners: the Slovakian duo Adam Marek and Peter Tomko (winners of a competition in Dolni Kubin), Nad'a Kosinskaja (winner of the J. Duarte prize from a competition in the Rust Festival) and Jan Cizmar and string quartet Euforia (winners of the 3rd prize in the international competition for guitar and string quartet in Schweinfurt, Germany).

A closing party was held after the Friday evening concert of Vania del Monaco and Alfredo Panebianco in the theatre restaurant Bohema. Guitar playing, singing and dancing continued till the morning, the last people only leaving for Netherlands based guitar maker Jeroen Hilhorst's lecture on the theme of Understanding the guitar's tone. After the lecture was the closing concert by Jan Cizmar and the Euforia Quartet, during which they played quintets from John Duarte and Leo Brouwer.

The standard of the festival concerts was very high. At the same time, the festival maintained its similarly high level of pedagogic and organisational finesse, which is remarkable given the limited financial resources. The festival and courses were organised by the Czech Classical Guitar Society, the Brno Cultural and Information Centre and Czech Music Society. Under the artistic direction of guitarist and professor of the Brno Conservatoire, Vladislav Blaha, the event became a cultural celebration.

The friendly atmosphere of the whole festival, in which competitiveness and egocentrism in conjunction with the ambitious individualism of some musicians had no place, served to add to the appeal of the festival. This year was without doubt another step in the qualitative and artistic growth of the Brno International Guitar Festival. The 13th annual festival will run between the 15th - 21st August 2004.


Hana Havlisova and Jan Cizmar
/students of the music faculty of Masaryk University Brno, absolvents of guitar from Brno Conservatoire/, Jan Cizmar is main editor of "Kytara" - Czech classical guitar magazine. Translation: Jason Musil

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"It was very happy fesival …".(2002) "…succes of festival with 150 participants, with 100 active played students, is undisputed. It should be same project in England too."
Colin Cooper - principal redaktor of Classical Guitar, 2/2003, Great Britain

"Brno - sign of Moravia - is unquestionably the best place for guitar festival".
Guitart - magazine, Italy, 3 /2002

"Marvellous architecture .. excelent atmosphere .. ideal place for guitar festival. There is very nice concert hall and sensitive audience in Brno. All ended by grand neverending party."
Jun Sugawara - principal redaktor of Gendai Guitar, Japan, 11/2000

"It was prepared program for participants, that shouldn't be afraid with his riches and quality of comparison with next important European festivals."
Bernardt Furthner, magazine Gitarre & Laute, Germany, 1/2001

"International guitar festival Brno is one of the most important project in middle Europe, is cultural meeting, where are only the best instrumentalists."
Jean Phillipe Leblanc, magazine Le Cahier de la guitare, 11/2000

"Festival has superb atmosphere both educations and pleasure. It is hard to do it better."
Classical Guitar - magazine , England, 3/2000

It was a happy festival, with students, artists and invited guests all housed together in the large Astorka hostel in the middle of town. All praise to Vladislav Blaha and their team of devoted helpers for making this festival the success it undoubtedly is, with 150 participants, around 100 of whom were active playing students. The UK could do with something similar.
England, CLASSICAL GUITAR Magazine, March 2003

The quality of the performers 'concerts was consistently impressive.If you are looking for a very good guitar festival in a picturesque setting,this may be the one for you.
USA,The GFA Soundboard, January 2002

" Brno is a charming city nestling in the green hills in the region of Moravia, has a noble history amply displayed in the wonderful Baroque facades and contours of its public buildings and squares….The festival has an excellent atmosphere for both study and enjoyment. One can hardly do better."
England, CLASSICAL GUITAR Magazine, March 1999

"Wonderful architecture... excelent atmosphere... ideal place for Guitar Festival. Brno has very nice concert hall and sensitive audience. …On the end all had super no ending party."
Japan, Gendai Guitar Magazine , 3 /2000

International Guitar Festival BRNO is one of the most important cultural events in ¨ Central Europe, where take part the best instrumental players.
France, "Le Cahier de la guitare"Magazine, N.76, 11/2000