April 14, 2009
An ensemble composed entirely of thirty or so guitars is not something you hear everyday, and so I could not resist checking out this show, put on by the National Youth Guitar Ensemble in the North Wall Art’s Centre. I was not disappointed.
The performance consisted of a mix of pieces from an ensemble composed of players aged between thirteen and eighteen, as well as pieces from the guest soloist Carl Herring. They played a mixture of classical and modern pieces, in styles ranging from Baroque to Latin American.
For their age the young musicians were really outstanding. The pieces played were diverse and complicated, ranging from beautiful to playful, and were all pulled off with great skill. Opening with a particularly smooth, ebbing and flowing piece, they consistently produced a clean and precise sound.
Surprisingly though, the thirty or so instruments did not produce the full and resounding sound that I expected. This was rather a pity, as without any sort of amplification you didn’t get that absorbing wall of sound one usually associates with big concerts or choirs. Happily, for the second half there was a small microphone mounted on the soloist’s guitar, and this helped produce that rich, full sound I anticipated.
Carl Herring, the soloist, was of course fantastic, as one would expect from a world renowned guitarist. He displayed a great variety of tones and an obvious abundance of skill. However, though his entire contribution in the second half was top notch, I felt that some of the Spanish-style pieces in the first were just there to showcase his talent and were possibly too technical and abstract. Moreover, in a way I would have liked to hear less of him and more of the Ensemble; they were certainly good enough not to play second fiddle (or guitar! Arf arf!) to a professional in any way.
Gerald Garcia conducted the ensemble with abundant energy and plenty of passion, and for the most part kept everyone tight with only very few notable imperfections. The programme was thoughtful and interesting, with each piece complementing the others well.
All in all, I was very impressed. Given the youth and short time scales the quality was top notch, and the over all performance was strong. Good show!
The performance consisted of a mix of pieces from an ensemble composed of players aged between thirteen and eighteen, as well as pieces from the guest soloist Carl Herring. They played a mixture of classical and modern pieces, in styles ranging from Baroque to Latin American.
For their age the young musicians were really outstanding. The pieces played were diverse and complicated, ranging from beautiful to playful, and were all pulled off with great skill. Opening with a particularly smooth, ebbing and flowing piece, they consistently produced a clean and precise sound.
Surprisingly though, the thirty or so instruments did not produce the full and resounding sound that I expected. This was rather a pity, as without any sort of amplification you didn’t get that absorbing wall of sound one usually associates with big concerts or choirs. Happily, for the second half there was a small microphone mounted on the soloist’s guitar, and this helped produce that rich, full sound I anticipated.
Carl Herring, the soloist, was of course fantastic, as one would expect from a world renowned guitarist. He displayed a great variety of tones and an obvious abundance of skill. However, though his entire contribution in the second half was top notch, I felt that some of the Spanish-style pieces in the first were just there to showcase his talent and were possibly too technical and abstract. Moreover, in a way I would have liked to hear less of him and more of the Ensemble; they were certainly good enough not to play second fiddle (or guitar! Arf arf!) to a professional in any way.
Gerald Garcia conducted the ensemble with abundant energy and plenty of passion, and for the most part kept everyone tight with only very few notable imperfections. The programme was thoughtful and interesting, with each piece complementing the others well.
All in all, I was very impressed. Given the youth and short time scales the quality was top notch, and the over all performance was strong. Good show!