The Birkenhead Priory is the oldest building on Merseyside and, some say, a bugger to find. Personally, I don’t have a problem, but then again, I live in Birkenhead. The small and cosy nature of this venue makes it an ideal place to showcase the dynamic range of the classical guitar, and judging by the number of bums-on-seats, many people took on the terror of the sat-nav so that they could appreciate Graham Anthony Devine doing just that.
The first half of the set opened with the Suite in Em by Dieterich Buxtehude, a composer and organist who is said to have influenced Bach. This was a strong and complex opening to the recital and the prospect of playing this would shake the nerves of lesser mortals. Graham’s guitar was initially victim to the varying atmospheric conditions of the Priory but of course, as a seasoned professional, he took it all in his stride re-tuning on the fly.
Not content with the complexities of baroque, the next piece was, if anything, more breathtaking. The Nocturnal (after John Dowland) Opus 70 by Benjamin Britten is a piece in 9 short movements which is based on variations on theme by John Dowland, the theme only appearing in the final movement. It is a piece about sleeplessness, restlessness and nightmares. As Graham informed the audience, “not a barrel of laughs”. This is indeed true, but it is a wonderful piece that was delivered with gusto and tonal and dynamic care. All the movements were played back-to-back with no breaks and, although this piece was new to me, I had no difficulty whatsoever locating where abouts in the “restless night” we were. The penultimate (and longest) movement, the Passacaglia, was a highlight for me personally.
To close the first half, Graham return to the well-trodden territory of Torroba‘s Sonatina. Well-trodden it may be, but well delivered it certainly was. I think Graham never looked more comfortable than when he was playing this.
The second half of the set was a return to what one might call, more traditional classical guitar fare.
The Five Preludes from Villa-Lobos are certainly often played but always a crowd pleaser. Graham played No.1 and No.5 for us. I never tire of hearing them played live by a good guitarist. They’re like an old friend that you welcome with open arms.
The preludes were followed by a triptico of pieces from Albeniz. Cadiz, Capricho Catalan and Sevilla. These pieces are a great evocation of Spanish guitar music for me. They were all played very well indeed but the Capricho was singularly, for me, the highlight of the whole recital. It was played so delicately and with such care – truly breathtaking.
To close out the concert, Graham played his arrangement of Tarrega‘s Gran Jota. In his own words, Graham explained how he felt it was too long on its own, so he shortened it, but added another Tarrega prelude at the beginning to introduce it. This was insanely complex and I’m sure Graham wont mind me saying that even he got a little lost at one point. If you’re not familiar with this piece, it is an amazing roller-coaster of guitar technique, including thumping the guitar body and fast runs of artificial harmonics. There’s even one section where the artist emulates a snare drum drumming out a march – I’m still not quite sure how! It was a marvellous piece to close with and left an audience applauding for more.
Graham duly returned to the stage to play a nice rendition of the Gnossienne No.1 by Satie.
Graham is a truly gifted and experienced guitarist with a grasp of tone and dynamic that is a joy to experience. If you haven’t seen him play, I heartily recommend you do so.
Steve Gaskell
LGS
James then detailed the joining of the two pieces of wood which make the top and the various struts including a slide featuring an incredibly small finger-width plane. The back and sides followed, informing on the importance of humidity at this crucial stage of construction especially with regards to the top’s dome structure – again, news to most of us that there is a dome!