Guitar Festival 2025 | Guitar Concerto
8 Aug, 8pm, Hanson Dyer Hall, Ian Potter Southbank Centre, Melbourne
Rarity is a term not commonly used to describe concerts, but in this instance, rarity is more than apt as a descriptor. Firstly, guitar concertos are uncommon items in the broader classical repertoire; secondly, new works for guitar and orchestra are rare, and thirdly, the artistic proficiency and skills demonstrated by the guitarists in this event was both extraordinary and uncommon. This concerto was the opening event of the 2025 Guitar Festival, organised by the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, and staged at Melbourne’s Hanson Dyer Hall. The program included works for guitar and string orchestra by Peter Sculthorpe, Joaquίn Rodrigo and the premiere performance of a new concerto written by Melody Eötvös.
The opening work Wynward Walls for guitar and string quartet was written in 2023 by Welsh composer and guitarist Stephen Goss. Soloists Ken Wei and Natalie Poloni shared the performance of four movements from a seven-movement work based on paintings and installations by prominent visual artists. The piece travelled through various musical dispositions, exploring gentle and tonal states in its opening movement, through to slow, haunting, and non-tonal melodies, clear and gentle guitar solos played against a backdrop of sparse quartet playing, interspersed with rhythmically active sections.
If the word “Sculthorpian” does not exist, then it should, and it should be used to describe the impression that Peter Sculthorpe’s music evokes of expansive and arid landscapes. Cantares, composed by Sculthorpe in 1980, was described by the composer as a work that started out with the idea in mind of the conquest of Mexico but became more abstract in the process of writing. Written for guitar soloists, string quartet and guitar ensemble, it takes the form of a Catholic Requiem Mass, its seven sections moving through various characters and ambiances, all enhanced by beautiful string writing but driven especially by the masterful flamenco guitar playing of Gerard Mapstone. The work was distinguished by the unusual marriage of flamenco flourishes with shimmering string textures, stereotypical Sculthorpe harmonies, and an adventurous journey through distinct and contrasting textures and approaches from movement to movement. Doug de Vries featured on the electric guitar, providing a sharp sonic contrast to the flamenco guitar. The final Benedictio had several guitarists switching to electric instruments, changing the overall feel and blending with lush string playing bringing a lively, optimistic, and vibrant end to the work.
The highlight of this concert was the world premiere of Ondo (2025) by Australian composer Melody Eötvös. This concerto for guitar and string orchestra had the distinct and unifying theme of exceptionalism: exceptional composing, exceptional playing, and an exceptional willingness to compose a new guitar concerto. The work was dedicated to Ken Murray, who is many things – a masterful guitarist, a composer, an academic and a concert organiser. This performance exemplified his capabilities as a virtuosic and thoughtful guitarist who glides easily through different approaches within a work that features differing temperaments and atmospheres. Written for guitar and string orchestra, the work’s three movements took the audience on an expedition through musical states ranging from suspense and gravitas generated by long held chords in its opening, a sombre lullaby in the second section marked by beautiful guitar solos, gradual entry of the strings and ending in a haunting and dramatic solo, and the third movement where up-tempo, driving rhythms culminated in stirring tensions within both the string section, and between the guitar and strings. Ondo is a brilliant work, melancholic and sombre in its general approach, but unforgettable for its underlying Spanish influence, exciting journey, and extraordinary composition. Hopefully, Ondo will be performed many times in the future.
The final work was Joaquίn Rodrigo’s Fantasίa para un gentilhombre (1954). This well-known and much-loved work, majestic in its structure and immensely satisfying for its beauty and liberal use of Spanish baroque motifs and orchestration, was confidently played by guitar soloist Nathan Sinclair. The small orchestra of strings and winds played in a delicate and restrained manner, allowing for Sinclair’s sensitive and thoughtful performance that evoked images of stately, regal dance suites, punctuated by uplifting and lively guitar flourishes informed by the flamenco tradition. The programming of this work as the finale resulted in a most enjoyable and rare evening of guitar works.
