Ricardo Gallén & Bogden Mihailescu: Supreme Virtuosity and Extraordinary Mastery – Adelaide Guitar Festival Review

[ROMANIA/SPAIN] Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide Festival Centre, Thu 11 Aug The first part of this program features the 2014 winner of the Adelaide International Guitar Competition and at 24 years old Bogden already has a lot of cred on the classical guitar world stage. Bogden’s repertoire is carefully arranged in chronological order, in terms of date of composition. From the Galileo’s Father, guitarist and composer Vincenzo Galilei, J.S. Bach, Johann Mertz and the contemporary Dusan Bogdanovic – illustrating the development of style and form of European composition, with dissonance and slapping featured in the latter work. The contrast between the two performers in tonight’s program, as well as the repertoire, is striking. Bogden has a foot stand, cloths to cushion his legs, a little rest piece on his guitar for his arm and rituals to setting himself up to play the European compositions. Further, he introduces his pieces and has a contemplative style and takes his time to settle and play. Whereas Ricardo simply has a guitar, he sits down, crosses his legs and the performance begins, immediately and with fervour and gusto. It’s almost halfway through the performance before Ricardo Gallén addresses the audience by voice, to acknowledge that the second Leo Brouwer piece that he is about to play has been dedicated by the composer to Ricardo himself. Ricardo’s repertoire is exclusively South American, and this style is underscored by his more energetic and new-worldly style of playing, there is intensity, but there is also a sense of fun (it may also relate to waltzes and other tempos being featured too). Ricardo Gallén is Spanish (and became one of the youngest professors of guitar ever, working in Germany). His playing is breathtaking, light and shade, fury and frantic to gentle and soothing and when the moment calls for single contemplative notes, the tone of his guitar is simply stunning – if only we mere mortals could play single notes like that, let alone back it up with a barrage of notes, chords and polymelodies that a master guitarist can muster! Ricardo Gallén will be teaching a master class on Fri 12 Aug which is free to observe. It will be fascinating to see how not only his guitar knowledge is imparted, but how he discusses how the personality of the performer is infused in the performance – as his so clearly is. Clayton Werner Ricardo Gallén performs a free Masterclass in John Bishop Room, Adelaide Festival Centre, from 5pm of Fri 12 Aug. Click HERE for more information. Facebook: @adelaideguitarfestival Twitter: @guitar_festival Instagram @adelaidefescent #AGF16