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Program:
Sylvius Leopold Weiss: Passacaglia
Lennox Berkeley: Sonatina Op. 52a
Robert Schumann: Five Pieces
“Short Study” (Album for the Young, Op.68 no.14)
“Fantasy Dance” (Album Leaves, Op.124 no.5)
“For Clara” (Colored Leaves Op.99 no.1)
“Vision” (Album Leaves, Op.124 no.14)
“Mignon” (Album for the Young Op.68 no.35)
Enrique Granados: Valses Poeticos
Isaac Albeniz:
Prelude, Op.165, no.1 (from España)
Sevilla, Op.47 (from Suite Española)
All works arranged for 8-string classical guitar by Paul Galbraith
Paul Galbraith appears by arrangement with Lisa Sapinkopf Artists, www.chambermuse.com
Program Notes:
PAUL GALBRAITH has been selected for the Guitar Foundation of America (GFA)’s 2024 HALL OF FAME ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT AWARD honoring “Monumental Contributions to the Development of the Art and Life of the Classical Guitar,” joining such luminaries as Andrés Segovia, Julian Bream, Pepe Romero, Christopher Parkening, John Williams, and the LAGQ. Today’s performance is a short version of the concert he will have given on June 20 as the keynote event of the GFA’s annual conference, to be held at Cal State Fullerton.
Galbraith is internationally renowned as one of the foremost guitarists of our time. The searching depth of his interpretations and his revolutionary playing style and instrument have made him an instantly recognizable figure in the classical music world.
Galbraith’s recording of the Complete Bach Violin Sonatas and Partitas was nominated for a GRAMMY in the Best Solo Instrumental Album category. This 2-CD set was also chosen as one of the two best CDs of the year by Gramophone Magazine, which called it “a landmark in the history of guitar recordings.” It received a Four-Star rating in Stereo Review and reached the Top 10 on Billboard’s classical charts.
Galbraith’s playing position and his guitar’s extraordinary design are considered ground-breaking developments in the instrument’s history. The guitar is supported by a metal endpin, similar to a cello, which rests on a wooden resonance box. The instrument has two extra strings, one high, and one low, increasing its range to an unprecedented extent
At 17, Galbraith won the Silver Medal at the Segovia International Guitar Competition. Andrés Segovia, who was present, called his playing “magnificent.” This award helped launch an international career including engagements with some of the finest orchestras in Britain and Europe (Royal Philharmonic, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, BBC Philharmonic, Scottish Symphony Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, BBC Scottish Orchestra, Scottish Baroque Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra, Hallé Orchestra and Scottish Chamber Orchestra among them). He toured the U.S. as a soloist with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra and performed in Prague’s Dvorák Hall with the National Chamber Orchestra of Chile. In the USA he has appeared as a soloist with the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Knoxville Symphony, Santa Rosa Symphony, and ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, among others.
Galbraith gave a nationally-televised closing-night performance of Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez at the Scottish Proms with the BBC Scottish Orchestra and was invited by the CBC to give a special “Tribute to Glenn Gould” concert for Canada-wide broadcast at the Glenn Gould Studios in Toronto on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the great pianist’s death. He has been featured twice on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” and numerous times on “Performance Today.”
Galbraith has played festivals in Vienna, Austria, Spain, Italy, China, and South Korea. He made his New York début at the Frick Collection, receiving a rave review in the New York Times; he appeared three times on Lincoln Center’s “Great Performances” series, and he has twice given solo recitals at the 92nd Street Y. Recent and forthcoming engagements include NYC, Boston, Washington DC, Los Angeles, San Diego, Atlanta, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Portland Seattle, Miami, Baltimore, Buffalo, Milwaukee, San Antonio, and San Juan (Puerto Rico). Recitals in Brazil, Mexico, the UK, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Hungary, Poland, Russia, Israel and Turkey are among Mr. Galbraith’s international activities. He has appeared at numerous Bach festivals, including Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Denver, and Carmel.
Among the highlights of Paul’s recent seasons are appearances at the Lichfield and Greenwich Festivals in the UK; the Swedish Guitar and Lute Society; a tour of Italy including the Padova Guitar Festival; and duo concerts in New York City, Washington DC, Atlanta and other cities with Antonio Meneses, the last cellist of the legendary Beaux Arts Trio.
Paul recently made the world premiere recording of British composer Thomas Wilson’s Guitar Concerto with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, to be released on Linn Records. This August he’ll give the world premiere, in the UK, of a new solo guitar piece, Morning Star, by Michael Berkeley (the son of Lennox Berkeley, whose Sonatina Paul is performing on today’s program). Other upcoming activities are a tour with Chinese pipa player Yihan Chen and performances across North America, from California to Washington, DC to Québec.
Born in Scotland now residing in Cambridge, England, Paul has lived in Basel, Switzerland, and São Paulo, Brazil, where he founded the Brazilian Guitar Quartet. He has given countless masterclasses around the world and has been a professor at the Music Academy of Basel, the Royal Scottish Conservatoire, and Columbus State University in Georgia. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he taught virtually for the University of Colorado School of Music.
Further information is available at www.paul-galbraith.com
Discography:
Bach: The Complete Violin Sonatas and Partitas
Bach Lute Suites
Paul Galbraith Plays Haydn
In Every Lake the Moon Shines Full (folk tunes from various countries)
French Impressions: Music by Debussy and Ravel
A CD and DVD of works by Bach, Mozart, and Britten, with encore pieces by Bach, Albeniz, and Ravel
Allemande: Paul Galbraith Plays Bach and Mozart (Guitar Coop)
(Forthcoming) Thomas Wilson Guitar Concerto with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (World Premiere recording)
