Bringing together two musical fantasies written for Andrés Segovia in the 1950’s, this programme features Joaquin Rogrigo’s Fantasía para un Gentilhombre and Fantasia (Op145) for guitar and piano by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco.
Rodrigo’s work is based on dances by seventeenth century guitarist Gaspar Sanz, and will be well known to many classical music listeners.
Less familiar but equally effective is the Tedesco duet, an exquisite composition that achieves an excellent balance between the two instruments. It is mirrored in this recital by two more recent compositions by French composer Erik Marchelie. The programme will also include arrangements of works by Manuel de Falla and Rossini.
The Acorda duo comprises Gary Jordan and Seth Williams, two musicians based in Reading. Gary initially studied classical guitar with Gerald Garcia, Ray Burley and Fiona Harrison. He has since been fortunate to play in masterclasses for other inspirational guitarists including John Mills, Craig Ogden and David Russell. Gary was chairman of the Berkshire Guitar Society, based in South Hill Park, for many years and now runs the Earley Guitar Ensemble which performs regularly in the Reading area. Gary’s commitment to the guitar led him to leave a career in engineering in 2014 to concentrate on teaching and performing in the Reading area.
As a postgraduate student at the Royal Academy of Music, Seth studied piano accompaniment with Malcolm Martineau, Clifford Benson and Michael Dussek. Subsequently, Seth worked in music outreach including for English National Opera, the New London Orchestra and Streetwise Opera. These days, Seth combines his time working in the City with a passion for music, and serving as a trustee of Berkshire Music Trust.