The renowned Edinburgh-based guitarist will play dazzling pieces by three C19th virtuosi, Mauro Giuliani, Antoine de Lhoyer, and Fernando Sor, on a beautifully restored guitar from the period.
All three composers, from Italy, France and Spain respectively, were fascinated by Scottish folk melodies: Giuliani’s beautiful meditation on The Bluebells of Scotland will be followed by de Lhoyer’s ingenious variations on the ballad Robin Adair. Sor’s rightly named Grand Sonata, though, is pure Spain: a revolutionary work, described by Richard Long as “a sort of classical symphony for solo guitar”.
After the interval, a Scottish composer returns the compliment, as Richard switches to a modern instrument for Musgrave’s evocative Postcards from Spain, and the infectious courtly dances of J.S. Bach’s Lute Suite BWV 996, which includes the instantly recognisable Bourrée.