Classical guitarists combine for Spanish Nights at Boxgrove Priory

SussexWorld

Classical guitarists Mark Ashford and Amanda Cook combine to offer Spanish Nights for Amici Concerts on Friday, September 13 at 7.30pm (doors 7pm) at Boxgrove Priory, Church Lane, PO18 0EE.

Transcript

00:00Good morning, my name is Phil Hewitt, Group Arts Editor at Sussex Newspapers. Lovely to

00:06speak again to Amanda Cook. And Amanda, a classical guitarist, you are combining with

00:10Mark Ashford, also a classical guitarist, for a very special concert coming up at Boxgrove

00:15Priory on Friday, September the 13th at 7.30pm, Spanish Nights. Now, why Spanish Nights? What's

00:23so special about the music of Spain, would you say?

00:26Well, it's lovely to talk to you, Phil, again. And just, yeah, I mean, the thing about Spanish

00:32music is, is that it just plays such a key part in the history of the classical guitar.

00:39And we're focusing on sort of later 19th and early 20th century, when the guitar was really

00:45transformed into a more serious concert instrument. And as a result of players that were coming

00:53on the scene, composers were asked to, and inspired to write for the instrument. So larger

01:00scale, more virtuosic works were being written. And for example, with Francisco Taurega, he

01:06collaborated with a guitar maker at the time, Torres, to create a larger bodied instrument,

01:13because there was a smaller instrument in the body size and the neck length. So with the larger

01:19body, you know, you could have more volume, more projection, and more capacity for colour to allow

01:24these sort of new techniques as well, that were being introduced into compositions, to really

01:30project to larger audiences in concert halls, rather than moving away from the sort of salon

01:36history of the guitar, where it was more of a post dinner entertainment.

01:41Sounds fantastic. And the exciting thing, one of the many exciting things about this is that

01:45it's effectively a new duo, isn't it? But you and Mark go back quite some time. Why the duo and why now?

01:52Well, we've, yeah, we've known each other since we were teenagers meeting at summer schools back

01:57then. And we've been working together for about 10 years in the Vida Guitar Quartet.

02:03And so, you know, we know each other, you know, really well, working in that group so closely.

02:09And now, yes, and then we've just come up with this idea to create this duo program.

02:16Mark was approached, asking if he could put together a program of Spanish music.

02:21And so that was, you know, a really exciting opportunity for us to create a mixture of

02:27solos and duos, which isn't really often done. Often there'll be a focus just on a guitar duo

02:31or a soloist. So I think audiences seem to be enjoying that mixture, you know, Mark producing

02:38solos, I will do some solos, and then we'll intersperse that with some duos.

02:43And in your wider career, you're saying this is just simply another option, isn't it? Another way of

02:47playing, another way of collaborating. Exactly, yeah. I mean, as guitarists, we sort of,

02:52we love and are known for, you know, doing varieties of, you know, combinations of solo,

02:58working with other instrumentalists as well. The guitar's versatility, you know, really lends itself

03:03to that. So, and guitar duo is a beautiful combination, you know, offering you a wider

03:08range of colour and a range of works. So we're really enjoying this Spanish program that we've

03:15put together. Fantastic. So Spanish Nights at Box Grey Priory are Mark Ashford and Amanda Cook on

03:22Friday, September 13th. Amanda, really lovely to speak to you again. Thank you. Thank you.

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