10th Calcutta International Classical Guitar Festival: Activity Report

Calcutta Classical Guitar Society

ACTIVITY REPORT

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Calcutta th International Classical Guitar Calcutta International Festival & Festival Classical Guitar & Competition Competition 12-15 DECEMBER 2019, ICCR

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10 YEARS OF CLASSICAL GUITAR IN KOLKATA!

10th Calcutta International Classical Guitar Festival & Competition A DECADE OF CLASSICAL GUITAR IN KOLKATA

O

nce the decision to pull out all stops to celebrate one decade of the Calcutta International Classical Guitar Festival was taken, we were clear on a couple of fronts. The European Guitar Quartet needed to be there.

So did David Russell.

Halfway through the year we found ourselves without any corporate sponsorship. Avik Saha, the founder of the Festival, mentor and president of the Calcutta Classical Guitar Society, came through. Determined to continue, he personally underwrote all The rest of the Festival was built with patience expenses. We are in an incredible position to and partnerships and a lot of goodwill. We have a patron of this nature. were incredibly lucky to have the support of While the Festival is not yet close to breaking the Australian Consul General and include the even, things are improving. About a third of Grigoryan Brothers. We had always wanted our income has come from ticket sales. The to include this celebrated duo, but somehow classical guitar community has begun to until this year never managed to. donate in small amounts towards next year’s The Embassy of Spain, who invest heavily in Festival. Mr Saha has pledged his support the young Indian guitarists, agreed to sponsor once more. the national-level competition once again. The winner gets a full scholarship to travel to Spain and attend the Cordoba Guitar Festival. They also sent us the wonderful Seville Guitar Duo Francisco Bernier and Antonio Duro.

Because of the the Camoes Institute (Portuguese Embassy Cultural Centre) we were able to feature Portuguese guitar music from Coimbra.

For the first time, Mr Poddar, the Hon. Consul General of Romania in Kolkata extended his support, making it possible for Duo Kitharsis to visit.

The other music concerts were gifts by the musicians who bore most of the burden of getting to Kolkata and performing for the love of being here. Thank you Vi Blau (flamenco fusion from Valencia, Spain), Ser o Duo (fluteguitar duo from Chile) and Lautaro Tissera (Argentina).

Ten years seems like a long time when we consider how things were when we began and how much things have changed. From instinctively responding to a new and novel art form, Kolkata audiences now show a deeper appreciation of the music. The Festival has become an integral part of the city’s cultural calendar, acknowledged through the media and from concert goers, some of who write to us months in advance asking for dates so as to plan their travel around it. Classical guitar students across the country have reached much higher levels of expertise, a few deciding to make the instrument their primary profession, something almost unheard of a decade ago.

Ten years also seems like just the beginning when we consider what lies ahead. It’s bright and exciting!

VEDA AGGARWAL Festival Director

AAKASH SAHA Artistic Director

This year’s festival was a big celebration!

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MUSICIANS

10

COUNTRIES

11

CONCERTS

Every concert was sold out!

The 2019 Calcutta International Classical Guitar Festival had more participants than ever before.

120

INDIAN GUITARISTS REGISTERED

80

SIGNED UP FOR INDIVIDUAL MASTERCLASSES Guitar students and teachers came to Kolkata from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Pune, Goa, Himachal Pradesh and different parts of the North East.

workshops The Festival included a series of carefully curated themed group workshops.

UNDER 12 ENSEMBLE

TANGO ENSEMBLE

Conducted by Moa Edmunds (from Chile) and meant for beginner guitarists less than 12 years old, this workshop took place each of the 4 days of the Festival. The ensemble performed in the student concert on the last day.

A month before the Festival, Lautaro Tissera (Argentina) gave us ensemble sheet music. Students prepared their parts at home and during the course of the Festival practised together to perform in the student concert.

PORTUGUESE GUITAR FROM COIMBRA

FLAMENCO DANCE WORKSHOP

Hugo Gamboias and Diogo Passos introduced us to the Portuguese Guitar.

Participants learnt how it is tuned, plucked and strummed with emphasis on the Fado music from Coimbra.

A two-day workshop with the flamenco dancer Yessica Sanchez (Spain) that included learning basic flamenco rhythms, the position of arms and hands, how to turn and how to move, taconeos (tapping with your heels) and a short choreographed dance.

public masterclasses Three of our visiting maestros conducted hour-long interactive sessions open to all participants and observers.

productive practising David Russell How to make the biggest impact with the time you have. David Russell focussed on how to craft productive practice habits. Slow, Steady and Accurate is the best way to go. The music should be divided into bite sized portions. Be conscious and consistent.

characters in music Pavel Steidl Pavel Steidl explained how to identify the character of the music we play and once identified, how to relate to it. The right hand of the guitarist is just as important as the left in portraying each character and giving them a voice.

funky strumming, grooves & beats Reentko Dirks An explanation of some techniques from flamenco (Rasgueado) and funk music (slapping, strumming) and how these elements combined can lead to an unorthodox, new sound.

Concerts by the best guitarists from around the world!

David Russell UNITED KINGDOM

A celebration The inaugural concert of the Calcutta International Classical Guitar Festival was by the Grammy Award winner David Russell (UK). His programme was a celebration of a decade of classical guitar in Kolkata with the some of the most beloved music written and performed on the instrument.

12 DECEMBER | 7 PM

Lautaro Tissera ARGENTINA

Netuvos Tangos A concert which took us through the different tangos of Argentina - starting with some traditional familiar works, to the newer contemporary form of the dance, including pieces composed by Lautaro Tissera himself.

13 DECEMBER | 5 PM

Hugo Gamboias & Diogo Passos PORTUGUAL

Coimbra, Fado & the Portuguese Guitar Hugo Gamboias plays music from his hometown Coimbra, on the traditional Portuguese guitar named after the city.

This was a beautiful concert of rare folk music from Portugual, including the specific kind of Fado that is played in coimbra. Hugo was accompanied by Diego Passos on classical guitar.

14 DECEMBER | 5 PM

This concert was presented by the Instituto CamĂľes, the Portuguese Embassy Cultural Centre.

This concert was made possible by the generous support of the Australian Consulate-General in Kolkata.

Grigoryan Brothers AUSTRALIA

Songs without words The brilliant Australian guitarists, Slava and Leonard Grigoryan, performed a wonderful concert with new transcriptions of old music, special arrangements and their own compostiions that showcased their deep appreciation of a broad spectrum of musical styles. The programme included music by P.I. Tchaikovsky, G.F. Handel, Ralph Towner, Antonin Dvorak, Radames Gnattali, Slava Grigoryan and Leonard Grigoryan.

13 DECEMBER | 6.30 PM

Pavel Steidl CZECH REPUBLIC

Caprice Pavel Steidl has been a regular at the Festival. This was his fourth, undoubtably the best, performance for us. We heard J.K. Mertz, F. Sor, Niccolo Paganini, Mauro Guiliani F.M. Torroba as well as Philip Houton’s Ophelia... a haunted Sonata - a premiere for Kolkata.

Through it all, Pavel’s inimitable style shone through, giving us an evening in which a regular classical guitar sounded like a new and revolutionary instrument.

13 DECEMBER | 8 PM

With many thanks to the Embassy of Spain in India & Instituto Cervantes New Delhi.

Seville Guitar Duo SPAIN

Cantos de EspaĂąa Seeped in the rich tradition of Spanish guitar music, the duo of Antonio Duro and Francisco Bernier (both based in Seville) took us on a journey to their homeland with the the music of Joaquin Rodrigo, Enrique Granados, Fernando Sor, Isaac Albeniz and Manuel de Falla.

14 DECEMBER | 6.30 PM

Duo Kitharsis ROMANIA

Romanian Dances This was the first time we had Romanian music played at the Guitar Festival. The concert included the Béla Bartók suite of Romanian Folk Dances as well as music by Karol Mikuli, Iosif Ivanovici and Grigoras Dinicu.

Duo Kitharsis, Alexandra and Dragoș, who have been actively playing together for over a decade, gave us a wonderfully synchronous and heartfelt concert.

15 DECEMBER | 5 PM

This concert was made possible by the generous support of the Consul General of Romania in Kolkata.

Consulate General of Romania

Ser o Duo CHILE

Sounds from Chile A concert which took us through the different tangos of Argentina - starting with some traditional familiar works, to the newer contemporary form of the dance, including pieces composed by Lautaro Tissera himself.

14 DECEMBER | 12 NOON

Zoran Dukic CROATIA

Bachianas Argentinas Zoran Dukić had us spellbound.

In a continuous set, almost like a single movement, he alternated fast tangos by Astor Piazzolla with slower pieces by Johannes Sebastian Bach. The concert ended with Alan Rawsthorne and Miguel Llobet, the audience on their feet waiting for an encore.

14 DECEMBER | 8 PM

Vi Blau SPAIN

From Spain with Love Vi Blau plays a mix of traditional styles including flamenco, popular Spanish and Latin American folklore, jazz improvisation and their own compositions. This concert featured original music, including a song composed for the Calcutta International Classical Guitar Festival. For the Festival, it was the first time we included this form of music, the highlight of which was the wonderful flamenco dancer Yessica Sanchez.

15 DECEMBER | 6.30 PM

European Guitar Quartet CROATIA / CZECH REPUBLIC / GERMANY

Danza!

The classical guitar supergroup - Zoran Dukic, Pavel Steidl, Thomas Fellow and Reentko Dirks - were the perfect end to the four days’ celebration. A joyful concert, with a mixed repertoire including Piazzolla tangos, music by Fellow and Dirks and even Frank Zappa!

15 DECEMBER | 8 PM

inclusive audiences Thanks to the generosity of BookASmile, we were able to offer the music at the Calcutta International Classical Guitar Festival to a truly diverse audience

The Calcutta International Classical Guitar Festival was started in order to provide access to the highest form of guitar music to people in India who otherwise have to go abroad to attend these concerts.

Since 2017 we have expanded the scope of this inclusion to get tickets sponsored for those who may not be able to afford to come, and may not have otherwise envisioned themselves at ‘concert goers’.

This diversity adds to the quality of the audience and offers a chance for people from different backgrounds to share a common space together.

Since 2018, BookASmile has contributed generously to make this possible.

BENEFICIARIES Stars Welfare Society Sevayan Helping Hands Friends of Calcutta Loreto Rainbow Homes Indian Institute of Cerebral Palsy Future Hope Jungle Crows Asha Niketan Piali Ashar Alo Nabajatak School: Rainbow Homes

social outreach After the Guitar Festival some of our featured musicians offered concerts and workshops for beneficiares of our music education programmes supported by BookASmile.

“LIVE IN LEARNING” MUSIC EDUCATION PRORAMME Through the year, the Calcutta Classical Guitar Society runs music education programmes for NGOs and schools in under-served communities. The programme includes a combination of weekly music lessons and monthly live music exposure activities.

PIALI ASHAR ALO A free school for girls in a village near the Sundarbans, our “Live in Learning” programme includes singing, violin, tabla, keyboard, and guitar. The girls welcomed Vi Blau from Spain who performed for them and conducted a 2-hour flamenco dance lesson in the school!

FRIENDS OF CALCUTTA Friends of Calcutta have a few centres in and around Kolkata. They have informal schools and community centres within slums and it’s here here that we offer guitar lessons through the year, focussing on the centres in Topsia and Tangra. Students at both centres here benefitted from concerts by the Hugo Gamboias & Diego Passos (Portuguesal) and Ser o Duo (Chile).

in the press The Calcutta International Classical Guitar Festival received coverage in all the significant local newspapers both before and after the festival.

Spanish Classical Guitar Competition FINALS: 12 DECEMBER 2019

Enabled by the EMBASSY OF SPAIN IN INDIA INSTITUTO CERVANTES NEW DELHI Partnering with the FESTIVAL DE LA GUITARRA DE CÓRDOBA

The Spanish Classical Guitar Competition is a national-level classical guitar competition enabled by the Embassy of Spain and held with the intention of fostering an interest in Spanish music and culture in India.

From 2018, the official partner of the competition is the Festival de la Guitarra de Córdoba, the world’s oldest and longest running classical guitar festival.

The winner of the Spanish Classical Guitar Competition gets a fully paid scholarship (including international travel and accommodation) to attend this guitar festival in Cordoba.

The Spanish Classical Guitar Competition is held as part of the Calcutta International Classical Guitar Festival at the Indian Council For Cultural Relations.

Prizes

OPEN CATEGORY Participation in the Festival de la Guitarra de Córdoba (Spain) presented by the Embassy of Spain in India & guitarracordoba.org his is a full scholarship including international travel and accommodation, and will T include the participation fees for masterclasses and concert.

Recital at the Instituto Cervantes New Delhi presented by the Instituto Cervantes New Delhi This will be a formal 1-hour classical guitar recital at the Instituto Cervantes New Delhi in December 2019. The prize includes travel to Delhi, accommodation and hospitality for 2 nights in Delhi.

Professional guitar by Alhambra

by Alhambra Guitars and their Kolkata-based distributer Reynolds P7 Model, solid top cedar guitar meant for conservatory students Savarez Strings & accessories Hannabach Strings

JUNIOR CATEGORY (UNDER 18) Student guitar by Alhambra

by Alhambra Guitars and their Kolkata-based distributer Reynolds Z Natural Model, solid top guitar meant for students Savarez Strings & accessories Hannabach Strings PARTNERS

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Jubal Pradhan 1ST PRIZE OPEN CATEGORY I started playing the guitar when I was 15. My dad was my first teacher and I played the acoustic and electric guitar. I grew up listening to 80s 90s music everything from rock to jazz. I listen to a lot of music, always on the lookout for something new. I love modern classical composers. Bach is a favourite, but also Sergio Assad and Leo Brouwer.

My classical guitar training began around 2011.

Adelita by Tarrega was the first piece I ever learnt.

Eventually I decided to take my guitar studies seriously and did my B Mus with Classical Guitar Performance from the Margaret Shishak School of Music at the Patkai Christian College, Dimapur (Nagaland). Mr Joey Woch was my teacher during my undergrad studies.

I am currently working in Delhi (at the Eastwind Academy, Gurgaon) while preparing for my further studies. I hope to do my Masters in music soon.

I like performing, and spreading the beautiful repertoire of guitar music. Classical guitar still is not very well known in India. I want to work on making the classical guitar more well known.

Jubal Pradhan is a 25-year-old guitarist from Darjeeling.

For the finals of the Spanish Guitar Competition he performed Passacaglia from Joaquín Rodrigo’s “Tres Piezas Españolas and Coco from Suite Brasileira by Sergio Assad.

Kabir Dabholkar SHARED 2ND PRIZE OPEN CATEGORY Classical guitar is definitely a big part of my life, but I need to balance it with my academics.

I’m doing a BS-MS degree from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune.

These are the two things I enjoy doing most - music and science.

I would like to spend the next phase of my life giving classical guitar full-time focus and devotion. And also find out where I fit in the international musical landscape. Competitions seem like a good place for me to start because it will push me musically. In some sense I will get a realistic idea of where I place if I give it a good shot. Of course it is just one possibility and I am open to others.

Kabir Dabholkar is a 21-year-old guitarist from Bangalore. For the finals of the Spanish Guitar Competition he performed Seville by Isaac Albeniz and Sonata 4, Movt 1 by Dusan Bogdanovic.

Anubhav Dasgupta SHARED 2ND PRIZE OPEN CATEGORY I started playing guitar at the age of six. For the first year I was taught under the guidance of Mr. Shyamal De before I was completely trained under Mr. Pravat Darnal.

I was very attached to classical music initially and as the years went by I started discovering more genres. Bach’s harmonies are really appealing as well as Tarrega’s difficult yet beautiful melodies. Currently, I am listening to various modern jazz artists.

I am working on difficult classical pieces and also trying to compose small pieces and songs myself. Music surely is a huge asset for anyone and I personally consider it as an escape from the hectic world we are living in.

I have been visiting the festival right from the time it began in 2010. It’s been extremely influential. It gave me huge exposure to the entire classical guitar community in India. The interaction with the best in the world has helped develop the entire classical guitar community and prepare themselves in order to try and reach the levels of their idols. .

Anubhav Dasgupta is an 18-year old guitarist from Kolkata. For the finals of the Spanish Guitar Competition he performed Seville by Isaac Albeniz and a Nocturne by Chopin.

Antara Dasgupta 1ST PRIZE OPEN CATEGORY I’ve been taught by Shyamal De since I was 5 years old, but the masterclasses and experiences I have at the Calcutta International Classical Guitar Festival every year have played a very large role in my learning and growth.

Right now I’m just trying to expand my repertoire and bring everything I play up to a certain standard, and start trying to discover and develop my own musical sense and direction.

It can get difficult to practise as much as I would like because school can get stressful in class 11 and there’s also so many new things to do... It’s easy to lose focus. I do always end up finding my way back though!

This was my 8th year at the Festival. It’s changed my life. This is what I look forward to most every year.

It’s opened my eyes tothe world and possibilities of classical guitar. I first went when I was 10 and I hope I can keep going for as long as I can.

Antara Dasgupta is a 17-year-old guitarist from Kolkata.

For the finals of the Spanish Guitar Competition she performed Mallorca by Isaac Albeniz and Sunburst by Andrew York.

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Sunil Parameswaran 2ND PRIZE UNDER 18 CATEGORY I started learning classical guitar at the age of 8 from Mr Karnajit, Mr Dinesh and Mr Len, all guitar teachers at The Bangalore School of Music. I am now being mentored by Mr Lazhar Cherouana over Skype and with Mr Matt Bacon who makes it very interesting and inspiring.

I am fascinated by classical music. I love the composers Rodrigo, Barrios, Bach, Sergio Assad and Domeniconi. Above all, I love Johannes Moller. His music moves me passionately.

Though I am studying science group in the eleventh standard at school which is very demanding and have rigorous preparations for upcoming competitive examinations, playing the guitar is a complete joyful experience. Every day it makes me feel better and cheerful.

I have attended thrice the festival in Kolkata. There is a lot of learning from the masterclasses.

There is also an opportunity to meet the legend guitar artists from various parts of the world and to build bonds with the classical guitarists in India. The whole Calcutta Festival feels like my family where we are all connected by the love for music.

Sunil Parameswaran is a 17-year-old guitarist from Bangalore. For the finals of the Spanish Guitar Competition he played Nikita Koshkin’s The fall of birds and the 3rd movement (Allegro Vivo) of Joaquin Rodrigo’s Turina Sonata op 61.

Tejashwin Ravishankar SHARED 3RD PRIZE UNDER 18 CATEGORY I’m currently in the first year of the Diploma course offered by KM Music Conservatory (Foundation) mostly focusing on expanding my repertoire, and bettering my ability as a guitarist among other aspects of music such as theory, and composition. I’m greatly inspired by romantic period music (Mertz), Spanish composers (Albéniz, Tarrega) and 21st century compositions for Guitar (Rodrigo, Villa-Lobos, and Barrios). But I often find myself looking into more contemporary music for the guitar by composers such as Takemitsu, and Koshkin.

I want to develop into a guitarist who can satisfy himself as well as an audience with his playing, as well as develop into an overall better musician who has a good understanding of most aspects of music.

This was my first time in Calcutta. The Festival opened my eyes. It even gave me new ideas on technique, and musicality. I was really fortunate to have seen great concerts everyday and this gave me new views on performing. The festival helped me gauge myself and gave me a good idea of how I can better myself. But above all, I was really happy to have met some of the guitar playing community in India.

Tejashwin Ravishankar is a 17-year-old guitarist from Chennai. For the finals of the Spanish Guitar Competition he performed Etude No. 7 by Villa-Lobos and Capricho Arabe by Tárrega.

Sidharth Sarangi SHARED 3RD PRIZE UNDER 18CATEGORY My greatest inspiration is my Music Teacher Thangadurai Samuel. He is very supportive and a good mentor. I am relatively new to the classical guitar: it’s been 2 years since I started out.

Music is a sort of recreation for me. I practice for an hour everyday and it makes me feel better and more active. I feel that music helps me do better in many other fields of life, especially at school.

I have been coming to the Calcutta International Classical Guitar Festival for 2 years now.

The festival has totally changed the way I perceive music. It has been very helpful for me to develop as a guitarist. I learnt a lot in the masterclasses. I have also experienced the diversity of the music and the various things that can be done with it. It’s really amazing to spend four days with such great musicians.

Sidharth Sarangi is a 15-year-old guitarist from Bangalore. For the finals of the Spanish Guitar Competition he performed Asturias by Albéniz and Danza Paraguaya No.1 by Agustín Barrios.

Prize winners (L-R): Jubal Pradhan, Sunil Parameswaran, Tejashwin Ravishankar, Sidharth Sarangi, Antara Dasgupta, Saksham Chauhan, Kabir Dabholkar & Anubhav Dasgupta.

Deepak Ponmudi’s travel diary

T

he festival in Cordoba is legendary. It’s one Last summer, Deepak Ponmudi, winner of the oldest in the world and invites only of the Spanish Guitar Competiton at the best classical guitarists. The programme the Calcutta International Classical coordinator for the festival confirmed that I Guitar Festival went to Spain to attend had workshops with David Russell, Margarita Escarpa, Manuel Barrueco and Ricardo Gallen. the Festival de la Guitarra de Córdoba Two of these are Grammy award winning (the Cordoba Guitar Festival). His trip classical musicians! Leo Brouwer the legendary included a consultation and visit to the Cuban composer would be at the festival too, with special celebrations for his 80th birth Real Conservatorio Superior de Música anniversary. de Madrid (The Royal Conservatory of I was sure that the experience was going to be Music in Madrid) and to Muro de Alcoy, huge and that I would learn a lot.

Alicante to visit the Alhambra Guitars THE MELIA HOTELS INTERNATIONAL workshop.

This was a scholarship provided by the Embassy of Spain in India with partners including the Cordoba Guitar Festival, Alhambra Guitars and the Melia International Hotels.

I stayed in Melia Hotels International and also performed two recitals for them in Madrid.

My repertoire for this and the masterclasses was largely Spainish and Latin. I had spent months practising and preparing. When I landed in Madrid, Pride Week was on. The city was crowded and everyone was celebrating.

I checked in the hotel and found a kind note from the Manager and hotel staff welcoming me. Everyone knew who I was. The Gran Via hotel was in the centre of the city and Pride celebrations on the streets outside continued till 2am!

ALHAMBRA GUITAR WORKSHOP The first couple of days, I divided my time exploring the city and practising. I had concerts each evening. The third day I travelled to Muro de Alcoy, a village near Alicante to visit the Alhambra Guitar Workshop. It was incredible! I met the master luthier, was given a full tour of the workshop and saw the entire guitar making process from their most basic Z Nature guitar to the Professional series and the Arte guitars which are completely hand crafted. I met the people who worked in the R&D department, and

the team for the Alhambra Guitar Competition (a prestigious international guitar competition that happens every two years). The Alhambra team had made a display of 7-8 of their best guitars (some not even for sale) for me to try out, and I was left alone with them for close to an hour. It was a very special experience.

time for the message to sink in. I wasn’t just supposed to play live on air for the country, this performance would be a programme with my idol, David Russell. I would get to share the stage with him! It made me very nervous.

FESTIVAL DE LA GUITARRA DE CÓRDOBA

This was the first time I met David Russell.

He was amazing. He and his wife, Maria, saw how tense I was and did their best to put me at ease. David translated everything from Spanish to English, gave me cues for when I should play and when I should stop. I still can’t remember anything clearly from that day. I totally blanked out! I remember that after the programme was over he helped put my guitar back in my case and carried all my stuff. And when there was time to take a photo together, he said I should have my guitar with me. I didn’t understand what he meant, so he ran to my case, asked for permission to touch the

And then came the main reason for travelling to Spain - the Festival de la Guitarra de Córdoba!

I took the train out reached in the morning, checked in to the hotel and spent the whole day exploring the medieval city. At some point, I got a WhatsApp message from the Press Officer of the Festival asking if I would be part of their official live broadcast interview for the National Radio of Spain with David Russell and José Antonio Rodríguez. It took some

ON AIR WITH DAVID RUSSELL

guitar and ran back with it so that I could hold else. I practised all evening and was able to it and pose. I was so touched. I was about to implement some of what I learnt. The next cry. It was awesome. morning she noticed the difference. Her The next day festival began and in the evening approach to music focuses on the attitude was David Russell’s concert. It was absolutely we have towards the piece. It should never amazing. He taught us over the next two days. be ‘difficult’. Either it’s ‘easy’ or ‘not easy’. If we I was an observer so didn’t play for him, but sat think it’s difficult, we’ve labelled it in our minds in for all the workshops. So he translated as and will always think of it as something that he taught in Spanish, for me and Ian, another we may not do.

English-speaking guitarist from New Zealand.

WITH MARGARITA ESCARPA, NOTHING IS ‘DIFFICULT’

MANUEL BARRUECO GAVE A HEAVENLY CONCERT Manel Barrueco is another idol. He is a legendary guitarist and Grammy winner. His concert was heavenly. He took us through Spanish music from different periods of history, and didn’t speak one word through it. His tone was unique. When I looked at him playing, his face didn’t have any expression, almost like a robot. But when I closed my eyes, it was so beautiful!

Margarita Escarpa gave us a beautiful concert on one of those evenings, and her classes came next. I played Spanish Dance #2 by Enrique Granados for her. She was strict but caring. I really enjoyed my class with her. She kept pushing me to do better and better and gave me a lot of homework, then asked if I could come back early the next morning for an extra session with her before everyone I was expecting Barrueco to be a strict teacher

who may even get angry with mistakes, but he was actually a fun and sometimes funny guy!

I played Paganini’s Romance and he showed me how to voice the guitar better. He made small corrections with a focus on musicality.

Through his workshop he talked about how to learn a piece, incorporating dynamics right from the beginning. Play as slow as possible.

First practise the right hand, then the left hand separately. To demonstrate, he played BWV 1006 just right hand, and then the left hand, and then both together. One of the highlights was being able to sit at a table drinking coffee with him after class - and he paid the bill for all of us on both days!

AT THE END OF RICARDO GALLEN’S CLASS, MY FINGERS WERE DEAD Ricardo Gallen’s concert was fabulous, half was a tribute to Leo Brouwer and the other half was the music of Bach. His masterclasses were great. His approach was very technical, almost the opposite of Barrueco and that was interesting. Gallen said we should be able to know where our fingers are anywhere on the fretboard. At the end of the class, my fingers were dead. Another thing he did that was different from the others was using the piano. He’d jump up and go to the keyboard to illustrate what he meant for a piece we play on the guitar.

THE ENERGY LEO BROUWER HAD WAS INCREDIBLE The highlight of the festival was the Cuban composer, Leo Brouwer, who has written some of the most popular pieces for contemporary classical guitar. Even though it wasn’t previously scheduled, the Festival accommodated my request for a class with him. It was the last day of the festival. His workshops were about being more dynamic and more expressive with our pieces. The classes were packed and he taught from 9am in the morning and when they were to get over at 2pm, he didn’t stop at 2pm. He

just carried on till 3.30 and 4 o’clock giving all the students proper attention. The energy he had was incredible. We all took occasional breaks to go out and even visit the washroom, but he was sitting there, teaching.

When it was my class, I played Preludio Triston and it was the best I’d ever played it. Brouwer said to me, “Wow! This was amazing. There is nothing to teach you on technique.” He gave marked some dynamics on my score. Then asked me to play the piece again while he conducted. I was about to cry.

The Festival’s closing concert was a tribute to Leo Brouwer on his 80th birth anniversary. And that was something special to watch. At the end, the maestro was called on stage to be felicitated, he ran there, and instead of taking the steps to the stage, actually climbed up! What energy!! It was a beautiful celebration to end the Cordoba Guitar Festival.

BACK TO MADRID: THE ROYAL CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC I headed back to Madrid after 10 full and wonderful days, but my trip wasn’t over. I still had an appointment with Tomás Campos Crespo, one of the teachers at the Royal Conservatory of Music. He listened to my playing, took me around the conservatory and I even had a chance to perform on their recital stage - where all the greatest musicians have performed!

RETURN TO INDIA Travelling to Spain and going to the Cordoba Guitar Festival was life changing. Meeting all these wonderful musicians, performing for them and getting feedback has made a big difference to how I play, and also how I teach.

This year at the 2019 Calcutta International Classical Guitar Festival I was able to share my experiences of Cordoba. I spoke about what it was like to go there, the kind of people I met, the concerts, what I learnt there and what a wonderful feeling I returned with.

I’m very grateful to have been a part of it all.

about us The Calcutta Interntational Classical Guitar Festival is organised by the Calcutta Classical Guitar Society (a non-profit cultural organisation registered with the West Bengal Societies Registration Act, to whom donations are exempt under Section 80-G of the Income Tax Act), in association with the Indian Guitar Federation (an informal non-profit association of guitar societies across India). calguitar.in indianguitarfederation.in WITH SINCERE THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS