Martha Masters and Vladimir Gorbach each appeared solo, and ended the concert as a duo, in an afternoon of music that greatly pleased the audience. Vladimir Gorbach was the first to perform, beginning subtly with an Introduction and Rondo, but I didn't catch the composer's name. It was a piece that grew gradually, become more intricate as it evolved, and played with great command.
He then moved on to the works of Domenico Scarlatti, playing arrangements of three of his 555 keyboard sonatas, originally written for harpsichord. His sonatas lend themselves extremely well to guitar and many have been arranged and are regularly played in concerts. Gorbach showed why this is so, with superb renditions of these three pieces.
A very popular choice was next, with arrangements of three contrasting movements from the Argentinean Tango composer and bandoneonist, Astor Piazzola's Four Seasons, Spring, Summer, and Winter. Piazzola's tone poems evoke the freshness and new life of spring, the laziness of a summer afternoon, suggesting the need for a siesta, and the stillness of a crisp winter's day. Gorbach made these complex works sound easy such was the marvellous fluidity of his playing.
It was back to 19th Century Italy, with Spanish influences, for the final piece in this part of the concert, I think that it might have been the Prélude en Ré Majeur (Prelude in D Major), by Valérie Duchâteau, drawing considerable applause in response to Gorbach's thoughtful and superbly played renditions.
Martha Masters began her set with the unmistakable sound of an arrangement of one of Bach's keyboard works but, unfortunately, she didn't tell us which one or who wrote the arrangement.
A certain amount of guesswork was needed now in an effort to list the composers and titles of the works, as she did not use the microphone, making it difficult to hear her introductions, and there were, again, no printed programmes. Over the centuries, millions of composers have written billions of pieces, many for guitar, and many more that were for other instruments that have been arranged for guitar. Trying to guess what any one piece might have been without some sort of help is almost impossible.
Her second work was in three parts, but I am unable to tell you what it was, nor the title or composer of the three movement, Spanish influenced work that followed. Her playing, though, was impeccable, with a wonderful lightness of touch and good use of dynamics, tempo variations, and pauses.
To close the event, the two played a couple of pieces together, the first I did not catch and the second was not announced. They gave us an opportunity to see how their contrasting styles of playing combined to create a complementary performance that delighted the audience and closed a greatly appreciated concert.
Reviewed by Barry Lenny, Saturday 11th August 2018.