KVT – Musical Magic at L’Espace

KVT and a night of classical guitar heaven.

Take the stage in the auditorium at L’Espace and casually place a chair and a small table near the front. Fill the auditorium to overflowing with, mainly young, expectant Vietnamese faces. Watch as a young Frenchman with guitar glides through the black side curtains. Listen as he gives a simple explanation of the first piece by 15th century lutist, Francesco Da Milano and then fall under the spell that has captured audiences all around the world as he fingers his guitar strings.

The very handsome 29 year old has played since he was 5 and gave his first acclaimed recital in Paris at 15. At 22 he won a contract with Naxos and a concert tour of North America that wowed his audiences.

Since then he’s wowed the world and we were soooooo lucky that the French and L’Espace smuggled him away from his itinerary to do a couple of Vietnamese gigs

He didn’t patronize us with simple bits from his extensive repertoire and we got a lengthy recital that started with the ‘Fantasie’ by Il Divino (Da Milano)

that made you realize why the kings and queens and popes had their favorite lute and guitar players with them to soothe their weary paths through life (I guess the same way that in our modern world they’d be attached to ear plugs and downloads)

He progressed to the 19th century and the Romantics with two parts of Napoleon Coste’s ‘Fantasie Dramatique’ which he plays so excellently in the following clip.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cjjf8z6jvU4[/youtube]

One young, budding guitarist in the audience near me whispered about Mnsr Bianco’s guitar playing position and as I discovered later he does play in a slightly unusual position. The majority of classical guitarists hold the guitar at roughly a 45 degree angle to the floor. He holds uses a much more upright position—the neck of the guitar is pointed at about one o’clock if you were looking right at him. His eyes are much closer to the fretboard.

After a simple description he moved on to pieces by Augustin Barrios’ (early 20th century) with Valse no 4 making your fingers twitch and your toes want to tap

As an homage to legendary English guitar composer, John Duarte who died ten years ago. Bianco gave a riveting performance of his ‘Variations on A Catalan Folk Song’ ….played here by another guitar great

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Omrv8y8xKJk[/youtube]

Bianco finished his recital with the last two movements from the fire and ice ‘Grand Sonata for Guitar’ by Niccolo Paganini, a piece that makes most good guitarists think twice about attempting its virtuosic, 7 minute third movement. And Bianco’s playing would have certainly impressed the maestro.

Brilliant night’s music from one of the world’s most brilliant guitar soloists that included an excellent encore by Villa-Lobos

Thanks so much you brilliant people at L’Espace.