The first part of the concert is a guitar recital by Bogdan Mihailescu, laureate of the partner Guitar Festival in Kutná Hora. The recital program represents an extraordinary journey through various eras, styles, and musical aesthetics, showcasing the classical guitar as an instrument with almost limitless sonic possibilities. The artist will present his own transcriptions of piano masterpieces as well as contemporary pieces, creating a program full of contrasts, subtlety, and virtuosity.
Selected preludes from the cycle 24 Preludes op. 28 by Frédéric Chopin will take center stage. The delicacy, melancholy, and extraordinary emotionality of Chopin’s music will be heard in guitar arrangements by the artist himself and the legendary guitarist Francisco Tárrega. Thanks to these transcriptions, Chopin’s piano poetics gain a new color and an intimate character, revealing a less obvious side of his music. The program will also include sonatas by the Portuguese Baroque composer Carlos Seixas – full of lightness, dance rhythm, and elegance. These pieces, arranged for guitar by Gonçalo Cordeiro and Rebeca Oliveira, will introduce listeners to the world of 18th-century Iberian music, while demonstrating the guitar’s remarkable naturalness in early repertoire. The second part of the recital will be filled with contemporary music. “Suite des Rêves” II by Dušan Bogdanović is a composition full of subtle colors, impressionistic harmonies, and poetic narrative, balancing between classical music, jazz, and world music inspirations. On the other hand, “Due canzoni” by Lidia Nuccio D’Angelo delight with Mediterranean lyricism, expression, and a richness of guitar sounds. The recital will be not only a demonstration of the highest performance craftsmanship but also a story about the guitar as an instrument capable of connecting tradition with modernity and various musical cultures into one coherent artistic vision.
The Bratislava Guitar Quartet, accompanied by soprano Eva Šušková, will perform in the second part of the concert. The Bratislava Guitar Quartet (consisting of: Miloš Slobodník, Yorgos Nousis, Radka Krajčová, and Martin Krajčo) is an ensemble that has been active on the concert scene since 1995. The quartet has successfully established its international position, as evidenced by numerous invitations to music festivals, radio and television appearances, and released CDs. Alongside concerts at international guitar festivals and musical events, the ensemble regularly performs at prestigious music festivals such as the Bratislava Music Festival, Epoche, Mitte-Europa, Festival of Nice Music, and Musica Nobilis. The artists also give concerts in renowned concert halls.
Foto: Boris Németh
The Bratislava Guitar Quartet presents original recital programs in major European cities such as Madrid, Paris, Prague, and Vienna. Among the ensemble’s particularly valued achievements are numerous collaborations with orchestras, including Capella Istropolitana, Sinfonietta Žilina, the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, and Musica Cassovia. Together, they have performed concertante works for guitar quartet and orchestra by composers such as Peter Breiner, Martin Burlas, Egberto Gismonti / Leo Brouwer, and Joaquín Rodrigo.
The ensemble’s discography includes recordings of music for guitar quartet as well as projects realized with orchestras, released by the labels Akcent, Hevhetia, and Diskant. Among their latest artistic endeavors are unconventional chamber projects combining the guitar quartet with a string quartet, vocal voice, or Venezuelan cuatro, featuring music by creators such as Manuel de Falla, Yorgos Nousis, Vladimír Godár, Aldemaro Romero, and Peter Zagar.
The main work performed during the Katowice concert will be a chamber, vocal-guitar version of the opera El amor brujo (Love, the Magician) by the Spanish composer Manuel de Falla. The original stage version of the work, composed in 1915 for voice and chamber ensemble, served as the basis for this arrangement. The foundation of de Falla’s music is the folk culture of Andalusia, and the guitar is the most characteristic instrument in the music of the hot, Andalusian south of Spain. The transcription for mezzo-soprano and guitar quartet therefore represents a natural interpretation of the composer’s magical, flamenco-inspired music.
Part I
Bogdan Mihailescu – guitar
Program:
Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849) 24 Preludes, Op. 28 Nos. 1*, 4**, 5**, 6**, 7**, 11**, 12**, 14**, 15**, 18**, 20**
Carlos Seixas (1704–1742) Sonata No. 50*** Sonata No. 23**** Sonata No. 24****
Dušan Bogdanović (b. 1955) Suite des Rêves II
Nuccio D’Angelo (b. 1955) Due canzoni Lidie
*- arr. Francisco Tárrega
**- arr. Bogdan Mihailescu
***- arr. Gonçalo Cordeiro
****- arr. Rebeca Oliveira
Part II
Bratislava Guitar Quartet consisting of:
Miloš Slobodník
Yorgos Nousis
Radka Krajčová
Martin Krajčo
and Eva Šušková – soprano
Program:
Manuel de Falla (1876-1946) El amor brujo, arranged for mezzo-soprano and guitar quartet, arr. Martin Krajčo
Free admission tickets for the concert are available at the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice (3 Zacisze Street, Katowice).