There’s a joke which has been doing the rounds for several hundred years in certain musical circles; originally quipped about lutenists, at some point it started to be made at the expense of classical guitarists. It seems that they spend half their time tuning their instruments and half their time playing out of tune….. Those of us who went to Colwall Church last Saturday witnessed the tuning of a guitar, certainly, but of playing out of tune was there none. The youthful Professor Carlo Fierens created something of a local sensation when he entertained seventy to eighty people in the pretty church of St. James the Great; he was, it seems, the talk of the town over the weekend – and having seen him play, we can see why.
Based near Turin in Italy, Carlo was educated musically in Italy and the U.S.A. and one of several scholarships enabled him to complete research on the contemporary guitar repertoire in Switzerland. He has published several articles and essays on guitar music, won numerous national and international guitar competitions, featured on TV and radio at home and abroad and now teaches in Sicily which involves making regular flights from the north to the south of Italy’s boot. He has toured extensively in North and South America, Europe and Asia but had not played in the UK before last week. Extraordinarily, he contacted HHCT Chairman, David Furnival, from Italy, to see whether the Trust would be able to help in arranging a concert for him which resulted in MiQP being the proud presenter of Carlo Fierens in only his second UK concert, after the first one in Hertfordshire a day or two earlier.
In The Paganini Project, Carlo played music composed and inspired by the Devil’s Violinist, the great Paganini himself, who, incidentally, also played the guitar and wrote music specifically for it. Few people are probably aware of Paganini’s Grand Sonata for guitar, which was lovely, but many will be familiar with Capriccio no. 24 Opus 1, the violin study which uses a variety of very difficult and advanced techniques. It was extraordinary to hear it on the guitar. Another Capriccio, the Diabolico, was written by Castelnuovo-Tedesco for that most famous of guitarists, Andres Segovia, while Il Carnevale di Venezia by Francisco Tarrega consisted of variations on the well-known Neapolitan folk song O Mamma, Mamma Cara popularised by Paganini. The final piece, The Red Fantasy, inspired by red wine, had the audience guessing which red wines were contemplated and the encore Recuerdos de la Alhambra provided visions of a fabulous setting for the red wine to be drunk.
Mouse can only state this was a performance of the highest professional quality. Carlo played brilliantly from memory without the need for any music and we were so fortunate in Herefordshire that Carlo found us and was happy to play for his expenses in beginning his UK career. He is also a charming young man with beautiful manners and excellent English. Watch him at https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&app=desktop&v=zWoiobS7i1s
Thank you so much to the team at St. James the Great, Colwall, for hosting this wonderful occasion. If you think you might be able to put Carlo in touch with anyone who could help him to put on more concerts, please contact David Furnival at david.furnival13@gmail.com.
Church Mouse