Roth Guitar Duo

The Roth Guitar Duo are Emma Smith and Sam Rodwell. They last played for us on Saturday 12th May 2018.

Here is a PDF of the Poster for this Concert (click to VIEW or right click to SAVE). Please feel free to print and display the poster to help publicise this concert.

Programme (announced 5th September)

Sir Peter Maxwell Davies: Farewell to Stromness
Vojislav Ivanovic: Balkan Express
Ida Presti: Etude Fantasque 
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Fuga Elegiaca 
Maximo Diego Pujol: Tres Piezas de Otono: II. Sombrio, I. Arbolado

INTERVAL

Trad. Arr. Dan Jones: Niel Gow’s Lament for the Death of his Second Wife
Ferdinando Carruli: Serenade in A major 
Enrique Granados: Danza Espanolas: No 5. Andaluza, No 2. Oriental
Isaac Albeniz: Mallorca Op.202 + Cadiz from Suite Espanola Op.47, No.1
Yvonne Bloor: Homecoming (for Roth Guitar Duo)

Brief Report “on the night”

A really enjoyable concert to start the season. They began with a beautiful elegiac piece by  Sir Peter Maxwell Davies. The next piece illustrated the various stops on a train journey across the Balkans. Then came a whimsical piece by Ida Presti, followed by a piece written in her memory. The second half started with a haunting lament, followed by several more lively pieces (including some familiar pieces by Granados and Albeniz). The concert finished with a piece written specially for them which beautifully illustrated their range of emotions. 

Press Report

The first concert of the Middlewich and District Concerts Society’s 36th season saw the return of the Roth Guitar Duo, Sam Rodwell and Emma Smith. They produced another fascinating evening of music making. Even though many of the pieces they played were unfamiliar the empathy between the musicians and their sheer artistry captured the audience. Tuning was a persistent problem due to changing temperatures in the hall and we learnt about the importance of maintaining the profiles of the finger nails on the right hand, although the little finger has a life of its own!

There was a tranquil opening with “Farewell to Stromness”, which Peter Maxwell Davies wrote as a protest against proposed mining for uranium in the Orkneys. “Balkan Express” (Vojislav Ivanovic) hurried us from Sarajevo to Athens and featured some non-guitar-like sounds. Ida Presti was a fantastic guitarist, who died in 1967 aged 42. Her “Etude Fantasque” was a delicate, whimsical piece and Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco wrote “Fuga Elegiaca” as a tribute to her. The first half ended with two contrasting pieces (“Sombrio” and “Arbolado”) from Autumn by Maximo Diego Pujol.

Niel Gow’s “Lament for the death of his second wife” was a lyrical, if low-key start after the interval. The “Serenade in A” by Ferdinando Carruli provided a complete contrast. Then we heard some Spanish music with two dances (“Andaluza” and “Oriental”) by Granados and “Mallorca” and “Cadiz” by Albeniz. To finish they played “Homecoming”, written for them by Yvonne Bloor. It was serene and charming and provided an apt finale to an excellent concert.

For more information about the Roth Guitar Duo visit their own web-site (in a new window), by clicking HERE