March 7, 2011
John Williams in concert: once again Music at Oxford has provided us with a world-class performer and a world-class performance. John Williams’ slight figure and modest appearance belie the fact that he is one of the most outstanding musicians of our age. He settles quietly on his chair, tunes his guitar, then plays. There are no props, no supporting players, just a man and his guitar.
The programme says that the classical guitar needs its heroes and John Williams is one of these. The guitar was long considered merely an accompanying instrument and it has taken such heroes to promote it as a solo instrument. The programme notes were very helpful here, describing the instrument’s humble beginnings (in the fifteenth century, for instance, guitars only had four strings) to the big change in the nineteenth century when guitars were standardised with six strings. Even then, few people wrote for the guitar so the great players had to use transcriptions to show their virtuosity. Gradually these virtuoso performers inspired composers to write for them and now there is a significant body of music written for the guitar by top composers such as Benjamin Britten and Michael Tippett. Apparently, Joaquin Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez is one of the most popular concertos for any instrument.
Much of the music that John Williams played comes from south of the US border – Villa-Lobos from Brazil, Leo Brouwer from Cuba and Agustin Barrios Mangoré from Paraguay as well as Francis Bebey from Cameroon. Last but certainly not least, he played some music that he himself had written.
Sitting uncomfortably in the chilly Sheldonian Theatre as we were, John Williams managed to convey us to sunnier climes, a warm breeze playing gently over our skins as we basked in the music. Sometimes it was good just to close your eyes and soak it in, but it was also fascinating to watch his hands at work (even from a distance) – the speed and agility of his fingerwork is extraordinary. The programme is very informative about the composers and the pieces but he added more, the personal touches. For example, Francis Bebey was a friend of his, a happy, funny man, so John played a tribute he had written for his friend called simply Hello Francis, reflecting this happiness.
The evening was a feast of wonderful music – more please.
The programme says that the classical guitar needs its heroes and John Williams is one of these. The guitar was long considered merely an accompanying instrument and it has taken such heroes to promote it as a solo instrument. The programme notes were very helpful here, describing the instrument’s humble beginnings (in the fifteenth century, for instance, guitars only had four strings) to the big change in the nineteenth century when guitars were standardised with six strings. Even then, few people wrote for the guitar so the great players had to use transcriptions to show their virtuosity. Gradually these virtuoso performers inspired composers to write for them and now there is a significant body of music written for the guitar by top composers such as Benjamin Britten and Michael Tippett. Apparently, Joaquin Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez is one of the most popular concertos for any instrument.
Much of the music that John Williams played comes from south of the US border – Villa-Lobos from Brazil, Leo Brouwer from Cuba and Agustin Barrios Mangoré from Paraguay as well as Francis Bebey from Cameroon. Last but certainly not least, he played some music that he himself had written.
Sitting uncomfortably in the chilly Sheldonian Theatre as we were, John Williams managed to convey us to sunnier climes, a warm breeze playing gently over our skins as we basked in the music. Sometimes it was good just to close your eyes and soak it in, but it was also fascinating to watch his hands at work (even from a distance) – the speed and agility of his fingerwork is extraordinary. The programme is very informative about the composers and the pieces but he added more, the personal touches. For example, Francis Bebey was a friend of his, a happy, funny man, so John played a tribute he had written for his friend called simply Hello Francis, reflecting this happiness.
The evening was a feast of wonderful music – more please.