[William Feasley, Classical Guitarist] [The D`Amore Duo] [Concert Schedule] [Recordings] [Reviews] [Table of Contents]
[William Feasley, Classical Guitarist] [The D`Amore Duo] [Concert Schedule] [Recordings] [Reviews] [Table of Contents]
William Feasley, guitar, at the Friday Lunchtime Concert, June 4. Reviewed by David Sell.
This was a concert with a difference, entitle Echoes of Goya. American guitarist William Feasley integrated his playing with a commentary and a series of slides relating to the famous Spanish painter.
First, Feasley's playing on its own was superb. Technically deft, he played his programme with a fine sense of musical style. At the same time, his knowledge of the Spanish cultural scene brought everything together in clear focus.
The programme ranged from music by a contemporary of Goya, Fernando Fernandiere, to a piece composed just last year by an American composer, Stuart Saunders Smith. The four little pieces by Fernandiere were charmers in their delicate simplicity, while the Gran Solo Op. 14 by Fernando Sor that followed it had almost a Beethovenian character to it.
Then there were the most attractive Goya-related pieces by Granados and Gilardino before the Webernesque piece by Stuart Saunders Smith.
The highlight of the concert was undoubtedly the Six Caprichos de Goya by Castelnuovo-Tedesco. These musical portraits were beautifully crafted and played.
The slides of Goya etchings were new to me, and most interesting, especially with the brief quotations that were read before each item.
The audience of Nis has recently had an opportunity to attend the solo concert of the year. William Feasley, classical guitar virtuoso and world class musician from USA, performed at the art gallery "Serbia". The audience gave him standing ovations and made him play several encores. It was a fantastic evening of music in which Mr. Feasley, playing an extremely difficult program, even managed to produce sounds of silence. His repertoire included pieces by John Blow, Albert Harris, Peter Madlem, Harry Lincoln, William Bolcom, Joaquin Rodrigo, Isaac Albeniz, and Paco de Lucia. Feasley is a quiet but determined person, like a dignified aristocrat in the world of music. As an artist, he is self-confident, sincere, and communicates warmly with his audience. This is his first concert in Nis, which was organized by "Jugokoncert". "I'll be back!" Mr. Feasley promised...
For devotees of classical guitar music, American William Feasley gave a masterful display of guitar playing last evening -- a well-attended concert and an appreciative audience.
Mr. Feasley, who has strong connections with the University of Maryland in Baltimore, is a strong exponent of Spanish-based music, but varies his tastes with older classics and some of the romantic composers, thus exposing an adventurous talent for a broadly-based repertoire.
The music stretched from the 17th to 20th centuries, delightfully introduced by the artist, the audience fully informed about the programme content in a relaxed and friendly manner.
I was particularly interested in two works -- Sonata II by Eduardo Lopez Chavarri, a Spaniard whose musical intellect is a shade deeper than some of his compatriots. The work has a special flair with ample resource for the soloist whose fingering needed to be a flurry of dexterity throughout.
The other fancied work was the modern, almost jazz chordal style of American Sketches, by session musician Peter Madlem. The work comprised three movements, each with a styling quite distinctive in construction, but expressive and strangely haunting.
Francisco Tarrega, late 19th century Spanish composer, was featured twice on the programme, first with Variations on Carnival of Venice, the traditional homage to Paganini, and second as an encore, the well-worn but immensely popular Recuerdos de Alhambra. Both were met with general approval by the audience.
The remainder of the programme consisted of works by Sor, Aguado, Domeniconi, and a beautiful Cantilena Argentinian composer whose name I was unable to catch.
A delightfully captivating recital and certainly most welcome to the large crowd who braved the elements.
-- John McMillan
His hat didn't have three corners -- in fact, William Feasley didn't wear a hat all day.
But he gave us some fun, all the same, by including Tarrega's party piece, "Variations on the Carnival of Venice" in a recital programme of familiar and not-so-familiar items. He played the "Variations" with skill and spirit, a rare command of tempo and an impressive display of Tarrega tricks.
Another first hearing for me was "Variations on a Turkish Theme" by Carlo Domeniconi, an ancient song tune with mythical associations. The piece, though chronologically modern, didn't exactly blast through the blunt end of the Romantic era but, beautifully performed, it was an effective bridge between the very traditional Sor, Aguado, and Handel selections and the moderns on the programme.
I was delighted by the "American Sketches" of Peter Madlem. "Coyote" was very evocative of the rolling downs of the Mid-West (and no canine howls, either); "Spiritual" wove magic around snatches of old negro melody; "Blues" exploited the special voice the classic guitar can give to the ol' 12-bar rhythm.
Slightly less "modern" in character was the "Sonata II" of Eduardo Lopez Chavarri, very Spanish, very demanding to perform and exciting to behold in the hands of such a skilled player as Feasley. So many notes in such a short time! Such verve!
The Handel was very familiar -- the D Minor Suite No. 7 -- lustily performed and jolly with nary a lutish whimper. Sor's Opus 5, No. 5 "Andante Largo" was well handled. Feasley again demonstrated his faultless command of tempo and phrasing and reiterated his afternoon lesson on making up for rubato. The "Adagio and Rondo" Opus 8, No. 3 & 4 of Aguado were similarly pleasing.
It was a long day for Bill at the end of his tour. His afternoon workshop was a marathon in concentration which stretched past its scheduled end-time and demanded plenty of mental switching. One player supplied a 'cello score written on the bass stave, to which our hero was almost equal. But, resilient, he gave a fresh and vigorous recital without resort to paper. So who could mind that all he had left for an encore was "Recuerdos de la Alhambra?"
-- Helen Cullen
They forgot to turn on the heat for the D'Amore Duo's recital last night in the glass-enclosed Hand Chapel at Mount Vernon College. Performing without gloves in such a chilly environment was, no doubt, exceptionally difficult, but guitarist William Feasley and oboist Vladimir Lande managed to turn in virtuoso performances.
Individually, Feasley and Lande are excellent technicians, first-rate musicians and impressive interpreters of a wide range of music. Together, they are a perfect partnership, imbuing their performances with an elegant sense of style.
The nicely balanced program included Feasley's lovely transcriptions of four pieces by Francois Couperin and two sonatas by Domeniconi Cimarosa, as well as 20th-century works. Among the contemporary selections was the Washington premiere of Ronald Roseman's dynamic "Come Chitarra," a rather plaintive, yet richly structured work, which the duo handled with great ease and intelligence. The piece proved a perfect foil for the gorgeous harmonies and brilliant colors of the Sonatine for Oboe and Guitar by Karl Pilss.
"The Fall of Birds" for solo guitar, by the contemporary Russian guitarist/composer Nikita Koshkin, is an exceptionally demanding work, but Feasley effortlessly met its challenges, and his performance was one of the evening's highlights. The pair concluded with the 19th-century composer Napoleon Coste's "Consolazione (Romance)," Op. 25. This is the sort of music you hope the BBC will discover for one of its series, and the D'Amore Duo's performance was lovely.
-- Judy Gruber
The warmth of a log fire, mulled wine, and candlelight set the scene for the D'Amore duo who gave a brilliant recital on oboe and classical guitar at The Studio on Saturday night.
The brilliant young virtuosos -- American guitarist William Feasley and Russian oboist Vladimir Lande, played to a near capacity audience, some of whom had traveled from Dunedin to hear the concert.
The jet-lagged duo were performing their first concert in New Zealand for this tour, and had traveled from Los Angeles that day, their obvious tiredness not detracting one bit from their performance.
The programme commenced with Le Montagnard, Op. 34 (The Mountain Man) by French composer Napoleon Coste. The pastoral piece was in three movements, and whetted the audience's appetite for more of the wonderful musical combination of guitar and oboe.
Compositions originally for harpsichord by Couperin and Italian composer Domenico Cimarosa, were well received. An interesting feature of the rendition of the four sonatas by Cimarosa was the innovative way William Feasley tuned the bass strings of his guitar a semi-tone flat to blend with the oboe for the first movement. Throughout the sonatas, which had been rearranged for oboe, the guitar played the part of the orchestra.
The rendition of a 1989 composition by Scottish composer Tom Eastwood, Uiruipuru, a Brazilian fantasy, told the story of the powers in love that the small bird Uiruipuru has when embalmed. Lande played the part of the bird on oboe, with brilliant guitar accompaniment, and the captive audience was enthralled with this magnificent piece.
William's guitar solo of a sonatina composed in [line missing from review] added further variety to the programme.
Consolation Op. 25 by Napoleon Coste where the oboe took the melody and the guitar accompanied, was followed by a delightful rendition of Schubert's Ave Maria, arranged by William Feasley and perhaps the highlight of the concert.
The encore by late impressionist Jacques Ibert, originally written for flute and guitar, was brilliant and a climax to the evening's entertainment.
-- Beth McArthur
American Guitarist William Feasley and Russian Oboist Vladimir Lande brought pure musical delight to the Redwood Concert Association Thursday evening, Feb. 5 at the Estebo Performing Arts Center. Their performance was marked with originality as well as the familiar.
The D'Amore Duo's musical selections encompassed a variety of styles from Mozart's time to the present. The Duo opened the program playing a piece by Napoleon Coste, a composer from the 1800's, who actually wrote music for the oboe and guitar. The mellow tone quality and exquisite phrasing of the ensemble was exceptional.
In contrast to the style of the 1800's, Michael Moriarty, star of "Law and Order", wrote a composition with a contemporary flare just three years ago as a peace offering for his new wife. "Simplicity", written for the oboe and guitar, used dissonant chords to create a lonely and relaxing yet busy and continuous feeling -- like running water.
The guitarist demonstrated his technical abilities as he soloed with Bolcom's "The Graceful Ghost Rag" and "Rag Bag" which were written for the piano! The very rhythmic and light side of the program included a celebration of the centennial of George Gershwin's birth as the audience enjoyed the familiar sounds of "I Got Rhythm", "The Man I Love", and "Summertime".
The Duo closed their program with a contemporary piece entitled "Uiruipuru" by the Scottish composer Tom Eastwood. The setting of the music was in Brazil where the small bird of the Amazon perched in the large trees of the forest. When the bird sang, joy was all around. The belief was that an owner of an embalmed bird held special powers, especially love. Therefore, the Uiruipuru was mercilessly hunted. The variation and contrast were evident as the oboe sang the song of the bird with the guitar portraying the hunt and the Brazilian ambiance.
As "The Washington Post" and "Pravda" stated, "Feasley's guitar sounded like a small orchestra" and "Lande reaches the true essence of the music through the beauty of his sound." Together, the two performers played as one unit -- a true sign of a fine musical ensemble.
What two instruments could sing more sweetly together than oboe and guitar? Yet the pairing is unusual. The visiting D'Amore Duo, American guitarist William Feasley and Russian oboist Vladimir Lande, put these instruments together in the most effective way, drawing on the classical repertoire (Couperin and Cimarosa) as well as on romantic and contemporary composers.
This is chamber music in the most real sense, and both players are articulate advocates of their instruments, Lande producing the most fluid and sweet tone with wonderful breath reserves, Feasley maintaining precise control without sacrificing colour.
Both are expressive, but certainly not forward. They chose works on the cooler side, Feasley warming the air slightly with a Rodrigo tribute to Falla.
Intelligent music-making was evident in Feasley's transcription of five harpsichord pieces by Francois Couperin, losing nothing of Couperin but gaining much more for oboe and guitar. And there was a delightful visit to Latin American legend in a rhythmic, chortling modern work about an unusual bird.
Elegant, well-phrased duo work like this is a great treat -- thanks again to the Timaru Classical Guitar Society.
-- Jim Duncan
This old art form dating from biblical and ancient Greek times provides for the harmonic foundation set by the guitar and the feminine role is assumed by the oboe.
The pairing makes a substantial unit designed for delicacy and the fullest expression.
A large, but not capacity, audience showed plenty of interest in the possibilities and were not disappointed in the masterful skills of the two exponents, Vladimir Lande, oboe, and William Feasley, guitar.
It could have easily have slipped into a montage of slush or a marathon of repetition. In fact, neither eventuated. All of the music was soothing and highly listenable, variable in quality, and quite easy to pick personal favourites.
Some pieces were relatively obscure, the opening "Le Montagnard Op. 34" of Napoleon Coste was full of calm beauty, pastoral scenes. Couperin's "Three Pieces" had equally long melody lines and a certain dignity.
Best by far were the familiar themes in Cimarosa's "Four Sonatas" and the arrangements by William Feasley that reverted the work from its many characterizations to that of oboe and guitar. Here the oboe dominated in what was the centrepiece of the afternoon.
The guitar had its turn with Rodrigo's "Invocation et Danse". The guitarist displayed amazing technique with the composer's demands. It was surely a cameo performance.
The concert petered out slightly with two modern pieces, "Simplicity" by Michael Moriarty and "Uiruipuru" by Scotsman Tom Eastwood. How frail they seemed after the others.
The former was negative and overlong. The latter illustrated an Amazonian bird, clever enough, translated by the oboe.
A recent chamber music concert by the D'Amore Duo, comprised of William Feasley (classical guitar) and Vladimir Lande (oboe), delighted the capacity audience at the Lorna Doone Restaurant.
Both men are virtuoso musicians in their own right and have a musical vitality that sparkles with insight and originality. The unusual combination of instruments was surprisingly compatible and produced very impressive sound.
Mr. Lande was the principal oboist with the Leningrad Philharmonic from 1984-89 and is currently performing with the Concert Artists of Baltimore and the Baltimore Opera Orchestra. He is on the faculties of St. Mary's College and Washington Conservatory in the United States.
Mr. Feasley is presently Artist in Residence at the University of Maryland and a faculty member of the Levine School in Washington, D.C. Both men have toured extensively in Europe and North America and this is Feasley's third tour of New Zealand.
The programme offered great variety, ranging from Baroque to Contemporary, European to South American, Cimarosa's rococco sonatas to Franz Schubert's Ave Maria.
Feasley's relaxed, low-key introductions to the repertoire were humorous and informative. The perfect ensemble of oboe and guitar was beautifully demonstrated in the contemporary Brazilian composition by Tom Eastwood called Uiruipuru, in which the oboe assumes the sound of the bird for which the score is named. The technical excellence of both performers was very impressive and much appreciated by the rapt audience.
The Dargaville and Districts Community Arts Council are very pleased to have had the opportunity to present artists of this calibre and hope the D'Amore Duo will return for a repeat performance in the future.
Last evening all seats were filled in the Shakespeare Room for a performance by the D'Amore Duo. The two performers are an American guitarist, William Feasley, and a Russian oboist, Vladimir Lande.
Their repertoire encompasses a variety of styles and influences spanning more than 300 years of original music for plucked string and double reed. Last night's performance covered works from the French baroque to modern-day compositions.
Each work was commented on by Feasley, and his relaxed and humorous style soon had the audience won over. The first work was Le Montagnard Op. 34 by Coste -- a Divertissement Pastoral in two movements. This was a lyrical work with the oboe's beautiful, haunting qualities being expertly accompanied by the guitar.
One of the most noticeable things was the cohesiveness of the performances throughout the evening.
Four Pieces by Couperin, the baroque French composer, followed and as two were for solo guitar, it gave the opportunity of hearing this world-renowned performer in action. He has a comfortable style and is adept at whatever is required of him. Once again the oboe provided such delightful legato work and a lovely quality of tone.
The Four Sonatas of Cimarosa were real gems. Each was contrasting to the others and they had been arranged by the guitarist especially for the duo. The smooth, song-like qualities were always there and the guitar gave what would have been excellent accompanying on any keyboard, let alone the guitar. These were fine presentations.
The second part of the programme dealt with contemporary composers, the first being Simplicity by Michael Moriarty, a television and movie actor. This work was given its world premiere in March. It had a jagged melodic line with echo-like sequences and a far more strident quality to it. However, the quality of the performance was first-rate.
Rodrigo's Invocation et Danse -- a Homage to de Falla -- was for solo guitar and it was here that Feasley really showed his ability. The crystal-clear harmonics against underlying notes, and the strong Spanish rhythms, all made this a most exciting presentation.
Uiruipuru by the Scottish composer Tom Eastwood, is a wonderful Brazilian story on the fantasy bird. The oboe naturally took the part of the bird and between the two performers they created a most wonderful musical picture of this mystical bird.
Their final item, the encore, Ave Maria by Schubert, was just sheer magic. What a wonderful ending to a most exciting and thrilling musical treat.
This unusual combination deserves to be heard more often and one would hope that it will not be too long before they are once again visiting New Zealand and Hawke's Bay.
-- B.L.F
From: Angelo Gilardino <winter@net4u.it>
To: feasley@umbc.edu <feasley@umbc.edu>
Date: Saturday, January 23, 1999 12:04 PM
Subject: Goya
Dear William,
your CD arrived this morning and I have listened to it. You play with energy, drive, freshness, technical fluency and the overall impression is that of being in front of quite a personality.
Thank you very much for having sent me this record that stands very well in my collection.
Ciao.
A.G.
Angelo Gilardino
Composer and Editor
The Artistic Director
of the "Andrés Segovia" Foundation of Spain
13100 Vercelli, Italy
via Failla, 7
tel. & fax * 39 0161 255346
email <winter@net4u.it>
http://www.planet.it/jcg/composer/gilardin.htm
This is an entertaining collection of guitar music, consisting of quite a few original pieces and a number of transcriptions, many of which are rooted in or influenced by popular music. The four short, tuneful works by Peter Madlem are largely based on the rhythms of popular song except for the Homage to Scarlatti, a lively gigue mixing Baroque rhythms and modern harmonies. Albert Harris's pieces were written in the 1950s for Segovia and are the most substantial works on the disc. The Handel Variations explore a number of different genres, ending with an impressive variation based on a tremolando figure and a final fugue. The Sonatina is a nicely written, although less memorable, work with an attractive slow movement. The program concludes with some arrangements of Gershwin and three rags, including a modern one by William Bolcom and two from the early years of this century. Feasley is an excellent musician with a solid, impressive technique and a versatility that makes all of this material work. The recorded sound is very good, and the notes by Feasley himself are extensive and informative.
-- Richard Burke
There is not a great deal of music for oboe and guitar, so the D'Amore Duo -- guitarist William Feasley and oboist Vladimir Lande -- use many transcriptions in this beguiling collection. One of them, the Cimarosa Oboe Concerto, is a double transcription: Arthur Benjamin arranged the concerto from some little harpsichord pieces by Domenico Cimarosa, and now the orchestral part has been arranged for guitar. In any form, the music is a delight, and this performance brings out its melodic charms effectively. In four little pieces by Francois Couperin, a harpsichord usually plays the part taken elegantly by the guitar. A few works by Karl Pilss (1902-1979) and Napoleon Coste (1806-1883) are composed for these instruments, and they have considerable charm. Many of these works will be played, with others, in the duo's performance tomorrow night at the Embassy of Ecuador.
If you first encountered him in the 1973 baseball epic Bang the Drum Slowly, you'll remember him as the all-star pitcher nicknamed Arthur by his teammates because he had written a book. Yes, the Moriarty listed above is that one -- Michael, the actor. It turns out that they should have called him Composer because it's his music that leads off this adventurous lineup of mostly unfamiliar works for oboe and guitar. Ibert's brief but striking Entr'acte shows up on occasional oboe or flute recitals, and Cimarosa's concerto is a repertoire favorite for oboists. Of the remaining pieces, only Simplicity is identified as a premiere recording, though the Couperin arrangements won't be easy to find, and Pilss isn't even mentioned in Opus. Coste's Le Montegnard is listed, but for flute rather than oboe. Of course, the Cimarosa, presented here in an arrangement for oboe and guitar, is itself a transcription of selected harpsichord pieces. Adding to the program's novelty is its unconventional reverse chronology. Moriarty is still with us. Both Ibert and Pilss are products of the present century; Coste of the nineteenth, and Cimarosa of the eighteenth. Couperin first came to prominence in the waning days of the seventeenth.
Coste, one of the most renowned guitar virtuosos of his day, was the French counterpart to Sor. His depictions of excursions to the Jura mountains have an invigorating charm. Opus was not my only source that drew a blank on Karl Pilss (1902-79). He is conspicuously missing from The Concise New Grove, The Oxford Dictionary, and The Concise Baker as well. According to Sonora's perfunctory notes, he was the directory of the Vienna State Opera Chorus from 1941 to 1968. His neo-Classical Sonatine is tunefully unproblematic. As for Moriarty's Simplicity, which was expanded from an earlier song, it projects a comfortable improvisatory feeling.
Russian-born Lande and his all-American partner, Feasley, are to be commended for an imaginative and entertaining program. The performances are admirable, the recording clean and natural sounding. This recording may not be a high priority item, but curious listeners won't be disappointed.
-- George Chien
[William Feasley, Classical Guitarist] [The D`Amore Duo] [Concert Schedule] [Recordings] [Reviews] [Table of Contents]
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