October 15, 2018
The inaugural tour of a new collaboration between Brazilian cellist Antonio Meneses and Scottish guitarist Paul Galbraith is coming to Oakland University on Sunday, Oct. 28 as part of the Chamber Music Society of Detroit’s new Regional Partner series.
The duo’s innovative program will include the work that inspired their collaboration — Schubert’s Arpeggione Sonata — plus works by Haydn and three Brazilian composers arranged or composed especially for the duo.
The concert will take place at 3 p.m. in Oakland University’s Varner Recital Hall. Tickets are priced at $30 for adults, $25 for seniors and $10 for youth/students. Premium seats are available for $45 ($40 for seniors) and can be purchased in advance online at www.CMSDetroit.org or by phone at (313) 335-3300. Tickets are also available at the door one hour prior to performance time at the Varner Hall Box Office.
About the Artists
Born in Recife, Brazil, in 1957 into a family of musicians, Meneses began his cello studies at the age of 10. At 16, he met the famous Italian cellist Antonio Janigro and was asked to join Janigro’s classes in Düsseldorf and later in Stuttgart.
He won first prize at the 1977 ARD International Competition in Munich, and was awarded first prize and the gold medal at the 1982 Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.
As a devoted chamber musician, Meneses was a member of the legendary Beaux Arts Trio, one of the 20th century’s greatest chamber ensembles, between October 1998 and September 2008. He has also collaborated with the Vermeer Quartet on tour and given chamber music concerts and duo recitals with pianists such as Menahem Pressler and Maria João Pires.
Meneses began collaborating with Galbraith when the two met as neighbors while living in Basel, Switzerland. Their first U.S. tour as a duo includes several concerts in California, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, plus an appearance in Massachusetts in addition to their three Metro Detroit appearances — Friday, Oct. 26 at the Grosse Pointe War Memorial in Grosse Pointe Farms; Saturday, Oct. 27 at the Village Theater at Cherry Hill in Canton; and Sunday, Oct. 28 in Varner Recital Hall at Oakland University in Rochester.
“I’ve never heard them perform as a duo before, but I’ve seen Paul Galbraith play several times and they were all fantastic concerts,” said Bret Hoag, a special lecturer of classical and jazz guitar at Oakland University.
A native of Edinburgh, Galbraith is one of today’s most celebrated guitarists, as well as a brilliant innovator. At age 17, Galbraith won the Silver Medal at the first Segovia International Guitar Competition. A few months later, he went on to win a top prize at the BBC’s “Young Musician of the Year” competition.
Despite his success, Galbraith began what became a years-long quest to overcome the guitar’s technical limitations. The results were remarkable: the playing position that Galbraith developed, as well as changes to his guitar’s design, are widely regarded as groundbreaking developments in the history of the instrument.
His guitar is supported by an endpin, just like a cello, and rests on a wooden resonance box, greatly expanding and enriching the instrument’s resonance. The guitar itself has eight strings instead of the usual six – one high and one low – further increasing its range, repertoire and capabilities.
With his new “Brahms guitar,” as he calls it, Galbraith has been touring and recording to great critical acclaim. The London Times dubbed his new posture “revolutionary” … “the results were truly remarkable, with an amazing clarity and a huge dynamic range … the audience was held spellbound.” Gramophone magazine said of his two-record Bach set “magnificently played … a landmark in the history of guitar recordings.”
“Paul Galbraith is an absolute artist,” Hoag said.
In addition to his performance with Antonio Meneses, Galbraith will also be teaching a guitar masterclass from 3:30-5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 25 in Varner Recital Hall. The masterclass is open to the public.
For more information, contact the School of Music, Theatre and Dance at 248-370-2030 or [email protected].