{"id":2267,"date":"2010-11-09T10:43:20","date_gmt":"2010-11-09T09:43:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/music-matters\/?p=2267"},"modified":"2010-11-09T12:38:22","modified_gmt":"2010-11-09T11:38:22","slug":"be-my-guest-andrew-kitchin-reviews-the-eden-stell-guitar-duo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/music-matters\/2010\/11\/09\/be-my-guest-andrew-kitchin-reviews-the-eden-stell-guitar-duo\/","title":{"rendered":"Be My Guest: Andrew Kitchin reviews the Eden-Stell Guitar Duo"},"content":{"rendered":"

An occasional series featuring guest articles. This week, third-year Mathematics student and guitar Scholar Andrew Kitchin<\/strong> reviews the Eden-Stell lunchtime concert.<\/p>\n

—-<\/p>\n

\"\"A certain degree of suspense was created by the dimly-lit stage as the concert began, which displayed nothing but two empty chairs and a footst00l. The two performers didn\u2019t disappoint, providing the attentive audience with a varied repertoire ranging from Bach to Rodrigo.<\/p>\n

From the outset, the virtuosity of the Mark Eden and Christopher Stell was clear, highlighted by the hauntingly clear trills in Bach\u2019s arrangement of Marcello\u2019s Oboe Concerto<\/em>, arranged for two guitars by Christopher Stell, and the subtle vibrato displayed in Timothy Bowers\u2019 Fantasy on an Old English Melody.<\/em><\/p>\n

Between performances, the duo contextualised the repertoire with informative and witty comments, alluding to the history and meaning of the pieces they clearly loved to play.<\/p>\n

They also performed two pieces by Mompou, arranged this time by Mark Eden.<\/p>\n

The stand-out piece of the concert was the pair\u2019s performance of Rodrigo\u2019s\u00a0 Tonadilla<\/em>. This devilish dance encapsulates everything that is special about the Spanish guitar repertoire.\u00a0 Swirling runs, aggressive rasgueado<\/em> strumming and delicate folk melodies, all of which the pair executed magnificently, bringing the performance to a rapturous end.<\/p>\n

The concert was a brief, warm, Catalan reprise, from an otherwise wet and windy November day.<\/p>\n

\"Furley<\/a>
Sponsors of the Lunchtime Concert series<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n