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Vince Kellett

St Boniface Church, Chandlers Ford, Eastleigh - 2nd July 2011 - 7:30pm
Tickets: £8 (members and usual concessions £6)

See audience reviews

Southampton Classical Guitar Society is fortunate to have quite a few professional or semi-professional players as members who give many excellent concerts in the region. We have occasionally featured such players in the past but our intention is to showcase one of them each year.

Starting off is Vince Kellett. He studied at the Southampton Classical Guitar Centre with Adrian Neville. His programme includes music by some of the great standard composers, popular living composers plus some of his own excellent arrangements. His programme is below.

Come along and enjoy a great evening. Tickets are £8 either on the door or from the society. Usual concessions and members tickets are just £6. To reserve tickets call 01329 310792 or email enquiries@scgs-guitar.org.uk

Programme

Classical Gas - Mason Williams
Evocación de la Invasion Arabe AD711 – Juan Martin
Sunburst – Andrew York
Leyenda – Isaac Albéniz
Cavatina – Stanley Myers
Gran Solo – Fernando Sor
(Interval)
Cueva Gitana – Juan Serrano
Prelude No.1 – Heitor Villa-Lobos
Je Te Veux – Erik Satie
Receurdos de la Alhambra – Francisco Tárrega
America – Leonard Bernstein
Oye Como Va (Medley) – Tito Puente et al
(Encore)
La Feria – Juan Martin

Audience Reviews

From Julyan Richardson, 6th July...

St Boniface church is a great venue for classical guitar concerts. The architectural proportions allow generous sound reproduction within a relatively cosy seating arrangement. The raised platform for the occasion provided us with clear visual access from the pews; and the discreetly high calibre microphones delivered a fine spectrum of tonal enhancement of Vince's guitar.

Classical Gas is a blast from the past, and Vince’s complete arrangement of this piece reassures me that the guitar flies solo without the need of accompaniment, orchestral and otherwise. Thus comforted, we are introduced to Juan Martin’s Evocacion De la Invasion Arabe AD711. In 711, St Boniface would have been studying at nearby Nutshalling Abbey. This moving and meditative study really brought the nave to life, I thought. It is written that Flamencura, the character of Flamenco, is steeped in experience and yet adaptable to all cultures thanks to the absorption of the performer. For me, it really set off the deeply rich shades of the tall stained glass window as the light gently withdrew.

Sunburst is Andrew York’s composition replete with technical movement and zippy west coast tempo. Quite joyful and welcome to the ear, one hears glimpses of the light through leaves or glinting off the Pacific if you listen up. Following Vince’s left hand can be hard work at times like this. The dynamics of Albeniz’s Leyenda were spot on. This piece can so often be rendered mechanically that my senses become inured to the thought hearing it yet again. It was therefore a treat to have it restored to the fold like a long lost friend.

Cavatina has been played,sung and plagiarised since the 20th century. The simplicity of Vince’s arrangement manages to clear away all the years’ debris and get to the waltzing spirit of love’s repository where there is at least some real meaning to life. Sor’s Gran Solo is a paradigm of classical guitar playing. Hearing it brought me to appreciate more fully the composer’s sheer dedication to bringing out the best in the classical guitar as well as the performer, whoever that may be.

Juan Serrano’s Cueva Gitana (Gypsy Cloak) came to my ears as a dance, or the painting of a dance. Fortunate we are to have such musical interpreters to hand down the poetic fruits of cultured hearts. I feel sure St Boniface approves of sharing just such a dance in just such a holy place. Villa-Lobos' Prelude No.1 followed. Vince tells us a sixth one was lost somewhere. I always get lost in Lobos’ tunes. They require a certain effort of concentration from the listener that can remind him, and possibly the performer, of their singular existence amidst a plethora of distractions.

A rather passionate title: Je te Veux by Erik Satie; but we know Satie and this tune is a classical romance full of life and, although quite sensuous, appropriate enough in church or a classy spa-town tea-room. This was my other personal favourite of the evening, alongside the Gran Solo. Tarrega then teases my ears with Receurdos de la Alhambra. Whom among us who love the guitar can resist this tempting venture into tremolo? Vince jumped right in and pulled out a white rabbit with a full house. Those closing cadences are always a real treat. Good stuff!

Leonard Bernstein pulled out all the stops for his production of “West Side Story”. America is therefore a show tune. Vince transcribed this full-on orchestral extravaganza and to hear him play it is a revelation of technique, feel and pace. Without the chorus girls or Keith Emerson’s Hammond singing in my head, this guitar arrangement and performance is a proper no-nonsense whistle-stop tour of South and North America with plenty of Central in between. Oye Como Va, Vince’s last item on the programme, rattles apace through plenty of hot and old favourites and, although seated in rows of hard wooden pews, I venture that some were dancing or singing along in their heads more than usual!

To calm the waves of applause, Vince and guitar returned to the stage for a rendition of Juan Martin’s La Feria, accompanied by Graham Cleaver on, literally, a cahon. This little box is designed and built to be slapped by flamencos; that’s called artistic licensing, I don’t think. Anyway, it’s a wooden drum with a built-in snare (rattle!), meant for accompanying Spanish guitarists and afficianados. This lively little rumba, with Vince’s slapping bouts as well, kept us all awake, which was just as well as I had to pick-up my lad from a post-prom party wedding party... Hola! Arriba amigos! Hola St Boniface!

© Julyan Richardson 2011

From Nina Rideout, 4th July...

Vince opened the concert with a nice performance of the well known Classical Gas by Mason Williams. Juan Martin’s Evocación de la Invasion Arabe AD711 followed, a piece that was illustrative of the time when the Moors invaded Spain. It employed many different techniques to create Arabic-sounding music and Vince played it with much emotion and assured technique. Andrew York’s Sunburst was next, a piece with some very tricky passages, but Vince pulled it off with great skill.

Then he played Albeniz’s Leyenda (also known as Asturias) at a good tempo, that was not too fast, (I often hear this piece played too fast, in my opinion), so the inherent tension was maintained, as the piece builds and builds to the climax at the end of fast sections. Cavatina by Stanley Myers followed and the melody flowed well. Next was the very difficult Gran Solo by Sor, which for me was the highlight of the classical pieces. This was played superbly with many different tone colours and over-all musicality. He even got exceptionally fast runs under his fingers, but for me, the best sections were when he played softly, in the tasto position, as the tone he achieved was so beautiful. The audience was enthralled and a standing ovation followed.

The second half began with Juan Serrano’s Cueva Gitana, an exciting flamenco piece that was fiery and soulful. Vince played it excellently and the striking rasqueado chords were especially memorable. Prelude No.1 by Villa-Lobos was next and this was played very well. A lovely arrangement of the song by Erik Satie, Je Te Veux followed. This slowish French piece provided a delightful contrast and Vince played it gently with a fine tone.

He then performed Tarrega’s famous Recuerdos de la Alhambra and a soothing atmosphere was created. One of Vince’s own inventive arrangements was up next, Leonard Bernstein’s America, and he played it with much flair, even maintaining the vocal quality of the sung lines, including the interplay between the singers. Finally, Vince performed his popular medley. It began and ended with Tito Puente’s Oye Como Va, but in between we were treated to tunes from, (I’m writing this from memory, so please excuse any mistakes/omissions): Light My Fire by The Doors, Brick in the Wall by Pink Floyd, Flash Gordon by Queen, Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles, Rasputin by Boney M, Duelling Banjos, the James Bond Theme, and even an excerpt from Bach’s Fugue in D minor for organ, the one paired with his iconic Toccata!

For the encore Vince was joined by Graham Cleaver, who accompanied him on a traditional Spanish drum, to play the catchy La Feria by Juan Martin in some style. This was a super way to bring this hugely enjoyable and varied concert from a very talented musician to a close.

© Nina Rideout 2011