{"id":10905,"date":"2018-09-05T14:12:05","date_gmt":"2018-09-05T21:12:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/?p=10905"},"modified":"2018-09-05T14:12:05","modified_gmt":"2018-09-05T21:12:05","slug":"guitar-stars-and-workshops-a-report-from-nurtingen-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/guitar-stars-and-workshops-a-report-from-nurtingen-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"Guitar Stars and Workshops: A Report from N\u00fcrtingen 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"

BY OLLIE MCGHIE<\/strong><\/p>\n

N\u00fcrtingen sits in the region of Baden-W\u00fcrttemberg in southern Germany. The Neckar river runs through it, pictures of which form the hero shot of many postcards. The festival is in the city center\u2014a warren of new and traditional German architecture. It\u2019s been going since 1995 and takes place every other year, so the build-up and trepidation for the event is magnified even more. This year has just hosted the 13th edition.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat makes this festival unique,\u201d says Julia Dosch, festival director for the last two years, \u201care the very short distances between accommodation, festival venue and get-together-location. Also, the festival offers a highly advanced program for talented children aged between 10 and 17 years with 24\/7 supervision by trained pedagogues and a variety of specific workshops.\u201d<\/p>\n

This year, N\u00fcrtingen Festival had more than 30 children participating. The artists and teachers offered workshops available to all abilities, for instance “Flamenco” for advanced players, “Improvisation” for players of mixed-abilities, and “Music of Badi [Assad]”, which also catered to non-players.<\/p>\n

Eurostrings, a co-funded Europe Programme of the EU, was part of the festival this year too. \u201cTo me, this means progress,\u201d Dosch says, \u201cand a chance to develop an even more acknowledged festival. I believe that if we, as EuroStrings members play our cards right, we have the chance to create a quality brand that could change the world of guitar festivals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two acts\u2014the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet and David Russell\u2014have been part of N\u00fcrtingen\u2019s festivals for about 20 years. This year also included Lucasz Kuropaczewski, Michael Langer, Daniel Egielman, flamenco artist Amir John Haddad, and Brazil\u2019s Badi Assad, Duo KM, Tillman Hoppstock, and Klaudia N\u00e8meth, among others\u2014a concert schedule which very nearly sold out. Locals and those nearby have put these concerts into their calendars months in advance. One week-long concert-pass goer said, \u201cI come here to relax\u2014the timetabling is flawless and there\u2019s space for me to unwind whilst listening to wonderful guitar playing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"David Russell charms the audience at\u00a0N\u00fcrtingen.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

My time at the festival sadly did not encompass all of these these well-programmed events, but I did catch the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet and Kuropaczewski.<\/p>\n

The Los Angeles Guitar Quartet were joined by a selection of Young Stars (winners from EuroStrings) on stage at the Stallehadt in the first half, while the second half they played Byrd\u2019s My Lord of Oxenford\u2019s Maske<\/em> in which they captured interwoven voices not dissimilar to a Renaissance motet. At times their tones perfectly encapsulated a full range from harpsichord to lute. They then left early 17th century conventions behind and embraced Pat Metheny\u2019s Road to the Sun<\/em>, incorporating altered tunings, off-kilter rhythms, headstock plucking and more\u2014 a piece originally conceived to be 10 minutes long but turned into a six-movement symphony lasting 25 minutes.<\/p>\n

Kuropaczewski, the increasingly go-to classical guitar artist for Croatian students, took to the stage in Kreuzekirche, a church venue with a more intimate atmosphere compared to the Stallehadt. His programme was as much a display of his virtuosity as his musicality. Opening the concert with Giuliani\u2019s Rossiniana No. 3 Op.121<\/em>, he blended subtle voicing changes with perfectly musical, almost comic timing\u2014just when you thought the piece might end, it picked up again. His program also included Miguel Llobet\u2019s 10 Catalan Folk Songs<\/em>, Ponce\u2019s 24 Preludes<\/em> and what he called the \u201chardest piece I\u2019ve ever played\u201d\u2014Three Pieces for Guitar<\/em>\u00a0by American composer and pianist Marc Neikrug. This was the third time Kuropaczewski has played at N\u00fcrtingen.<\/p>\n