WINNIPEG FREE PRESS REVIEW OF MANITOBA CLASSICAL GUITAR DUO

Classical guitar virtuosos offer pure, stripped-down magic

Concert Review
Manitoba Classical Guitar Duo
Winnipeg Classical Guitar Society
Planetarium Auditorium
June 28; Attendance 65

By Gwenda Nemerofsky

The Winnipeg Classical Guitar Society added the finishing touch to its concert series Saturday night with a performance by the Manitoba Classical Guitar Duo, becoming known simply as MCGD.

Winnipeg guitarists Skender Sefa and Michael Daher offered up a treasure trove of guitar favourites from the 16th century to the present, showing the instrument's versatility. Speaking to the audience between works, the duo maintained a charming, homey feeling -- a trademark of WCGS concerts.

The evening also served as a CD-release party, launching MCGD's recording, simply called Recital.

A lull fell over the hall as the duo opened with John Dowland's Lord Willoughby's Welcome Home. Perfectly balanced and in synch, Sefa and Daher emitted a peaceful, restful aura that we all drank in. It was like stepping into another world -- one that reminds us to stop and smell the roses.

The sultry Introduction and Waltz by Ferrer showed Sefa's stylish side, with clean articulation and a pure high register. The duo achieved just the right dance-like rhythm in this 19th-century work.

Each guitarist played several solo works. Sefa began with two by Paraguayan composer/guitarist Agustin Mangore. Un Sue?o en la Floresta was rich with South American folk influence and delightful tremolo. Sefa's sensitive interpretation exhibited superb control, making it beautifully fluid and lovingly rendered.

Daher chose a prelude and study from the traditional guitar repertoire by Villa- Lobos. He took the Prelude #1 at a little peppier tempo than usual, making it exciting, with its many ebbs and flows, twists and turns. A lovely vibrato enhanced this standard.

Daher introduced Study #1, calculating that it consisted of 1,000 notes. Daher was up to the challenge, his fingers flying through this perpetual-motion composition.

Villa-Lobos' Cuban Dance heated up quickly with snappy Cuban rhythms, finger sweeps and nimble picking -- lots of fun.

The Granados Intermezzo was the one weak point of the evening -- balance being the culprit. The accompanying line was often so soft as to be inaudible, leaving the remaining part naked and stark. Interplay between guitars was stilted, the work struggling to hold together.

Yet Daher's three solo pieces dedicated to his girlfriend couldn't help but touch the heart, with the sweet Lagrima by Tarrega played with great feeling and the arrangement of Sting's Fragile supremely delicate.

Sefa countered with two works by French master guitarist Roland Dyens. Tango en Ska? was a real showstopper, showcasing guitar and guitarist. Sefa handled it adeptly, as he did with Fuoco, tackling dense clusters of notes with impressive confidence and panache.

Effective ensemble work highlighted the finale, El Pa?o Moruno, arranged by Len Williams, with its sweltering cloud of dust and tumbleweed.

This program was obviously a labour of love -- an honest, no-frills performance with its focus rightly placed -- on the music.


gwenda.nemerofsky@shaw.ca

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS June 30th, 2008