Classical guitarist Bob Drury re-visits the 19th and early 20th century music salons of Europe to present a solo concert celebrating the “Golden Age” of the classical guitar. Music from Sor, Tarréga, Llobet, Carcassi, Carulli, Giuliani, Ferrer, Coste, Brocá and more. The nineteenth century saw a huge rise in the popularity of the guitar in Europe. Lightweight and portable, the guitar was the perfect instrument for amateur and professional music making in the intimate surroundings of music salons and private homes. Virtuosic players of the day from Spain, Italy, France, etc. not only performed to polite society but also taught the instrument and composed music ranging from developmental studies to extended concert pieces . Bob will briefly introduce each composer and their significance to the period before playing examples of their work. In the twentieth century Andrés Segovia (1893-1987) was destined to ‘elevate’ the guitar to the concert stages of the world and also to inspire the further development of the repertoire. Bob’s concert aims to explore the vibrant period just prior to this and will feature some of the most delightful and entertaining music of the time…

Music will be taken largely from the works of the following composers;

Ferdinando Carulli 1770-1841

Fernando Sor 1778-1839

Matteo Carcassi 1796-1853

Mauro Giuliani 1781-1829

Napoleon Coste 1805-1883

José Brocá 1805-1882

José Ferrer (student of Brocá) 1835-1916

Felip Pedrell (student of Brocá) 1841-1922

Francisco Tárrega 1852-1909

Miguel Llobet (student of Tárrega) 1878-1938