Large audience for guitar concert

Yesterday afternoon saw a treat for guitar enthusiasts in Audlem Methodist Church with a Classical Guitar Concert, organised by the Cheshire Guitar Ensemble.

The special guest soloist was Gaelle Solal who comes from Marseilles and delivered a bravura performance of music from around the world.

A large and appreciative audience turned out, so much so that Alastair Gambling, who introduced the Ensemble's music, said it was largest they had ever played in front of in their ten years of public performances. That was despite appearances in the likes of Hay on Wye, many mid-Wales venues and across the country including many Cheshire towns and villages.

The Ensemble's music ranged from Baroque to a specially composed tribute to the Cheshire countryside. Each piece was short but was beautifully executed by the eight guitarists who covered a wide age range.

Alastair Gambling said the group had enjoyed a wonderful reception in Audlem and had been so fascinated to read about Hollow Floor Studios on AudlemOnline that they arranged their very first ever recording session on Sunday morning with the studio's Jack Marshall. They were clearly delighted with Jack's reaction to their playing and each member of the Ensemble now had a personal CD of their work.

The Ensemble played the first half of the concert and then Gaelle Solal took to stage. She now lives in Brussels but last week had been playing in Santiago de Compestella in north western Spain before flying in to Cheltenham to play and tutor at a Festival there on the edge of the Cotswolds.

After yesterday's Audlem concert, she is off next to York and then Italy to play at a number of venues before returning home.

Her playing electrified (if one dare use the word about a strictly acoustic performance) the audience as it was taken on an international journey from Spain, to Turkey and then focussed mainly on Brazil with one memorable number by a composer who has written exactly 1,000 pieces for classical guitar.

A piece called Water & Wine was notable as was a lamentation from the hillside favelas of Rio de Janeiro.

Gaelle concluded with a new piece featuring astounding technique with the six strings pulled into three pairs to remarkable effect that saw prolonged applause from the audience who had enjoyed an hour of quite beautiful guitar music.

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