Taking their cues from The Barber of Seville and The Fall of the House of Usher — two classical guitarists will create diverse musical moods Sunday at Red Deer College.
RDC guitar instructor Shannon Frizzell will by joined by Calgary classical guitarist Ralph Maier for a 7:30 p.m. Les Deux Amis concert at Margaret Parsons Theatre.
Frizzell said he’s looking forward to performing with Maier, who was his instructor in the Masters of music program at the University of Calgary. “It’s a huge honour for me to have him here. It’s going to be a great concert.”
Maier has been entertaining Canadian audiences for 30 years — not just on the guitar, but also on one of its precursors, the vihuela. In fact, Maier did his PhD specializing in 16th-century Spanish music for this small, fragile instrument, which was used throughout Mediterranean countries before the Baroque period.
He will be performing some Renaissance pieces on his mellow-sounding reproduction vihuela in Red Deer.
Maier will also perform guitar solos, such as the strange Usher Waltz. Composer Nikita Koshkin was inspired to create this little dance from a brief reference in Edgar Allan Poe’s atmospheric story, The Fall of the House of Usher.
As well, he and Frizzell will tackle guitar duets, including the overture of the opera The Barber of Seville, by Gioachino Rossini, and 18th-century works by Ferdinando Carulli.
Frizzell, who has taught at RDC for 15 years and composed for short films and songwriting projects, will also perform some solos including three pieces by Joaquin Rodrigo, and Sonatina, Opus 51 by Lennox Berkeley.
He believes the audience is in for a rare treat, getting to hear some classical guitar duets performed in an intimate setting. “This concert will be very accessible. There will be a nice mix of music — something for everyone to enjoy.”
Tickets are available from the Black Knight Ticket Centre.
lmichelin@www.reddeeradvocate.com