Pierre Beaudry, guitar
Friday, November 8, 2024 at 7:30pm
Merging Waters United Church, 24 Maple Avenue
Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC H9X 2E6
Programme
Carlo Domeniconi (born in 1947)
Koyunbaba (suite for guitar)
- I - Moderato
- II - Mosso
- III - Cantabile
- IV - Presto
This piece based on Turkish themes was written by the German composer Domeniconi for a guitar tuned like an Indian cithara. Very much influenced by Turkish folklore, he also integrates minimalistic elements which puts this work among late currents of 20th century's music.
Leo Brouwer (born in 1939)
El Decameron Negro (The black Decameron)
- I - The warrior's harp
- II - The lovers' escape through the echo valley
- III - The ballad of the loving lady
This piece from the Cuban composer Leo Brouwer consists of three ballads inspired by African stories. Themes are based on Yoruba musical language from the African culture.
Intermission
Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959)
Etudes and Preludes (selected)
The guitar music of Heitor Villa-Lobos is marked by several cultures of Brazil: Indian songs, Bahia rhythms, African harmony and popular Portugese urban songs, including la modinha (love song) and the chôros (seresta or serenade, free and improvised, whose melodies are Portugese and the rhythms African). Villa-Lobos has created masterpieces of great originality and poetry.
(Études PB's version, based mostly on the 1928 autograph)
No recording audio/video of the performance by the audience will be authorised.
Biography
Guitarist Pierre Beaudry performs through the world. His extensive concert career takes him to Europe, North America, China and South East Asia, where his solo performances are acclaimed both by the public and the press. The critics have rewarded him for his interpretations of Baroque, Modern and Avant-garde music.
In addition to being a laureate of the International Music Competition of Finale Ligure in Italy, he received numerous grants from the Quebec Arts Council, and is a DAAD alumni (German Academic Exchange Service).
He studied in Germany at the Cologne Music Academy (Artist Diploma, with Honors), in France at the Paris Conservatory of Music (1st Prize) and at the Nice Conservatory of Music (1st Prize). His most important teachers have been Alexandre Lagoya, Ako Ito (student of the legendary Ida Presti) and pianist Marc Durand. His interpretations are also marked by long-term studies of musicology and performance practice.
Since 2001, due to a major mechanical disorder in the spine, Pierre Beaudry is forced all the time to play guitar in an orthostatic position, i.e. standing up. This position is absolutely unusual in modern classical guitar. He never stopped giving concerts and gave his first performance standing up, in solo, in France on May 18th, 2006.
In the period from 1993 to 2006, he has been on the music faculties of three universities in Quebec, Canada (Concordia, Bishop's and Sherbrooke).
He is currently professor of guitar at the Tiziano Rossetti International Music Academy in Lugano, Switzerland. In only one year, six guitarists under his coaching have won prizes in international competitions. Five awards were given to him for his teaching in 2023 and 2024 by: Sound Espressivo Competition, World Classical Music Awards, Music & Stars Awards, European Classical Music Awards and Birmingham International Music Competition.
He also is on the faculty of Aeyons Classical, the Australian international teaching platform.
He presently plays a guitar by Philip Woodfield Moore, entirely designed for standing up performance. Previously, he played Otto Vowinkel guitars for over 25 years.