"… intelligent and sensitive performance…"?
"… displayed a range of technical expertise and delicate emotions…?
"… scored full marks in a very memorable performance …"?
"… he plays Bach with good control, lots of energy and well-crafted ornamentation …"
"… a secure technique, a beautiful tone and imaginative interpretational skills …"
Steve Marsh, Classical Guitar Magazine, England

Printed November 2000. Volume 19 nº 3

JOSE MANUEL DAPENA
Cedar Park, Derby?23 September, 2000

Bach, Sor and Turina.

The Derby Classical Guitar Society began its series of recitals for this season with the Spanish guitarist Jose Manuel Dapena making his English debut with a recital of, mainly, Spanish music.

The highlight of the evening came, unusually, at the very start of the programme with Sor´s Sonata Opus 25. This four-movement, 27 minute piece was a brave entry for a guitarist hoping to win over a new foreign audience for the first time and in the hands of a lesser player the use of this work as an opening piece could have done him/her no favours. However, the intelligent and sensitive performance from Dapena of one of Sor´s masterpieces made this a definite hit with the enthralled audience. This player displayed a range of technical expertise and delicate emotions which many other performers usually hold in reserve for later on in their programmes when nerves have settled and they are "wamed up". Not Dapena; he went straight for the target and scored full marks in a very memorable performance.The down side of all this was that it almost trivialised the Turina Sonata which followed, albeit this piece was given another fine interpretation.

As a tribute to Bach, and to commemorate the 250th anniversary of his death, the second half began with Suite BWV 1006a - the 4th lute suite. Dapena played this with good control, lots of energy and well-crafted ornamentation and even the odd memory lapse didn´t spoil the flow, the player handling all this with true professionalism.?The evening ended with three more pieces by Turina - Garrotín, Soleares and Fantasía Sevillana; all three played with style and confidence, although I would have preferred it if the player had let himself go a little more with the gradations of the dynamics; he seemed to hold himself back in these pieces which could really have stood more volume at times.?One encore was given - Tárrega´s Recuerdos de la Alhambra.

The recital was a thoroughly enjoyable experience from a guitarist who has the security of knowing that he has at his call a secure technique, a beautiful tone and imaginative interpretational skills.