Guitar teacher plays at Midweek Music Concert
Mark Wright
Issue date: 10/23/09 Section: Features
|
Middle of the week is right where I need something to just sit back and relax. This performance was exactly what I was looking for. It was not the slow boring classical music that you might be thinking about. This performance was upbeat and continuously flowing.
Aaron Powell performed music from the Renaissance to the 20th Century - music written by Alonso Mudarra, Gaspar Sanz, Luigi Boccherini, Fernando Sor and Franscisco Tarrega.
After a rough beginning, Powell warmed up and put on a soothing show. The performance lasted just over half an hour. After the first couple songs he had to re-adjust the tuning of his guitar that took some time, but he spent that time explaining the songs that he just played, so it wasn't that bad of wait. After he had tuned his guitar and began the third song he was in the rhythm playing a few songs from the renaissance style.
The fifth song Powell performed was a piece from a Spanish guitarist and composer Fernando Sor, who is known as the Beethoven of guitars because he wrote a ton of music. Powell performed Fernando Sor's Grand Sonata, which I found the most impressive. It was not just one single melody but it was constantly changing and kept you entertained for how long the piece was. This piece is more of the traditional guitar that you might be familiar with, comparing to works by Beethoven.
The final piece that Powell performed was his personal favorite Tango written by Francisco Tarrega, which is a Spanish style dance that Powell performed in the classical guitar style. This was a great piece to end on because it's the most recognizable and it sends everyone off on a good note.
Following the performance there was a prepared meal for those that wanted it. I would say it was a fantastic event to attend and I would strongly recommend going to one of his performances.
Aaron Powell will be performing a couple more times this fall. On November 8th in Lekberg Hall at Simpson College in Indianola for a faculty recital, then on November 22nd at Drake University in Sheslow Auditorium for a faculty recital. These events are free and open to the public.
Be the first to comment on this story