Duo Armonico
Art Gallery Of South Australia – Radford Auditorium, Sun Feb 26
It’s like the guitar and cello are made for each other. The broad bowed sounds of the cello punctuated by the crisply picked individual notes of the guitar are a near perfect match. There were occasions when Duo Armonico missed the mark slightly, but mostly it was just sheer joy listening to this exquisite combination. It’s good to be reminded that an instrument ingrained in popular culture was once the focus of serious composers. Vivaldi apparently composed scores of guitar concertos. The second half of the program featured a selection of music from the Latin world with elements of flamenco and occasional bursts of passion. I especially enjoyed hearing Daniel Cunnington play classical guitar more as an ensemble instrument, and not use it as a platform for dazzling virtuosic wizardry. And Belinda Manwaring’s physical connection with her cello and its music was beautiful to watch.
Final Word: Exquisite
Michael Coghlan