Classical Guitar Favourites: A Lunchtime Recital

Enjoy an enchanting lunchtime recital with renowned Maltese guitarist Bernard Catania at Valletta’s historic Our Lady of Victory Church. The programme features Rodrigo, Albéniz, Tárrega, Granados, Barrios, Brouwer, Piazzolla and more, taking audiences on a captivating musical journey from Spain and Latin America to Argentina. The programme opens with the haunting and deeply expressive Adagio from Joaquín Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez, one of the most recognisable works ever associated with the classical guitar. This is followed by Isaac Albéniz’s Asturias (Leyenda), a work renowned for its evocative Spanish character and rhythmic intensity. The programme continues with the lively Allegro from Federico Moreno-Torroba’s Sonatina in A and Enrique Granados’ elegant Danza Española No. 5, Andaluza. The music of Francisco Tárrega, one of the great figures in the history of classical guitar, features prominently with two much-loved works, Recuerdos de la Alhambra and Capricho Árabe. These pieces demonstrate Tárrega’s extraordinary ability to create both delicate intimacy and rich musical colour through the guitar. The recital then travels across the Atlantic with João Pernambuco’s Sons de Carrilhões, followed by the lyrical Julia Florida by Paraguayan composer Agustín Barrios. The programme continues into the twentieth century with Leo Brouwer’s Un Día de Noviembre, a work of lyrical simplicity and gentle beauty, before moving to the unmistakable rhythms of Argentine tango in Astor Piazzolla’s Verano Porteño. Further highlights include Stanley Myers’ Cavatina, widely known for its beautiful melodic line, and José Luis Merlin’s Joropo from Suite del Recuerdo, which brings the programme to a vibrant and rhythmic conclusion.