Alvaro Pierri to strum his guitar for lovers of western classical music

Enthusiasts of Western classical music in the city will be treated to more than the regular piano or violin recitals this week.

Enthusiasts of Western classical music in the city will be treated to more than the regular piano or violin recitals this week.

HT Image

World-renowned classical guitarist Alvaro Pierri will perform at Tata Theatre on Wednesday, as part of the four-day CLP Joy of Music Festival hosted by the Mehli Mehta Music Foundation (MMMF).

The Festival was launched four years ago by the Chopin Society of Hong Kong to showcase some of the world’s best solo classical talents. It is travelling to India for the first time this year and will feature, along with Pierri, pianists Pascal Roge, Jinsang Lee and Sofya Gulyak.

“Audiences for classical guitar music have increased in the past 15 years, even though there are 35 pop guitarists for every classical one,” said Pierri, who is regarded as one of the most versatile maestros of the instrument across Europe and American countries.
For his Mumbai concert, the Uruguayan artiste will perform everything from classical European pieces such as Paganini’s Grande Sonata to excerpts from contemporary Latin American and Spanish guitar melodies.

“I also love Indian string instruments and the aesthetics and philosophy of Indian classical music,” said Pierri, who did a private concert in Mumbai last year with sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan.

As part of the Joy of Music Festival, Pierri and pianist Pascal Roge will also take master classes for advanced students of the instruments in the city.

“The classical guitar requires a lot of skill, and there are very few takers for it in Mumbai,” said Kamal Taraporevala, honorary director of education programmes at MMMF, which started classical guitar training at its Kemps Corner centre for the first time this June.
“We hope the Joy of Music Festival becomes an annual event now, since it is rare to have so many good solo concerts in a row,” said Gool Mistri, a member of the Foundation’s executive committee.