Manus Noble
Classical Guitar [Review extract]
16th
March
2023
–
Grimsby
Concert
Society
presented
Classical
Guitarist
Manus
Noble.
Manus’s
relaxed
posture
belied
the
brilliance
and
quality
of
playing
that
he,
seemingly
effortlessly,
produced
–
the
outcome
of
years
of
dedication
and
practice.
The
warm
tones
of
his
guitar
projected
easily
to
welcoming ears in the magnificent Assembly Room at Grimsby Town Hall.
In
a
well-crafted
performance,
Manus
offered
both
familiar
and
unfamiliar
pieces
–
yet
with
a
comforting
accessibility.
To
begin:
an
Almain
by
Tudor
lutenist
Robert
Johnson;
a
delightful
piece,
skilfully
ornamented,
introduced
the
audience
to
the
rich
warm
sound
of
his
guitar
and
its
sweet
treble
strings.
Then
the
famous
Prelude
No.
1
by
Brazilian
composer
Heitor
Villa-Lobos,
the
wonderful
bass
melody
was
brought
out
against
a
controlled
chord
accompaniment
on
the
treble-strings,
with
smooth
crescendos
and
diminuendos.
A
lovely
execution
and
interpretation
of
second
section,
was
followed
by
the
return
to
the
enigmatic
opening
theme.
Then
came
a
totally
absorbing
performance
of
A
Day
in
November
(Leo
Brouwer);
Manus
made
full
use
of
his
guitar’s
rich
tonal
range
to
provide
a
spell-binding
performance
of this poignant Cuban work.
Roland
Dyens’
Tristemussette
had
a
distinct
Latin-dance
flavour
in
its
opening,
contrasted
by
a
gentle
and
reflective
middle-section
-
beautifully
played
with
bell-like
harmonics
ringing
out.
Manus
gave
an
expressive
performance
of
the
oriental
Sakura,
Yuquijiro
Yocoh;
from
a
simple
tune,
virtuosic
variations
developed,
including
a
scintillating
harmonic
section – metaphorically showering the audience with cherry blossom.
To
conclude:
Scenes
from
the
Wild
West,
Garry
Ryan
–
this
fun
suite
invoked
scenes
from
the
old
‘cowboy’
movies
and
musicals;
but
as
a
guitar
piece,
it
is
a
tour-de-force
–
requiring
musicality,
stamina
and
a
wide
repertoire
of
technical
skills;
Manus
had
all
of
these.
A
lively
and
informal
opening,
with
an
impromptu
feel,
was
succeeded
by
a
wonderfully
executed
adagio
in
which
Manus
brought
out
the
full
melodic
qualities
of
the
guitar.
A
rhythmic
jazz
and
rock
influenced
percussive
section
contrasted
the
earlier
movements;
then
a
Copland
inspired
finale
–
a
hoedown,
was
total
fun!
For
an
encore,
Manus
performed
Ryan’s
The
Birds
Flew
Over
the
Spire
–
a
beautiful
melodic
piece
-
a
perfect
finish,
and
perfect
reflection of an artist quite at one with his instrument. IM
Manus Noble
Classical Guitar [Review extract]
16th
March
2023
–
Grimsby
Concert
Society
presented
Classical
Guitarist
Manus
Noble.
Manus’s
relaxed
posture
belied
the
brilliance
and
quality
of
playing
that
he,
seemingly
effortlessly,
produced
–
the
outcome
of
years
of
dedication
and
practice.
The
warm
tones
of
his
guitar
projected
easily
to
welcoming
ears
in
the
magnificent
Assembly Room at Grimsby Town Hall.
In
a
well-crafted
performance,
Manus
offered
both
familiar
and
unfamiliar
pieces
–
yet
with
a
comforting
accessibility.
To
begin:
an
Almain
by
Tudor
lutenist
Robert
Johnson;
a
delightful
piece,
skilfully
ornamented,
introduced
the
audience
to
the
rich
warm
sound
of
his
guitar
and
its
sweet
treble
strings.
Then
the
famous
Prelude
No.
1
by
Brazilian
composer
Heitor
Villa-Lobos,
the
wonderful
bass
melody
was
brought
out
against
a
controlled
chord
accompaniment
on
the
treble-strings,
with
smooth
crescendos
and
diminuendos.
A
lovely
execution
and
interpretation
of
second
section,
was
followed
by
the
return
to
the
enigmatic
opening
theme.
Then
came
a
totally
absorbing
performance
of
A
Day
in
November
(Leo
Brouwer);
Manus
made
full
use
of
his
guitar’s
rich
tonal
range
to
provide
a
spell-
binding performance of this poignant Cuban work.
Roland
Dyens’
Tristemussette
had
a
distinct
Latin-dance
flavour
in
its
opening,
contrasted
by
a
gentle
and
reflective
middle-section
-
beautifully
played
with
bell-like
harmonics
ringing
out.
Manus
gave
an
expressive
performance
of
the
oriental
Sakura,
Yuquijiro
Yocoh;
from
a
simple
tune,
virtuosic
variations
developed,
including
a
scintillating
harmonic
section
–
metaphorically
showering
the
audience with cherry blossom.
To
conclude:
Scenes
from
the
Wild
West,
Garry
Ryan
–
this
fun
suite
invoked
scenes
from
the
old
‘cowboy’
movies
and
musicals;
but
as
a
guitar
piece,
it
is
a
tour-de-force
–
requiring
musicality,
stamina
and
a
wide
repertoire
of
technical
skills;
Manus
had
all
of
these.
A
lively
and
informal
opening,
with
an
impromptu
feel,
was
succeeded
by
a
wonderfully
executed
adagio
in
which
Manus
brought
out
the
full
melodic
qualities
of
the
guitar.
A
rhythmic
jazz
and
rock
influenced
percussive
section
contrasted
the
earlier
movements;
then
a
Copland
inspired
finale
–
a
hoedown,
was
total
fun!
For
an
encore,
Manus
performed
Ryan’s
The
Birds
Flew
Over
the
Spire
–
a
beautiful
melodic
piece
-
a
perfect
finish,
and
perfect
reflection
of
an
artist
quite at one with his instrument. IM
