Guitarist Sean Shibe makes his Australian debut in this inspired and thrilling season closer. He plays guitar without limits, acclaimed in great recital halls worldwide. His recent Bach album was described by Gramophone Magazine as “the best-ever Bach recording on guitar,” and he fearlessly explores beyond classical music.
In this concert, Shibe celebrates his Scottish heritage with a captivating journey through the Highlands. Joining him is Richard Tognetti directing the strings of the Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO). The concert begins with Scotland steeped in lore, featuring haunting solo music collected by Lady Margaret Wemyss in her family’s Fife castle, interspersed with irresistible Scottish folk songs. A new commission from composer Cassandra Miller brings this rich history to the present day.
Shibe then shifts to electric guitar, inviting the ACO into a vibrant world of musical innovation. Martyn Bennett’s Bothy Culture draws inspiration from the 90s rave scene in Edinburgh while staying rooted in Highland traditions. Julia Wolfe's Lad, originally composed for nine bagpipes and arranged for electric guitar and strings, is described as a “dive into a psychedelic landscape, at once multilayered, fractured, ecstatic, silent, driving, cacophonous, and direct.”
At just 32, Shibe is one of the most exhilarating young stars performing today, perfectly matched to the electric energy and musical curiosity for which the ACO is renowned. This is a concert you'll always remember: “I saw him when...”
Program: - TRADITIONAL SCOTTISH: Solo lute manuscripts compiled by Lady Margaret Wemyss - JAMES MACMILLAN (arr. George Duthie): From Galloway - TRADITIONAL SCOTTISH: Suite of folk songs - CASSANDRA MILLER: New Commission for solo guitar and strings (Australian Premiere) - JULIA WOLFE (arr. electric guitar and strings): Lad (Australian Premiere) - DAVID FENNESSY: Hirta Rounds (Australian Premiere) - MARTYN BENNETT (arr. electric guitar and strings): Bothy Culture: Selections
Artists: - Richard Tognetti • Director & Violin - Sean Shibe • Classical & Electric Guitars - Australian Chamber Orchestra
Guitarist Sean Shibe makes his Australian debut in this inspired and thrilling season closer.Sean Shibe plays guitar without limits. He is a chameleon of the new generation: he’s met with acclaim in the great recital halls of the world (and his recent Bach album was described by Gramophone Magazine as “the best-ever Bach recording on guitar”), but he also forges new horizons by ranging fearlessly beyond classical music. You can’t help but get carried away with his magic.For his Australian debut, Shibe celebrates his Scottish heritage in a thrilling ride through the Highlands and beyond.With Shibe on classical guitar and Tognetti directing the strings of the ACO, the concert opens with a Scotland steeped in lore. Lady Margaret Wemyss died in 1648 at the untimely age of 18, but her legacy lives on in the haunting solo music she collected in her family’s Fife castle. These tunes are interspersed with the irresistible rhythms of Scottish folk songs, while a new commission from Cassandra Miller, one of the most soul-stirring composers writing today, brings this rich history right up to date.Then tradition is thrown to the wind as Shibe takes up his electric guitar and the ACO steps into a technicolor world of musical invention. Martyn Bennett’s Bothy Culture takes inspiration from the 90s rave scene in Edinburgh while being rooted in the traditions of the Highlands and ancient cultures. Lad, by Julia Wolfe, originally composed for nine bagpipes and arranged here for electric guitar and strings, has been described by the composer as a “dive into a psychedelic landscape, at once multilayered, fractured, ecstatic, silent, driving, cacophonous, and direct.”At just 32, Shibe is one of the most exhilarating young stars performing today, and a perfect match for the electric energy and musical curiosity for which the ACO is famous. This is the concert you’ll reflect on in years to come: “I saw him when…”Program:TRADITIONAL SCOTTISHSolo lute manuscripts compiled by Lady Margaret WemyssJAMES MACMILLAN(arr. George Duthie) From GallowayTRADITIONAL SCOTTISHSuite of folk songsCASSANDRA MILLERNew Commission for solo guitar and strings (Australian Premiere)_JULIA WOLFE(arr. electric guitar and strings) Lad (Australian Premiere)DAVID FENNESSYHirta Rounds (Australian Premiere)MARTYN BENNETT(arr. electric guitar and strings) Bothy Culture: Selections_Co-commissioned by the Dunedin Consort (supported by John Ellerman Foundation), Barbican Centre, Saffron Hall, Australian Chamber Orchestra, and Cheltenham Music Festival.Artists:Richard Tognetti• Director & ViolinSean Shibe• Classical & Electric GuitarsAustralian Chamber Orchestra
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