Classically Speaking

Julian Bream: My Life in Music (DVD) recounts the story of a Londoner from Battersea who became widely recognized as the best classical guitarist and lute player in the world and certainly holds special appeal for me, as an aspiring guitarist/musician.

Julian Bream started playing guitar at an early age, sneaking practice time while his father was at work during the days. Eventually his father Henry discovered Julian’s desire to learn, and started teaching him. 

Bream’s influences came largely from his father’s record collection; Django Reinhardt, and of course the master Andres Segovia. It was in fact a record of Andres Segovia playing Francisco Tarrega’s “Recuerdos de la Alhambra,” and later, actually seeing Segovia in concert in London, as seminal moments that shaped his life. 

The music alone on this DVD is captivating. Pieces by Francisco Tarrega, Fernando Sor, William Walton, Enrique Granados, and Django Reinhardt, as well as Benjamin Britten’s Nocturnal Op. 70, which was composed specifically for Julian Bream, are featured throughout the movie.

For me, there is such an intimacy with plucked string instruments, like the guitar and lute, and to hear those instruments come to life in the hands of an artist of Bream’s quality is very special indeed. There are also great clips of lute music, and I must say that seeing Bream play lute with the accompaniment of George Malcolm on harpsichord has actually given me a new appreciation for the earlier life of classical music in the Baroque and Renaissance periods. 

Throughout this movie, there is a wealth of cameos from famed musicians, including video documentation of Julian Bream’s meeting with Igor Stravinsky, as well as clips of many collaborations with the likes of John Williams and Peter Pears, as well as the above mentioned Malcolm. 

Whether you’re passionate about guitar or not, this DVD is indispensible as a source for any music lover’s library. The playing of Julian Bream is simply a delight. The recounting of Bream’s life is left largely to his own words, which is also quite enjoyable. He is clearly a man who has had many hardships and many truly grand adventures and his smiling face shows that exact fact.

Julian Bream: My Life in Music is available on DVD through Avie Records.

Aran Jenkins is a recent graduate of WV State University.  He plays piano and guitar, writes for the Charleston Gazette, and is working on a novel.

Previous posts by Aran Jenkins:

* The Master Segovia
* Rachmaninoff Plays Rachmaninoff
* Finding Connections
* B is for Beautiful? 

Today on the radio, I referred to a few of our older posts. You can always dig through our archives to find them, but I thought it would be nice to make them even easier to find. 

* Idol and Glee: Not so original? 

* September and October Classical Calendar 

* Who is Suresh? (interview) 

There’s a bit of a look back, but what does the future hold? I’m planning on some more interviews with musicians performing in West Virginia and some autumn classical favorites; we'll also have a guest post from Aran Jenkins about guitarist Julian Bream and Jim Lange will be posting an interview with Hans Zimmer.

Plus, we have interviews with Wheeling Symphony conductor Andre Raphel Smith and Antonio Salvatore, another conductor in Wheeling. I’ve also been saving an interview with WVU Composer-in-Residence John Beall.

I've also been thinking about trying a classical music movie club here. If you see a movie that relates to classical music -- let me know about it. If you write a bit about the movie, we can post comments here on Classically Speaking to share with others. 

A few movies that have come up recently in conversation include: Amadeus, Lisztomania, The Red Violin, Tous les Matins du Monde, Fellini’s Orchestra Rehearsal, and Rhapsody. Any interesting classical music-related movies you've seen recently?

Not enough, you say? Well, we’re also working on a fun, interactive classical trivia quiz, which still needs a bit of work.  And I’m sure there’s going to be more.

So stay tuned, I think this fall and winter are going to be a lot of fun.