As the world mourns the passing of rock guitarist Jeff Beck, whose influential career spanned an eventful 60 years, it’s to be remembered that he also recognized beauty in the music of other genres, often consolidating it with his own style.
Among his 16 Grammy nominations (and eight wins) was a cover of “Nessun dorma,” the standout aria from Puccini’s “Turandot,” recognized as Best Pop Instrumental Performance of 2010. Here it is in concert.
Beck also recorded an arrangement of the Adagietto from Mahler’s Symphony No. 5.
Thanks to “The Guv’nor” for helping to get the word out. Good music is good music. R.I.P.
The classical music world is left unstrung. One of the foremost guitarists of his generation, Julian Bream, has died.
Bream, who was essentially self-taught on his instrument, was an acknowledged master of over 400 years of repertoire. Not content to live in the past, he also commissioned new works from – or had them written for him by – Sir Malcolm Arnold, Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, Leo Brouwer, Hans Werner Henze, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, Toru Takemitsu, Sir Michael Tippett, and Sir William Walton, to name but a few.
He set up his own consort, with which he revived music of the Tudor era and made many recordings on the lute. His services as a lutenist were employed for the premiere of Benjamin Britten’s “Gloriana,” written to celebrate the coronation of Elizabeth II. Bream subsequently arranged the opera’s courtly dances for the instrument, which he then recorded. In turn, Britten composed several other works for Bream, including at least one milestone of the 20th century classical guitar repertoire, his “Nocturnal, after John Dowland.”
In a valedictory comment, quoted by the BBC, Bream offered, “I devoted my life to music for a reason, and the reason wasn’t because I wanted to get on or make money, but to try to fulfil myself and also to give people pleasure. That’s been my credo.”
Julian Bream was 87 years-old.
Twin titans of the guitar, Bream and John Williams (not to be confused with the film composer), in concert:
Bream attempts to woo Stravinsky with the lute:
“Nocturnal, after John Dowland”:
Charming documentary, “Julian Bream: My Life in Music”:
