Classic guitar music lovers will be offered a rare treat next month as two guitar concerts are scheduled in the intimate setting of the courtyard of the Auberge d'Italie, and which are being organised by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture. The recitals are by Simon Schembri and Carlos Bonell on August 17 and 18 respectively.
Mr Bonell needs no introduction to Maltese concertgoers as he has performed in Malta a number of times over the past 20 years. Born to Spanish parents in London he has had a highly successful international career. His activities include TV, film and CD recordings, international tours and concertos with the major orchestras and concerts with his own ensemble. He is also a Grammy nominee.
Mr Bonell's guitar playing can be heard on the recent Hollywood films City of Angels and The Honest Courtesan and on the TV films Inspector Morse and The Politician's Wife. He gained prominence in 1981 through his recording for Decca of Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and Charles Dutoit. It was hailed as a "magnificent triumph" by Classical Music Magazine, UK, and awarded a coveted rosette by the Penguin CD guide. Since that time it has been repeatedly singled out as the finest version available.
In addition to his Decca recordings Mr Bonell has recorded for EMI, ASV, CBS and Upbeat Classics. At the beginning of his recording career, his 1976 CBS recording with John Williams and Friends received a Grammy nomination, while his latest solo album release (The Private Collection Upbeat Classics 1998) was described as "a master class in magic" by the BBC Music Magazine. His 1997 album The Sea in Spring was chosen as Pick of the Week by Classic FM. The 2000 album Kinkachoo, I Love You. Millennium Guitar: The First 1,000 Years is a unique musical journey through 1,000 years of musical history, containing various first recordings.
Mr Bonell has appeared in concert with a wide variety of musicians including guitarist John Williams, flamenco guitarists Paco Pena and Juan Martin, jazz guitarist Martin Taylor, violinists Salvatore Accardo, Pinchas Zukerman and Levon Chilingirian, and singers Patricia Rozario, Teresa Berganza, Cleo Laine and Philip Langridge.
During the 1980s he formed his own ensemble, the Carlos Bonell Ensemble, which includes some of Britain's finest musicians. The ensemble, which has toured in more than 20 countries, is widely regarded as the most innovative and entertaining guitar-based ensemble in the world today.
On August 18, he will be playing a varied concert of works spanning a wide time spectrum, ranging from Spanish composers Gaspar Sanz (1660-1720) and Francisco Tarrega (1852-1909) to Belgian composer Armand Coeck (b.1941) and ending with some interesting new pieces by the Maltese composer Gordon Mizzi (b.1947), whose music was broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on the Cowan Collection.
Mr Bonell needs no introduction to Maltese concertgoers as he has performed in Malta a number of times over the past 20 years. Born to Spanish parents in London he has had a highly successful international career. His activities include TV, film and CD recordings, international tours and concertos with the major orchestras and concerts with his own ensemble. He is also a Grammy nominee.
Mr Bonell's guitar playing can be heard on the recent Hollywood films City of Angels and The Honest Courtesan and on the TV films Inspector Morse and The Politician's Wife. He gained prominence in 1981 through his recording for Decca of Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and Charles Dutoit. It was hailed as a "magnificent triumph" by Classical Music Magazine, UK, and awarded a coveted rosette by the Penguin CD guide. Since that time it has been repeatedly singled out as the finest version available.
In addition to his Decca recordings Mr Bonell has recorded for EMI, ASV, CBS and Upbeat Classics. At the beginning of his recording career, his 1976 CBS recording with John Williams and Friends received a Grammy nomination, while his latest solo album release (The Private Collection Upbeat Classics 1998) was described as "a master class in magic" by the BBC Music Magazine. His 1997 album The Sea in Spring was chosen as Pick of the Week by Classic FM. The 2000 album Kinkachoo, I Love You. Millennium Guitar: The First 1,000 Years is a unique musical journey through 1,000 years of musical history, containing various first recordings.
Mr Bonell has appeared in concert with a wide variety of musicians including guitarist John Williams, flamenco guitarists Paco Pena and Juan Martin, jazz guitarist Martin Taylor, violinists Salvatore Accardo, Pinchas Zukerman and Levon Chilingirian, and singers Patricia Rozario, Teresa Berganza, Cleo Laine and Philip Langridge.
During the 1980s he formed his own ensemble, the Carlos Bonell Ensemble, which includes some of Britain's finest musicians. The ensemble, which has toured in more than 20 countries, is widely regarded as the most innovative and entertaining guitar-based ensemble in the world today.
On August 18, he will be playing a varied concert of works spanning a wide time spectrum, ranging from Spanish composers Gaspar Sanz (1660-1720) and Francisco Tarrega (1852-1909) to Belgian composer Armand Coeck (b.1941) and ending with some interesting new pieces by the Maltese composer Gordon Mizzi (b.1947), whose music was broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on the Cowan Collection.