Hello to 2012 /Peter Fletcher this Tuesday!

I want to say hello to all my buddies around the world with a verbal hug to you all. In particular I want to thank my dear buddy MAURICE SUMMERFIELD for the continued excellence of his Great Magazine - CLASSICAL GUITAR MAGAZINE! I look forward to each and every issue. With 2011 in the past and it's tough times for me and my wife, we look forward to better happenings in this year of 2012! I had to step out of the Guitar scene last year and had to stop several projects as I had to secure my health.I'm feeling much better and have been playing gigs since early June of last year.I owe my sweet and dear wife the utmost gratitude for pulling me through my quadruple bypass operation by getting my butt out and walking plus supplying me with
the most incredible culinary miracles!I can never repay her for her great love and caring plus the fact that we lost her father last year after a long illness and the year before we lost her mother! I loved them so much and even now when I think of them, I immediately cry!They were both so sweet and loving. Well let me stop before my tears sprout on to this e-mail. I am hoping to pick up on two outstanding projects that had to be held up - 1) A biog/interview of the Fantastic Brazilian Virtuoso- ROMERO LUBAMBO for Maurice Summerfield and the long overdue interview of the Brilliant German Virtuoso, the Poetic PIA GAZAREK-OFFERMANN. I hope Pia reads this because I returned to her a couple of days ago by closely listening to one of her wonderful recordings of A Fantasy by Sor on the special Torres Copy built by The Fantastic Virtuoso Luthier DARYL PERRY of Canada!Well, I hope that I can get to logging at least a couple of posts a week in 2012. I am out performing almost every day of the week and had to take it easy on checking out my colleagues. In a few months - April 6th - I will turn 62 and am playing better than every as I hunt down lessons on YOU TUBE and my awesome library! Right now I'm checking out various Rock,Metal,Grunge and other wild Guitar styles all in an effort to add some interesting tidbits of different techniques to my arsenal of musical profiles. I will list what I have found to be very useful in this current pursuit and I hope to return to the Guitar scene starting this Tuesday at PETER FLETCHERS Concert at Weill Recital Hall. I will be there to review what looks like a very interesting concert! Peter met me a week ago at one of my gigs at the STATEN ISLAND FERRY. What a wonderful surprise that was! Peter has an awesome talent and works extremely hard at his craft especially on the publicity side. Hope to see some of my buddies there Tuesday. Let me Whet your appetite with a sampling of the program:

AMERICAN TENOR AND CLASSICAL GUITARIST PREMIER NEW WORKS AT WEILL RECITAL HALL AT CARNEGIE HALL JANUARY 10, 2012, 8 pm



Program features New York premier of a major work by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco and commission of composer Clarice Assad



The American tenor David Michael Schuster and classical guitarist Peter Fletcher will perform a varied program featuring music for guitar and voice, in both original and transcription versions on Tuesday evening at Weill Recital Hall, 154 West 57th Street. The complete program is as follows:



Praetorius – Courante, Ballet, Volte (from Terpischore)

Mompou -- Damunt de tu només les flors (from Combat Del Somni)

Ponce – Preludio (in the style of Weiss) and Preambulo (in the style of A. Scarlatti)

Clarice Assad -- Enquanto a noite durar (world premier)

Schubert --- Ständchen; Der Leiermann and Die Post (from Winterreise)



- INTERMISSION –



Tedesco – The Divan of Moses-IBN-Ezra (1055-1155) op 207



Tickets are $35- $45 and may be obtained at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, from Carnegie Charge at 212-247-7362, or online at www.carnegiehall.org.







Italian Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco composed The Divan of Moses ibn-Ezra, Op. 207, in 1966. It is a cycle based on the 12th century writings of Spanish poet/philosopher/rabbi Moses- ibn-Ezra and performed in English. Divided into five sections, the music leads the listener on the poet’s journey, and perhaps the composer’s as well, through the songs of wandering, friendship, wine and the beauty of country life to the evils of the world and eventually, to the grave.



This performance of the Tedesco will be a Carnegie Hall debut and the first time The Divan has ever been performed in its entirety with a male voice. The entire cycle has been given, at last count, 7 times, with its world premiere given in 1973 in Copenhagen and has only been recorded twice with the soprano voice. Through extensive research and through Mr. Schuster’s acquaintance with the composer’s daughter in-law, Lisbeth and granddaughter, Diana, much was learned about the history of the cycle, and information was garnered from other guitarists as well as from some of the most respected music historians around the world.







Artists:



Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Grammy Award-nominated Clarice Assad is making her mark in the music world as a versatile artist of musical depth and sophistication. A pianist, arranger, vocalist and composer, her works have been performed world wide. Her music— sought out by musicians both in the classical and the jazz realms—has been performed and recorded by many of today’s top artists, including the Philadelphia Orchestra and cellist Yo-Yo Ma. As a performer, Clarice Assad has received high acclaim for performances of her original compositions and standards in jazz and Brazilian music. Assad has been described as a “charismatic singer” (New York Times) and as “a fine classical and jazz pianist, composer and jazz-infused pop stylist” (JAZZ Times).

www.clariceassad.com





Tenor David Michael Schuster has a career which spans 30 years and is well known to opera and concertgoers throughout Europe. From his debut with the Albany Symphony Orchestra and recital debut at Carnegie Recital Hall in 1981, to the stages of Spoleto, Italy and the Bavarian State Theater in Munich, Germany, where he was a leading tenor from 1989-1995. Stated The New York Times: “[He] shows a tenor voice not only unusually rich and full in the lower register, but unforced and brilliant in the upper register as well.” Mr. Schuster also appeared as tenor soloist with the RTSI Orchestra in Lugano, Switzerland, where he performed many operatic roles as well as many oratorios and toured throughout Europe appearing as Manrico (Il Trovatore) and Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly) and Raoul (Les Huguenots).



A versatile and in-demand artist, Peter Fletcher performs over 100 concerts every year under the auspices of Phillip Truckenbrod Concert Artists. Proclaimed Peter Burwasser of Fanfare Magazine: “Fletcher plays it all with a gracious virtuosity that makes for a very pleasing hour plus of unaffected musical poetry.” In addition to playing standard works for classical guitar, Mr. Fletcher believes in expanding the repertoire by transcribing works from other instruments and programming new works. His current project with Centaur Records is a all-Grieg album for which he himself is writing the transcriptions. Scheduled release date is September 2012. www.peterfletcher.com



This concert is presented by www.amocanti.org .


HAPPY NEW YEAR FOLKS AND MAY YOU HAVE A LONG VISIT FROM THE GOOD HEALTH DOCTOR!

DONNIE "GUITAR" Witter,Jr.





For more information, or to schedule an interview, please contact Antonia Thornton, 212-749-5420 or pf.guitarist@gmail.com