Concert brings together guitar and flute sounds

Cypriot guitarist Socrates Leptos and French flutist Virginie Bove are meeting on stage this month for a colourful musical journey in a rare concert combination. On November 21 at 6pm the two talented musicians will present a unique blend in Paphos of both original and arranged works from France, Italy, Romania, Brazil and Argentina, many inspired by the rich musical folklore of their respective countries.

“The repertoire for flute and guitar is quite extensive,” explain the concert organisers Technopolis 20. “The combination of the two instruments has been popular since the early 19th century with composers such as Giuliani and Diabelli. However, very little of this music displayed the grandeur, emotional depth and formal complexity that were the cornerstones of contemporary musical composition. It was not until the 20th century that composers finally invested in the flute/guitar ensemble and graced it with well-developed and emotionally intense music.

“Even so, the output was limited,” they add. “Perhaps the particularities of writing for such an ensemble (or any ensemble involving the guitar) caused many composers to either shy away from the endeavour or produce works that were unplayable. This pushed performers into making arrangements of works that were originally composed for a different combination of instruments, thus presenting a fresh outlook on already popular music, and expanding the repertoire for flute and guitar.”

The programme of the November concert at Technopolis 20 will include Sonatina op. 205 by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Danse de la Chèvre for flute solo by Arthur Honegger, Romanian Dances by Béla Bartok, Preludio Triston for solo Guitar by Maximo Diego Pujol, Musiques Populaires Brésiliennes by Celso Machado and Histoire du Tango by Astor Piazzola.

Guitar and Flute Concert

Concert with Cypriot guitarist Socrates Leptos and the French flutist Virginie Bove. November 21. Technopolis 20, Paphos. 6pm. €12. Reservations only. Tel: 7000-2420