The Romantic Guitar at Hopetoun Alpha

By TARA WERNER

The guitar was a popular instrument in 19th-century Europe, especially in Vienna where it was all the rage in middle- and upper-class society.

Composers also found its intimacy welcome - Schubert liked to play it during his soirees, for instance, and even an extrovert such as Berlioz found it useful for working out his ideas.

Romantic guitarist Mario Carreira, a performer and guitar lecturer from Portugal, played a copy of an 1820 Parisian guitar by Grobert, a model once owned by Paganini and Berlioz.

The instrument's gentle and warm qualities were apparent throughout this attractive concert of chamber music on Sunday night, which combined the forces of early music buffs' extempore with Carreira himself.

As an opener, Mozart's Flute Quartet in C major posed few problems, with flautist Sally Tibbles to the fore in a mannered and elegant account. Given the endless melodies throughout this graceful music it seems perverse that Mozart once said he could not abide the flute. Certainly the affectionate interpretation left a mellow afterglow that continued through the next work, Serenade for guitar and cello Op 30 by Matiegka, a composer active in Viennese amateur musical circles around 1800.

Both Margaret Cooke and Carreira achieved a ready rapport in this salon music, although Cooke's cello was a little too dominant at times, overwhelming the softer tones of the guitar.

More salon music followed - Schubert's reworking of a nocturne by Matiegka for flute, viola, guitar and cello was pleasant enough, but not exactly profound, and flowed along agreeably.

In comparison, Giuliani's Variations on Les Folies d'Espagne Op 45 for solo guitar, and Boccherini's Fandango Quintet for guitar and strings had more substance.

Carreira's assured and effortless fretwork was finally allowed to emerge in the Giuliani variations, their stylish and clear-cut phrases skilfully performed.

Finally, Boccherini's earthy quintet went like the clappers - literally, with a section for handclapping in the rhythmical fandango. Again, the strings may have overwhelmed the guitar, but the music ended the concert in a nicely exuberant manner.