EIF: Sean Shibe
Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, 13/8/26
Sean Shibe (guitar)
The forenoon of 13th August offered charismatic Scottish guitarist Sean Shibe in a programme that ranged from the Renaissance to the 21st century. Attendance was very satisfactory. The concert was recorded for later broadcast on BBC Radio 3. Sadly gone and almost forgotten are the days of live broadcast from the Queen’s Hall.
The concert opened with two 1546 Fantasias by Spanish Renaissance composer Alonso Mudarra nos. VII and (the better known) X. The first of these is a wistful melancholy pavane and it was awarded the sweetest phrasing with teasing ebb and flow in the dynamics. No. X is more con moto, madrigal-like in its counterpoint. As I have noted before, Sean Shibe’s skill with the independent voicing of the lines was again evident. A freer variant with its bar lines (if any) blurred felt rhapsodic. A magical cadence concluded.
Joaquín Rodrigo’s neo-classical 1954 ‘Tres piezas españolas’ are dedicated to Andrés Segovia and comprise a Fandango, a Passacaglia and a Zapateado. The fandango, with feisty rhythm, melodic simplicity, quirky harmonies and stylish ornamentation, exemplified classic Rodrigo. The passacaglia, an Andante in 3, built increasingly complex ornamentation over the repeated bass figure, including a flamenco and a fugal variation (both stunning), before a calm end on a major chord. The zapateado, an energetic, agile 6/8 Allegro, was a thrilling witty romp with classical key exploration paired with hemiolic figuration. In this first hearing for me, a super piece received utmost advocacy.
Receiving its UK premiere, Francisco Coll’s 4-movement ‘Sefarad’ (2025) shifted the musical language from a romanticised view of Spanish identity and the character of the national instrument to a grittier and more feral perspective. “Sefarad” is the Hebrew word for the Iberian peninsula and evokes a Golden Age where Sephardic Jewish scholars, poets, and scientists thrived under Moorish rule in cities like Córdoba and Toledo, ending abruptly in 1492. With dark satirical humour, Coll transfers this malevolence and intolerance to a purely domestic context, quoting Sephardic songs. ‘Aire’ (air) evokes the oud with very Arabic-sounding ornamentation and hints of flamenco, quasi recitative with sudden spikes of dynamic menace. ‘Suegra’ (mother-in-law) is more obviously malevolent (but, just in case, Sean Shibe read out the lyrics to us – ouch). ‘Dorme’ (sleep) was short, sweet and dreamy, suggestive of a boat drifting slowly, with gorgeous harmonics. ‘Hija’ (daughter) started with exotic glissandi, but violent dynamic discords suggested flashes of temper, before concluding in uneasy calm. An extraordinary piece with fearsome beauty, worth catching when it airs on Radio 3.
Three Dowland pieces from the English Renaissance opened the second half. The brief ‘Preludium’ from 1597 was classic Dowland, a simple melancholic melody beautifully ornamented. The 1595 ‘Forlorn Hope Fancy’ sustained the mood but was more substantial with multi-voiced counterpoint benefitting from the same skilful realisation as we had heard in the Mudarra, concluding with a Tierce de Picardie. ‘A Fantasie’ from 1604 was a surprise, Dowland in sunny mood, an idyllic introduction leading to a skilfully voiced canon, concluding with a tripping dance. “Semper Dowland, non semper dolens”.
The programme concluded with Thomas Adès’ 6 virtuosic ‘Forgotten Dances’ written for Sean Shibe in 2023. ‘Overture, Queen of the Spiders’, as might be expected, evoked the heebie-jeebies. ‘Berceuse’ was dreamy and idyllic, but also unsettling. ‘Courante’ was agile and syncopated, suggestive of a pursuit. ‘Barcarolle’ was dreamy and drifting, but with a sense of dread for something sinister unseen. ‘Carillon de Ville’ bears a dedication to Berlioz but quotes the obsessive ostinato from the ‘Carillon’ in Bizet’s ‘L'Arlésienne’. After an assortment of phobias, obsessions and recurrent nightmares, ‘Vesper’ brings repose of mind and spirit in a chaconne after Henry Purcell. What a fabulous piece.
The perfect valedictory encore? A guitar arrangement of Peter Maxwell Davies ‘Farewell to Stromness’. Gorgeous.
Link:https://www.eif.co.uk/events/sean-shibe