Purdue News

November 2, 2001 British guitarist to play Bach, Haydn and Debussy WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – British guitarist Paul Galbraith will perform an evening of classical works at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 8, in Loeb Playhouse. Admission is $22 for general public, $15 for Purdue students and children K-12. Tickets can be purchased at Purdue box offices or charged by phone at (765) 494-3933 or (800) 914-SHOW. Galbraith is presented by Purdue Convocations. Galbraith's double CD, "Complete Solo Bach Violin Sonatas and Partitas," was nominated for a 1998 Grammy Award in the Best Solo Instrumental Album category. This recording also was chosen as one of the two best CDs of 1998 by Gramophone Magazine, which called it "a landmark in the history of guitar recordings." In 1999-2000, Galbraith was featured on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" and "Performance Today." In addition to his solo work, Galbraith tours extensively with the Brazilian Guitar Quartet, of which he is a founding member. Together with the St. Petersburg String Quartet, he has commissioned a guitar quintet by the acclaimed Georgian composer Zurab Nadarejshvili, which will receive its world premiere in 2002. Galbraith's most recent CDs are the "Bach Lute Suites" and "Paul Galbraith Plays Haydn" (featuring Galbraith's arrangements of four keyboard sonatas). In 2000 he also released a CD of Bach concertos with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra. His performance at Purdue will include "Sonata No. 46 for Keyboard" by Joseph Haydn, "Children’s Corner" by Claude Debussy and "Lute Suite No. 2 in C minor" by J. S. Bach. Galbraith first won public acclaim in Great Britain when, at the age of 17, his performance at the Segovia International Guitar Competition won him the silver medal. This award helped launch a career including engagements with some of the finest orchestras in Britain and Europe. Galbraith's unique playing position was first displayed at the Edinburgh Festival in 1989. His guitar (designed in collaboration with luthier David Rubio) has two extra string– one high, one low – and is supported by a metal endpin (similar to that of a cello), which rests on a wooden resonance box. Both the guitar's design and Galbraith's playing style are considered groundbreaking developments in the history of the instrument and its performance practice. CONTACT: Larry Sommers, Purdue Convocations, (765) 494-5045, lsommers@purdue.edu. NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: A publication-quality photograph of Paul Galbraith is available at ftp://ftp.purdue.edu/pub/uns/galbraith.jpeg. Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page