Classical guitarists combine for Spanish Nights at Boxgrove Priory

Mark and Amanda, who regularly tour together with the Vida Guitar Quartet, promise an eclectic programme of Spanish music, celebrating some of the most beloved repertoire from the country, featuring musical treasures by Albeniz, De Falla, Granados and Tarrega.

“Mark and I have known each other since we were teenagers,” Amanda said. “We met at summer school and we started working together with the Vida Quartet ten years ago. But just in the last year we have started working together as a duo. It's all about creating new ventures. We just thought it would be an interesting spin-off. Mark was asked to put together a programme of Spanish music local to him up in Leicestershire, and we thought it would be a good idea to put together a programme of solos and duos. You don't often get that together. Often it's all duos or solos, and I think that the audience enjoy the variety.

“And this programme is all based the music of Spain. It is just such an iconic part of the guitar’s history. We're focusing on late-19th century, early-20th century Spanish music, a time when the guitar was revered and you had a fantastic array of romantic composers that were helping to push forward the guitar as a concert instrument, taking it out of its history of being more of a salon instrument. That required a bigger virtuosic repertoire and required more of a concert instrument. That period was a key part of the guitar’s development.”

And inevitably you can hear Spain in the music: “The pieces do draw, some more than others, on the flamenco heritage, the type of chords and so on. That definitely ties it to Spain but there is also the Moorish element that you can hear in some pieces, the north African influence. And also there are composers that are drawn to a lot to Spanish folk music. Some of the melodies and history do tie to the history of Spain, and there's so much character that I do think that a sense of Spain will be very, very clear to the listener.”

For Mark and Amanda, the duo is an exciting new opportunity: “As a guitarist you often collaborate in many different ways, and this will add to our potential concert options. It is not that we're stopping doing something else. It's just that we really enjoy playing together and we know each other's playing so well.”

Tickets £20 (£25 on the door), £10 under 25s. Box office: The Novium, Chichester; www.thenovium.org.uk/boxoffice; 01243 816525.

Also coming up from Amici Concerts is Flamenco – El Desborde (September 12, 7.30pm). Two dancers, a singer and a guitarist delve deep into the roots of flamenco and confront expectations, exploring the narratives, musical fantasy, styles and history of the artform, inspired by the women who have created it. The show is directed and danced by Natalia Garcia Huidobro and Cathy Sandoval. It takes place in Boxgrove Village Hall, The Street, Boxgrove, PO18 OEE. Tickets £20 (£25 on the door), £10 under 25s. Box office as above.