On 24th July in the early afternoon a good sized audience by fringe standards attended a classical guitar concert given by James Rippingale.

The audience were enthralled by the sensitive and gentle playing of James Rippingale. He showed a mastery of the instrument being sensitive to the phrasing and dynamics and his playing conveyed an understanding of the whole structure of the pieces performed. But most of all in my view he showed the utmost respect for the composers he chose. He introduced each piece very well with a quiet voice which was reflected in a quiet and thoughtful interpretation of the pieces he played. It was noticeable that his technical control became greater as the concert proceeded.

His verbal introductions gave much interesting and relevant information such as the importance of Tarrega developments including the free stroke which subsequently influenced Segovia, Lou Harrison rebelliously composing a piece entirely in the major in 1952 and the early neglect of Mangore.

The repertoire chosen gave a good representation of the classical guitar repertoire. He played pieces by Dowland from the renaissance period, sonatas originally written for the harpsichord by Scarlatti from the baroque period, the famous variations on a theme from Mozart's Magic Flute from the classical period 3 pieces by Tarrega from the romantic period and several pieces from the 20th century by Agustin Barrios Mangore, William Walton, Andrew York Yuquijiro Yocoh and Lou Harrison.

A beautiful choice of piece was the Lou Harrison piece called Serenade dated 12 February 1952. It was written as part of a letter to one of the composer's friends who was studying the guitar. Lou Harrison says, "This Serenade for guitar was written for Frank Wigglesworth as part of a private letter to him." This piece reflected the intimate approach which James Rippingale had in his concert.

The last piece in his concert was the energetic piece called Sunburst by Andrew York and was a fitting ending to a concert which had so many different genres. This piece combined a wide range of styles including jazz and rock.

The encore piece was a prelude by Antonio Lauro, a Venezuelan composer who died in 1986.He introduced this piece as the one which caused him to be hooked on the classical guitar. I am sure, if not hooked, many of the members of the audience would have increased their interest in the instrument and the composers represented.

The acoustics in the Methodist Church helped the music to resound and do it justice.

I hope James Rippingale keeps playing at Buxton.

Roger Horvath