Ian Watt All Saints Church, Sudborough, Saturday 8 June 2024 

Ian Watt epitomises the twenty-first-century classic guitarist: well-schooled, confident, assured in technique and, above all, musical. He has virtuosity in abundance but in service to the music and not as a mere technical parade.

Ian Watt began his recital in the manner of the great Segovia, with Prelude, Fugue and Allegro, BWV 998 by J.S. Bach and two Fantasias by Francesco da Milano, all beautifully executed with a real awareness of the architecture of these early masterpieces. He followed with a daring venture into the contemporary with Scottish composer John McLeod’s Three Mythical Pieces (2012) – solid ambitious and challenging – real music for a new century.

Barrios’s La Cathedral acknowledged the twentieth century alongside La fille aux cheveux de lin by Claude Debussy and ‘Danza del Molinero’, from El Sombrero de tres picos by Manuel de Falla, all executed with panache and a real sense of their Paraguayan, French and Spanish origins. Surprises came with Antonio José’s Sonata and Cécile Chaminade’s ‘La Morena’, from Caprice Espagnol – less familiar music given a deserved airing.

Unusually for the modern classic guitarist, Ian played the first half of his concert ‘wearing’ his guitar in the manner of an early guitar supported by a simple strap and confidently a part of the player, unencumbered by contraptions or footstools – a welcome return to renaissance and baroque practice.

Andrés Segovia would have enjoyed this concert, revelling perhaps, in how far his ambitions for the ‘concert guitar’ of a century ago have now been realised. I recommend Ian Watt’s recitals to anyone interested in music – his passion and commitment is very rewarding and his virtuosity outstanding.

Paul Balmer

Described by Classical Guitar Magazine as ‘a guitarist of outstanding skill and originality’, Scottish guitarist Ian Watt has performed throughout the world and has made three solo recordings for Nimbus. Noted for his ‘exceptional range of timbre’ (BBC Music Magazine), Ian first came to public attention as a runner-up in the 2007 BBC Two ‘Classical Star’ television programme, when he was just 16. Here he is performing the Concierto de Aranjuez by Joaquín Rodrigo, with the City of London Sinfonia, conducted by Ben Wallfisch, in the ‘Classical Star’ Finals in 2007:  

Ian Watt has won a number of international awards and was appointed to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland guitar faculty in 2013 at the age of 22. He is committed to performing and teaching, as well as producing regular YouTube videos on various aspects of guitar technique and musical interpretation.

This concert was the first in a series called ‘Artists to Watch’, organised by Penelope Rapson, Director of the ensemble Fiori Musicali. 

Paul Balmer with Dias 1581 guitar in Guitar Story: Renaissance Guitar

Guest contributor Paul Balmer, director of the films Julian Bream: My Life in Music, and Stephane Grappelli: A Life in the Jazz Century, is always busy with guitar-related and music-related projects, for more details on his past films and publications, and on his new series of videos called ‘Guitar Story’, see Music on Earth, www.musiconearth.co.uk/videos.

© Thérèse Wassily Saba 2024