Julian Bream
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Julian Bream O.B.E. (born July 15, 1933) is a British guitarist and lutenist.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Julian Bream was born in London. Bream was brought up in a very musical environment. His father played jazz guitar and the young Bream was impressed by hearing the playing of Django Reinhardt. He was encouraged to play the piano but also the guitar (though using a plectrum). On his 11th birthday, Bream was given a classical guitar by his father. He became something of a prodigy, at 12 winning a junior exhibition award for his piano playing, enabling him to study piano and cello at the Royal College of Music. He made his debut guitar recital at Cheltenham in 1947, aged 13.
In 1951 he made his debut in the Wigmore Hall in London. After national service, he resumed a busy career, playing around the world, including annual tours in the USA and Europe for several years. He played part of a recital at the Wigmore Hall on the lute in 1952 and since has done much to bring to light music written for the instrument. 1960 saw the formation of the Julian Bream Consort, a period-instrument ensemble with Bream as lutenist. The consort led a great revival of interest in the music of the Elizabethan era.
In 1984 Bream was seriously injured in a car accident. It cost him great effort to regain his previous technical ability.
Bream's recitals are wide-ranging, including transcriptions from the 17th century, many pieces by Bach arranged for guitar, popular Spanish pieces, and contemporary music, much for which he was the inspiration. Many composers have worked with Bream, and among those who dedicated pieces to him are Malcolm Arnold, Richard Rodney Bennett, Benjamin Britten, Leo Brouwer, Peter Racine Fricker, Hans Werner Henze, Humphrey Searle, Toru Takemitsu, Michael Tippett and William Walton. Britten's Nocturnal is one of the most famous pieces in the classical guitar repertoire and was written with Bream specifically in mind. It is an unusual set of variations on John Dowland's Come Heavy Sleep (which is played in its original form at the close of the piece).
Bream has also taken part in many collaborations, including work with Peter Pears on Elizabethan music for lute and voice, and two records of guitar duets with John Williams.
Bream's playing can be characterized as virtuosic and highly expressive, with an eye for details, and with strong use of contrasting timbres.
The above, along with his many radio and television appearances, have made Julian Bream an important ambassador for the classical guitar. Despite his importance, many of his RCA Victor recordings (including the series of 20th century guitar music) are out of print.
The 2003 DVD video profile Julian Bream: My Life In Music contains three hours of interview and performance. It has been declared by Graham Wade "the finest film contribution ever to the classic guitar." His series Guitarra! was made for British television and charts a journey across Spain.
Bream enjoys a reputation as a down-to-earth Londoner who likes nothing more than a pint of beer in his local pub, and who is consumed by a genuine passion for classical guitar music in all its forms.
[edit] Pieces written for Julian Bream (in chronological order)
- Reginald Smith Brindle El Polifemo de Oro (1956)
- Lennox Berkeley Sonatina, op. 52, no. 1 (1957)
- Tristram Cary Sonata (1959)
- Malcolm Arnold Concerto for Guitar and Chamber Orchestra, op. 67 (1959)
- Benjamin Britten Nocturnal after John Dowland, op. 70 (1963)
- Richard Rodney Bennett Impromptus (1968)
- Tom Eastwood Ballade-Phantasy (1968)
- Peter Racine Fricker Paseo (1969)
- Reginald Smith Brindle Variants on two themes of J. S. Bach (1970)
- Richard Rodney Bennett Guitar Concerto (1970)
- Malcolm Arnold Fantasy, op. 107 (1971)
- Alan Rawsthorne Elegy (1971)
- William Walton Five Bagatelles (1972)
- Humphrey Searle Five (1974)
- Lennox Berkeley Guitar Concerto, Op. 88 (1974)
- Hans Werner Henze Royal Winter Music (first sonata, 1976)
- Giles Swayne Suite (1976)
- Peter Maxwell Davies Hill Runes (1981)
- Michael Berkeley Sonata in One Movement (1982)
- Richard Rodney Bennett Sonata (1983)
- Michael Tippett The Blue Guitar (1984)
- Leo Brouwer Concerto elegiaco (Guitar Concerto No. 3) (1986)
- Toru Takemitsu All in Twilight (1987)
- Leo Brouwer Sonata (1990)
[edit] Awards and Recognitions (incomplete)
- 1964: Officer of the Order of the British Empire
- 1976: Villa-Lobos Gold Medal, presented by Madame Villa-Lobos
- Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance
Julian Bream & John Christopher Williams for Julian and John (Works by Lawes, Carulli, Albéniz, Granados) (1973)
- 1985: Commander of the Order of the British Empire
[edit] Partial discography
[edit] LP
- 20th Century Guitar, RCA LSC-2964
- 70's, RCA ARL 0049
- Dedication, RCA ARL 5034
- A Bach Recital for the Guitar, Westminster
- Baroque Guitar (1966), RCA
- Collection of the Greatest Performances of Julian Bream, Vol. II, Westminster
- Concertos for Lute and Orchestra, RCA ARL1-1180
- Dances of Dowland, RCA LSC-2987
- Elizabethan Lute Songs, RCA LSC-3131
- Elizabethan Music by The Julian Bream Consort, RCA LSC-3195
- The Golden Age of English Lute Music, RCA LSC-3196
- Julian & John, RCA
- Julian Breams Greatest Hits, Westminster
- Lute Music of John Dowland, RCA ARL1-1491
- Music for Voice and Guitar with Peter Pears, RCA LSC-2718
- Popular Classics for Spanish Guitar, RCA
- Rodrigo: Concerto De Aranjuez, Berkeley Guitar Concerto (1975), RCA
- Sonatas for Lute and Harpsichord—Bach, Vivaldi with George Malcolm, RCA LSC-3100
- Villa-Lobos, Twelve Etudes for Guitar, Suite populaire bresillienne (1978), RCA
- The Woods So Wild, RCA LSC-3331
[edit] CD
- Fret Works (1990), MCA ASIN B00000DWBQ
- Guitarra: The Guitar in Spain (1990), RCA ASIN B000003EOU
- Joaquin Rodrigo: Concerto Elegiaco/Fantasia Para Un Gentilhombre (1990), RCA ASIN B00000E6E7
- Julian Bream plays Bach (1990), RCA ASIN B000003EOG
- Julian Bream Plays Granados & Albéniz (Music of Spain, Volume Five) (1990), RCA ASIN B00000E68D
- Music of Spain, Vol. 7 (1990), RCA ASIN B00000E697
- Two Loves with Peggy Ashcroft (1990), RCA ASIN B00000E6FM
- Baroque Guitar (1991), RCA ASIN B000003F1J
- La Guitarra Romantica (1991), RCA ASIN B000003F0G
- Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez; Villa-Lobos: Preludes (1991), RCA ASIN B000003EPS
- Romantic Guitar (1991), RCA ASIN B000003EQA
- Baroque Guitar (1993), RCA ASIN B000025HGT
- A Celebration Of Andrés Segovia—Bream (1993), RCA ASIN B000009JN3
- Highlights from the Julian Bream Edition (1993), RCA ASIN B000003FKP
- Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez; Fantasía para un gentilhombre No1-5 (1993), RCA ASIN B000003FI4
- Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez; Takemitsu: To the Edge of Dream with Simon Rattle and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (1993), Capitol ASIN B00000DNS6
- Together/Julian Bream & John Williams (1993), RCA ASIN B000003FDM
- Together Again/ Julian Bream & John Williams (1993), RCA ASIN B000003FDN
- Villa-Lobos: Guitar Concerto; Preludes; Etudes with André Previn and the London Symphony Orchestra (1993), BMG International ASIN B000024RKH
- Bach Guitar Recital (1994), EMI Classics ASIN B000002RU9
- Bach: Lute Suites, Trio Sonatas (1994), RCA ASIN B000003FG2
- Guitar Concertos (1994), RCA ASIN B000003FG4
- Julian Bream Consort, Vol. 6 (1994), RCA ASIN B000003FFX
- Music of Spain (1994), RCA ASIN B000003FG6
- Popular Classics for Spanish Guitar (1994), RCA ASIN B000003FFY
- Romantic Guitar (1994), RCA ASIN B000003FFZ
- Sonata (1995), Angel ASIN B000002RUX
- 20th Century Guitar I (1996), RCA ASIN B000003FG0
- The Golden Age of English Lute Music (1996), RCA ASIN B000003FFW
- Music for Voice & Guitar (1996), RCA ASIN B000003FG1
- Music of Spain: Milán, Narváez (1996), RCA ASIN B000003FG5
- Popular Classics for the Spanish Guitar (1997), RCA ASIN B000003G9U
- Julian Bream Edition, Volume 1: The Golden Age of English Lute Music (28 CDs) (1998), RCA ASIN B000003FFV
- The Romantic Hours (1998), RCA ASIN B000003FSG
- Spain—Sor, Vol. 24 (1998), BMG Classics ASIN B000025HGH
- Guitar Concertos (1999), RCA ASIN B00000HZS3
- Guitar Music by Albeniz, Vivaldi, Rodrigo & Grandos (2 CDs) (1999), RCA Classics/BMG ASIN B00002DFHV
- Woods So Wild (1999), RCA ASIN B00000HZS6
- Nocturnal: Martin, Britten, Brouwer, Lutoslavski (2000), EMI ASIN B000002RTP
- The Ultimate Guitar Collection (2 CDs) (2000), RCA ASIN B00004UEH6
- Duos de Guitares with John Williams (2001), RCA ASIN B00005I9SO
- Spanish Guitar Music (remastered) (2001), Deutsche Grammophon ASIN B00005OLDN
- Spanish Guitar Recital (2001), RCA ASIN B00005OC01
- Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez; Fantasía para un gentilhombre; Tres piezas espanolas; invocacion y danza (remastered) (2004), RCA ASIN B0002DD67Y
- Spanish Guitar Recital (2004), ASIN B000026GX4
- Guitar Recital: Bach, Sor, Turina, Tippet, Schubert (2005), Testament ASIN B0009UC6L2
- Music of Spain (2005), RCA ASIN B0009U55QA
- Elizabethan Lute Songs, Decca ASIN B000ICGD06
- Julian Bream & Friends, Musical Heritage Society ASIN B000294GJK
- Lute Music from the Royal Courts of Europe, BMG Classics ASIN B000G27DIO
- Music of Spain: The Classical Heritage, RCA ASIN B0001GH54C
[edit] External Links
| This article is part of the Classical guitar series |
|
|---|---|
| Classical guitar Portal | Classical guitar | History of the classical guitar | Classical guitar making | Classical guitar repertoire | Classical guitar pedagogy | Classical guitar technique | Classical guitarists | International classical guitar competitions | Research on the classical guitar | Classical guitar societies Related articles: Main article about guitar | Main article about luthier | Physics of the guitar |
|
| Articles in this series | Classical guitar project in Wikipedia | Edit this box | |
- Julian Bream Album Collection (World of Instrumental Music)
