Raphaëlla Smits

From Sofia to San Francisco, from Stockholm to Santiago de Chile and from Ostend to Osaka, people know Raphaëlla Smits. In 1986 she won First Prize in 'Certamen Internacional de Guitarra Francisco Tarrega', Spain. For the first time, this prestigious award went to a woman. This victory was not the start of her career, but rather a confirmation of it.

To say that the classical guitar is treated poorly is an understatement. Jazz and rock strengthen her, Spain and South America revere her, but for the so-called 'musique savante' the fragile six-string is not sufficiently resistant to large halls or larger-sounding fellow instruments. However, since the lute fell into disuse, it has become the most appropriate harmonic instrument for those who want to be mobile or otherwise have to do without a keyboard.

The Handelsbeurs has the audience and the space to do justice to the voice of the guitar, so we immediately invited our 'grande dame' of the guitar. Raphaëlla Smits performs work from the repertoire that was originally written for guitar. These are often pieces that explore or push virtuoso boundaries, such as Legnani's cappriccios or Mertz's great fantasy 'Harmonie du soir'. But we also hear pieces from the rich range of pastiches and transcriptions, such as Giuliani's Rossiniana and Bach's second partita.

Raphaëlla Smits discovered that playing the authentic instruments, a more correct and deeper provides insight into the performance practice of the music from the corresponding period.

She will play the first part of the program on her Mirecourt guitar from 1820 and Bach will perform it on her 8-string John Gilbert guitar built in 1980.