One of Germany’s leading classical guitarists, Gerhard Reichenbach, once again confirmed the high standards of his elite musicianship while performing at the 64th “Ohrid Summer” festival.
Music lovers of the classical genre gathered at the Church of “Saint Sophia” last night were captivated by selected works from composers Johann Kaspar Mertz, Mauro Giuliani, Johann Sebastian Bach, Isaac Albéniz, Federico Moreno-Torroba, and Joaquín Rodrigo.
“It was a great honor for me to be invited to play here, in this place, in this ancient and world-renowned church ‘Saint Sophia,’ which, besides its history, has a beautiful acoustics that perfectly suits the acoustic guitar. The Macedonian audience was fantastic and warm, as well as the audience from Germany. I had a wonderful time and hope to return. In the first half, I played romantic pieces, the central part of the repertoire was a piano partita by Bach, while the second part of the repertoire was Spanish music,” said the German guitarist Reichenbach.
This great artist with a world reputation has been giving concerts as a soloist, with orchestras, and at numerous festivals worldwide for more than four decades. Besides that, he is also a guitar professor at the University of Cologne. Among the audience last night were his guitar students as well.
“It’s my first time at the ‘Ohrid Summer’ festival, but I have played in Macedonia, specifically in Skopje, several times over the past 20 years. Currently, at the music University in Cologne, I have five students from Macedonia, and they are all very motivated and dedicated. One of the best professors here, Darko Bageski, was also my student,” added Reichenbach.
This artist’s repertoire includes more than 35 recitals and numerous guitar and orchestra concerts. His transcriptions for guitar of works by Scarlatti, and especially those of Bach, place him at the forefront of interpreters of Bach’s works for guitar on a global scale. In recent decades, Reichenbach has been particularly active in the field of contemporary music for classical guitar, performing works specifically written for him.
