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10
Jul 2024
From Bach to Brazilian folk music: Guitar and violin duo to close Harrogate Music Festival
This Saturday’s final concert of the Harrogate Music Festival will welcome two rising stars on instruments not often heard together on stage.
Virtuoso violinist Braimah Kanneh-Mason and guitarist Plínio Fernandes will bring the month-long festival to a close with a varied programme combining classical repertoire infused with elements of folk and dance.
Both prodigious talents in their own right, Braimah and Plínio are performing in Harrogate for the first time following a sell-out UK tour together at the beginning of this year.
Speaking to The Stray Ferret, Braimah, who has played at iconic venues such as the Barbican Hall and Melbourne Symphony Hall, said he was very much looking forward to playing at Harrogate's Crown Hotel. He said:
There can be a certain thrill that you get playing in a really big venue but personally I really like playing in smaller venues. I enjoy festivals that have a really loyal and local audience.
It feels like you are playing to a community; there's a specific atmosphere. But in terms of attitude to the performance I try to treat every concert in the same way.
Exciting freedom
Plínio, 29, was born in São Paulo, Brazil, and has been named on Forbes Brazil’s Under 30 list and a Rising Star by Classic FM.
Braimah, 27, grew up in Nottingham and is one of seven hugely talented musical siblings. He follows his sisters Jeneba and Isata, and his brother Sheku, in performing for Harrogate International Festivals.
A multi-award-winning violinist, he has played at the BBC Proms and collaborated with Nicola Benedetti and Priya Mitchell.
Good friends both professionally and personally, Braimah and Plínio have known each other since meeting at the Royal Academy of Music in London. They have performed together many times, and even shared a flat for several years. Braimah said:
A range of repertoire
They’ll be performing both duets and solos in a varied programme featuring works by Argentine composer Ástor Piazzolla, Spanish pianist Manuel de Falla and American folk musician Jay Ungar, through to more well-known pieces from Paganini and Bach.
Some of these will be new arrangements for guitar and violin not heard before. They include De Falla’s La Vida Breve, most often played with violin or cello and piano, and History of Tango by Piazzolla, originally scored for flute and guitar.
One piece, an arrangement of a Brazilian folk song, has been written just for Braimah and Plínio.
This means, said Braimah, that the audience can expect a range of scale and repertoire, from an intimate, relaxed feel to more intensive virtuosity. He added:
Younger audience
Along with his brother Sheku, who played at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Braimah is among a group of young musicians bringing classical music to a younger audience.
He and his siblings first came to wider attention when they reached the semi-finals of Britain’s Got Talent in 2015, performing a medley of classical and modern tunes. He said:
There's so much accessibility now to all music, and younger people are deliberately going out of their way to look for other genres that they wouldn't normally come across.
Representation is important for younger musicians too; you identify with a young person being on stage. I remember going to see Nicola Benedetti when I was a child.
It would be lovely to see some younger people in the Harrogate audience.
Plínio Fernandes and Braimah Kanneh-Mason will be performing the final concert of the Harrogate Music Festival at the Crown Hotel on Saturday, July 13. To book tickets, click here.
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