The third edition of the Classic Guitar International Festival that debuted last week under the patronage of President Emil Constantinescu, in the Concert Hall of the Cotroceni Palace, will end today at the Palace Hall with an extraordinary concert held by Al Di Meola.
Among the guests of this edition we count Gabriel Guillen (Venezuela) – who charmed the audience with pieces signed by Domenico Scarlatti, Domenico Aguado, Alberto Ginastera, Agustin Barrios Mangore and Antonio Lauro – Adam Khan (Great Britain) and Romanian Dragos Dobre. Born in 1974, Khan studied under the guidance of British guitar player Raymond Burley and worked in London with John William Duarte.
He also attended the classes of Cuban Leo Brouwer, in Spain and Portugal and attended preparatory classes held by “giants” of classic guitar like Roberto Aussel, Costas Cotsiolis and Eduardo Isaac. He won the Savonna International Contest (Italy), at the 1995 edition, he was a finalist at the Simoni Salmaso (Italy) and two years later he participated in the Stotsenberg Guitar Contest in Los Angeles. An American journalist called Al Di Meola “a Chick Corea of guitar.”
His fruitful career is due to the talent and tenacity in interpretation and to the diversity of styles he performed, the great combinations between jazz, blues and flamenco. Born in New Jersey, Al Di Meola debuted with the Return to Forever, a band led by Chick Corea, as a replacement for guitar player Bill Conners.
With them, he recorded three albums and in 1979 he dedicated himself to his solo career. A few of his first songs (“Land of the Midnightsun,” “Elegant Gypsy,” “Casino,” “Splendid Hotel”) received the “Best Guitar Album” award. He also received a Grammy award (in 1975, with the Return to Forever) and 11 Guitar Player Magazine awards. His successes include “Tirami Su,” “World Sinfonia,” “Kiss My Axe,” “Al Di Meola Play Piazzolla” and “The Infinite Desire.” The renowned guitar player will arrive in Romania today around 14.00.