Julian Gray in Oberlin

I’d long wanted to bring the highly respected Peabody Conservatory faculty (and my old friend), Julian Gray, to Oberlin, and finally got to follow through this week with a short residency. We’d planned a two-day master class followed by a lecture. Julian (he goes by Jay) was a long-time member of a guitar duo with Ron Pearl; I’d hired them at an early and critical juncture in their career to perform at the GFA Convention I held at the University of Akron in 1988. Since that time, we’d found ourselves frequently on the faculty together at guitar festivals around the country. Especially memorable were the many National Summer Guitar Workshops in New Milford, CT, and the many Stetson Guitar Workshops in Deland, FL. Jay has always been one of my favorite people in the business to listen to talk, and this week was no exception.

He started off with Sam Schollenberger, who brought with him Brouwer’s El Decameron Negro (third movement). Jay helped Sam bring out the multilevel syncopations near the end, realizing the implied ensemble.

Sam Schollenberger with Julian Gray

Caden Basile followed, with a reading of Mertz’s Liebeslied. They worked on the use of dynamic shaping to communicate expressive phrases.

Julian Gray coaches Caden Basile

Right off the bat, Jay was quoting Shakespeare, referencing non-guitar classical music and generally sounding like a scholar. I watched my students intently as he referenced piano works of Schumann, orchestral music of Brahms, string quartet music of Beethoven, and wondered if any of them could make the aural connections he was drawing.

Next up was Grigor Ylli, with the Allemande from Bach’s Violin Partita BWV 1002. Jay helped him find a tempo that better delivered four beats per measure and pointed to the harmony as the key structural element.

Grigor Ylli plays Bach for Julian Gray

Thomas Stafford followed, with a performance of Dowland’s Queen Elizabeth’s Galliard. The lesson focused on the use of articulation in conveying the dance-feel of the music.

Thomas Stafford works with Julian Gray

The final performer of the day was Solis Dornan, with an interpretation of Rodrigo’s Prelude No 2. The lesson addressed details in the score for clarity and some aspects of right hand technique.

Julian Gray advises Solis Dornan

We started our second day of master class with Josie Stone, who offered up a rendering of Villa-Lobos’ Gavota Choro. Jay recommended a brighter tempo and helped her shape the melodic lines more convincingly.

Josie Stone with Julian Gray

Next up was Damian Goggans, who brought the Allegro Assai from Bach’s Violin Sonata, BWV 1005. Here too, Jay was drawn to the need for clearer and more demonstrative articulation, in the service of the bright and cheerful mood of the music.

Julian Gray offers words of advice to Damian Goggans

Rio Manzanares followed, with a reading of Mertz’s Lucia di Lamermoor, Op 8 No 2. Gray helped Rio find ways to better manage some of the trickier passages, and worked on dynamic shapes throughout.

Rio Manzanares and Julian Gray discuss guitar technique

Finally, Alexandr Lapshin performed Segovia’s Studio sin Luz. In this work, Julian helped Aleks convey the emotional content with more finely drawn dynamics, and suggested a more contemplative approach to the cadenza-like passages near the end. In all, it was a highly informative master class.

Aleksandr Lapshin works with Julian Gray

After a break, Julian returned for a lecture. He discussed interpretation broadly and brought in examples from far and wide. Not only did he quote at length more Shakespeare, but he quoted in Old English, a lengthy passage from the Canterbury Tales. Now, I’m no expert on the proper pronunciation of Old English, but this was mighty impressive! He used piano works of Mozart and Liszt to get the discussion going, but didn’t hesitate to take detours referencing Casals, Crumb, Rubenstein, Szeryng and others. After a robust build-up, he brought out a guitar piece, the Fandanguillo of Turina, and we compared interpretations of Segovia and Bream, both early and later recordings of both. This was a lively and entertaining talk.

Julian Gray waxes rhapsodic

The Studio: Damian Goggans, Josie Stone, Rio Manzanares, the author, Julian Gray, Solis Dornan, Thomas Stafford, Sam Schollenberger, Aleksandr Lapshin, Caden Basile, and Grigor Ylli

Thank you, Julian, for your time and care with the students at Oberlin. We appreciated your wisdom and advice!! And we look forward to seeing you again!