The Daily Campus

Issue date: 4/9/08 Section: Focus

Media Credit: Nick Hart Galbraith performed a mix of classical music on guitar.

As the dim blue lights of the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts shone behind Paul Galbraith, the acclaimed guitar player and innovator walked onstage with a curious-looking instrument. With a pole attached to the end and extra strings, Galbraith's guitar was meant to he played in an upright manner, as one would imagine someone playing a cello, except that the pole strategically rested on a wooden box which acted as an amplifier. A bit hesitant, but still full of anticipation, the audience waited for the music to begin.

Galbraith took his small, modest wooden seat in the center of the stage. He opened the show with a brief word about his first piece and then dove right in to the music. The sound was almost indescribable, somewhere between guitar, piano and an array of classical instruments including the lute. He moved through well-known classical numbers from composers such as Mozart and Bach with incredible skill and grace.

Robert Basco a Political Science graduate student particularly enjoyed the Bach portion.

"Hearing it from a guitar gave [it] a new dimension of sound," said Basco.

In addition to being a performer, Galbraith is also responsible for helping to develop the eight-string guitar, which he plays and that innovation was certainly on display. Audience members were truly challenged to rethink their musical perceptions of the guitar and see the instrument as well as the pieces that Galbraith performed in a new light.

Galbraith's ingenuity does not stop with his development of a new instrument, it stretches into his music as well. He played several very interesting pieces, including one called "Segovia", which he helped to arrange. The piece had a notable heavy Spanish influence and showed Galbraith's range and diversity as a performer.

Throughout the evening there were times when it seemed as though Galbraith had an extra set of arms, as some of his music was so complex it seemed almost impossible for one man to make at once. This was the magic that kept the audience entranced for the duration of the night.

"At one point it almost sounded like a piano," said 8th-semester Landscape Architecture major Katherine Liss. "It was pretty amazing. It had elements you could connect back to Bach but it still had its own flare."

Indeed, being able to deliver such traditional classical pieces on such a contemporary instrument as the guitar was arguably the highlight of the evening.

All in all, the night was thoroughly enjoyable and a great musical experience. The limits and boundaries of music were challenged and the performer was able to show that he could still showcase a flawless performance even while breaking ground in the world of music.



Contact Diane Dauplaise at

Diane.Dauplaise@UConn.edu.

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