Sacramento Guitar Society: THE CONCERT IS CALLED RUSSIA

Russia is in the news everyday, but long before the current tensions between Russia and the United States--before the formation of the Soviet Union-the music of Russia was a powerful force the world over, celebrating the profundity of Russian creativity while bridging cultures as only great music can.

In this spirit Sacramento Guitar Society presents two virtuoso guitarists, Grisha Goryachev a native of St Petersburg, and Yuri Liberzon, Russian-born and Israeli raised, for a single performance in Folsom.

The concert, entitled RUSSIA! Yuri Liberzon & Grisha Goryachev, will take place Saturday, October 7, 2017, 7:30 pm in the 200-seat City Studio Theater, Harris Center, Folsom Lake College. Tickets are $28-39; Premium tickets $39; discounts for students with ID, seniors 65+ and children 12 and under are available. Tickets are available online at www.harriscenter.net or from Harris Center Ticket Office at 916-608-6888 from 12 noon to 6 pm, Monday through Saturday, and two hours before show time. Parking is included in the price of the ticket. The Harris Center is located on the west side of Folsom Lake College campus in Folsom, CA, facing East Bidwell Street.

The ironies of presenting a concert with a Russian accent are not lost on the Sacramento Guitar Society, which has been presenting world-class guitar performances at the Harris Center since 2011. "The tensions and mistrust between our countries is the inverse of what happens when two Russian-born virtuoso guitarists perform on an intimate stage," notes SGS Founding Member and Artistic Director Daniel Roest. "I'm honored to be able to present Yuri and Grisha as they play an incredible program - everything from Russian music to flamenco to tango to Bach - what a night this will be!"

A native of St. Petersburg, Russia, Grisha Goryachev is renowned for his extraordinary musical sensitivity and technical virtuosity in both classical and flamenco styles. Grisha is one of very few guitarists in the world who is reviving the tradition of solo flamenco guitar in a concert setting that was practiced by legendary flamenco masters such as Ramón Montoya and Sabicas.?

He made his Sacramento Guitar Society debut in 2013; an extensive career as a child prodigy earned him an invitation to play for flamenco legend Paco de Lucía, who soon after personally intervened in support of his application for an American visa (subsequently awarded in the year 1997 on the basis of Extraordinary Ability).

Since coming to the United States, Mr. Goryachev has continued his lifelong love affair with flamenco while deepening his involvement with the classical style. His repertoire now includes classical solos, chamber music and guitar concertos and more than six hours of flamenco solos by such composers as Paco de Lucía, Vicente Amigo, Manolo Sanlucar, Rafael Riqueni, and others. As the flamenco repertoire is for the most part unpublished, Mr. Goryachev has performed the somewhat incredible feat of transcribing entirely by ear from the recordings--thereby sharing with his audiences some of the best guitar compositions flamenco has to offer. Further, he does not merely copy what past masters have created, he offers his own interpretations of these masterpieces, using dynamics and tone colors usually associated with classical music.

"Music is a truly universal language that speaks to us on a purely emotional level," says Mr. Goryachev. "It gives us opportunities to have emotional experiences that everyday life cannot give us. Each culture has its own flavor of music, just like each country has its own food dishes. For example, America has apple pie and blues and Spain has paella and flamenco. But you don't have to be Spanish to appreciate a good paella, and you don't have to be born there to appreciate flamenco. I am Russian, and flamenco is my favorite musical flavor."

Joining him on stage-the two guitarists will perform separately, then together-is Yuri Liberzon. "Call it magic, passion, fire, expressiveness - it is in Spain the term for playing with fire in the belly. Liberzon has that. By spades." (Rafael de Acha). An internationally acclaimed concert classical guitarist and recording artist, Russian-born and Israeli-raised classical guitarist Yuri Liberzon has been recognized for his impressive technical ability and musicality. Mr. Liberzon has also been granted a permanent residency in the United States, based on his achievements in the music field, with degrees from the Peabody Conservatory at John Hopkins University as well as Master's degree from Yale.

Stephen Roberts, Sacramento Guitar Society Past President notes "Hearing Yuri play is like opening a bottle of wine and realizing that you have just tasted one of the best wines you will ever experience. Ever."

He has performed around the world in the 92nd Street Y in New York, on Voice of America, National Classical Music Radio Station of the Israel Broadcasting Authority, Classical Guitar Magazine, and on WDR German Television Network, and in Northern California at Legion of Honor in San Francisco, KUSF San Francisco, and the San Francisco Chronicle.

The October 7 concert marks his Harris Center debut with the Sacramento Guitar Society and his first time on stage with Mr. Goryachev. "...If there were anyone in the classical guitar world that could manage to combine musical elegance with architectural logic, it would be Yuri Liberzon"(Classical Guitar Magazine).

Mr. Liberzon notes "The stereotypes about Russia and Russians are often the result of politics since the Cold War. In reality, there are good people everywhere and I wish that in the future our two nations will look positively at each other with sincere desire to understand each other's cultures, people and history and reach out beyond politics and prejudices."

For their October 7 performance, Mr. Liberzon will perform Cavatina - Constantin Vassiliev; Old Lime Tree (Lipa Vekovaia) - Sergei Rudnev;
Violin Sonata No. 1 in G minor BWV 1001 - Johann Sebastian Bach.

Mr. Goryachev will perform "Con Garbo y Salero" (Farruca) - Sabicas; "Zapateado en Re" (Zapateado) - Sabicas; "Malagueña" - Ernesto Lecuona (Arr. Paco de Lucía); "Impetu" (Bulerías) - Mario Escudero; "La Cartuja" (Granaína) - Gerardo Núñez; "Brisas" (Guajira) - Rafael Riqueni; "Aires Choqueros" (Fandango) - Paco de Lucía; "Almoraima" (Bulerías) - Paco de Lucía.

Together, they will perform Tango Suite by Astor Piazzolla.

The Sacramento Guitar Society (SGS) is a non-profit educational and service organization that has existed in one form or another since at least 1961. Now Sacramento boasts one of the more active and successful guitar societies in the country, with "unbelievably good" international touring artists appearing in an ideal listening environment - the Harris Center for the Arts at Folsom Lake College and the new Sofia Tsakopoulos Center for the Arts in Midtown Sacramento. Other programs of SGS include extensive educational outreach, a community Guitar Orchestra, guitar camps available to low-income youth, school outreach, guitar donations and many more.

"For anyone interested in the guitar, whether as a player or as someone who just enjoys music, the Sacramento Guitar Society is a place to share your interest in a friendly and welcoming environment," says Director Roest. "Join us!"

For more about the Sacramento Guitar Society:

http://www.sacramentoguitarsociety.org/

P.O. Box 621, Folsom, CA 95763

For more about the artists:

http://www.grishaguitar.com/biography

https://www.yuriguitar.com/biography/