Classical guitar virtuoso Paul Galbraith would have become a pianist if he hadn?t hated it so much.
“I think it was mainly because I wasn?t very lucky with my piano teachers,” he laughed.
Winning the silver medal at the Segovia International Guitar Competition at the age of 17 launched Galbraith?s international career.
Galbraith designed his eight-string guitar with the late David Rubio, a luthier. The instrument has two extra strings, one high, one low. Both the guitar?s design and Galbraith?s unique vertical playing style are considered groundbreaking developments in the history of the instrument.
Question: You began by playing piano, but you hated it.
Answer: Initially I did. Later on, I had a marvelous teacher who pushed me quite hard. But guitar was my natural instrument, although I much preferred the piano repertoire, which was much more substantial.
Q: Do you think your piano lessons helped shape your guitar playing?
A: I think so. The piano really has a deeper tradition than the guitar has. When you are immersed in piano repertoire with a marvelous teacher, you go far beyond where you would probably go with a guitar teacher. The level of training I had from my piano teachers exposed me to a lot more musical culture.
Q: What can audiences look forward to from your U.S. tour?
A: The tour is basically a classical program, which is unusual. There is a Schubert sonata and a Mozart sonata. Both are quite early works and are both piano pieces. Schubert played the guitar but never arranged a piece for it. The sonata I?m playing is very seldom played by pianists but fits well with guitar. The Mozart sonata was one of his first mature pieces, he was very proud of it, and it flows well on the guitar.
IF YOU GO
Paul Galbraith, guitar
WHERE: Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Drive, Baltimore
WHEN: 8 tonight
TICKETS: $20 to $25
