Guitar

When it comes to classical guitars, there is one country you cannot ignore: Spain. Not only are the world’s best instruments made here, but a large part of the guitar repertoire is Spanish or influenced by Spanish music. And so, of course, this year’s guitar spotlight also includes several of these passionate, virtuoso, Iberian-influenced works on the programme, which transport you to the south from the very first chords. But the four young stars of the scene making guest appearances in Hamburg this season are also opening new doors: Ana Vidovic from Croatia opens the programme with a transcription of Bach’s famous Cello Suite No. 1, Thibaut Garcia dedicates himself to the Paraguayan composer Agustín Barrios Mangoré, Xuefei Yang from China combines different musical languages on her guitar journey around the world and Sean Shibe plays centuries-old Scottish lute pieces – and also picks up the electric guitar for brand-new compositions.