News
Sunday 23rd July, 4pm
St. Andrew’s Church,
Lammas,
near Norwich
ALL SEATS SOLD AT THE TIME OF WRITING. APPLY FOR RETURNS.
Tribute Concert for Jane Bentley (1957-2020)
A concert in celebration of the life of Jane Bentley : excellent teacher, composer, guitar player, mentor, chamber music player, festival organiser, and workshops’ director. Jane was born in York, and studied at the prestigious music department of York University. She played in various guitar ensembles and was involved with the Centre for Young Musicians. She eventually settled in Lammas and presented many concerts in St Andrew’s Church.
Artists taking part:
Carlos Bonell, Debra Adamson-Brattland, Angus Scott and Richard Whiley
(scroll below for short biographies)
Programme
Arne Brattland: Waltz for Debbie and September Song
played by Debra Adamson-Brattland and Carlos Bonell
Arne Brattland: Lullaby
Edvard Grieg: Vals, Op.12, No.2*
Gerald Garca: Hallingkast – dedicated to Arne Brattland
played by Debra Adamson-Brattland
Sylvius Leopold Weiss: Tombeau sur la mort de M: Cajetan Baron d’Hartig
Leo Brouwer: Danza del Altiplano
played by Angus Scott
Edvard Grieg:
Two Norwegian Dances and Album Leaf, Op.28 No.3*
played by Debra Adamson-Brattland and Carlos Bonell
Interval
Federico Moreno-Torroba: Romance de los Pinos
Francisco Tárrega: Recuerdos de la Alhambra
played by Richard Whiley
T.S. Eliot – poetry reading
Isaac Albéniz: Granada and Asturias**
played by Carlos Bonell
Jane Bentley: Contemplation
played by Debra Adamson-Brattland, Carlos Bonell and Angus Scott
Carlos Bonell: Heaven at the last
Amand Coeck: Rosa Mystica
The Beatles: She’s leaving home and Penny Lane**
played by Debra Adamson-Brattland and Carlos Bonell
* arranged by Arne Brattland
**arranged by Carlos Bonell
Artists taking part
Debra Adamson-Brattland has appeared as both soloist and chamber musician at Festivals in the UK, including the Guitar Festival of Great Britain, the Cannington International Festival, and the Dillington Festival, among others. In Norway she presented a concert for King Harald, and played on TV with her late husband, Arne Brattland. Together they toured extensively and recorded his composition The Arctic Suite.
In 1987-1988 Debra and her future husband Arne were both studying with Carlos, although it was another few years before their paths met.
After losing Arne in 2020, Carlos was an important factor in inspiring Debra to regain her enthusiasm for playing and teaching. Similarly, during that dark period of lockdown when Jane passed away in April 2020, Debra motivated Carlos to publish his Beatles arrangements and compositions.In June 2022 she pioneered with Carlos a Benefit Concert for the Ukraine as part of the Portsmouth Festivities, playing solos and duets.
Debra is an Associated Board Music Examiner and an approved learning partner and assessor of A level and GCSE Music for two private examination centres in the UK.
In addition to her performing and recording activities Debra is also Music Editor for The Carlos Bonell Edition, and co-hosts Zoomed Guitars Live with Carlos, a popular world-wide gathering of guitarists and music lovers on social media.
www.debra-adamson-brattland.com
Carlos Bonell has been described by the Classical Guitar Magazine, UK as “one of the great communicators of the guitar world”.
Carlos met Jane when they were both in their twenties, and for many years participated in the summer schools and festivals organized by her for adults and young people. She had a special gift for encouraging young children in their music-making, and that included his sons, Dario and Adriano, both of whom became professional musicians.
For the past few years, Carlos has been helping Sir Paul McCartney, in composing a concerto for guitar and orchestra. The work was featured in a cover article by The New Yorker magazine.
Carlos’ recordings include the BBC TV Inspector Morse theme for the original series, as well as the more recent UK TV series Endeavour (the young Inspector Morse). His Queen Guitar Rhapsodies CD is a concerto-style arrangement of music by the group Queen for solo guitar and symphony orchestra. It was widely praised, including by Queen’s Brian May himself. The album of Beatles arrangements Magical Mystery Guitar Tour went to number one on the UK classical iTunes charts, and reached the top ten in the overall UK iTunes charts.
In 2020, during the pandemic, he initiated the Zoomed Guitars Live on social media, a popular worldwide gathering of guitar players and music lovers. At the time of writing in 2023 this is still active, and co-hosted with Debra.
Angus Scott took up the classical guitar aged 19 while studying physics. He began lessons with Jane, which Angus recalls for Jane’s warm encouragement and focus on musicality. Angus has attended various summer schools (most recently at Trinity Laban) and taken private lessons with Carlos, achieving an ATCL diploma in guitar performance (with distinction). Angus has performed recitals at St Martin in the Fields and St James Piccadilly and other venues, including with guitar duo Las Guitarras with Nicholas Edwards, another former Jane student. During lockdown Angus participated in Carlos’s Zoomed Guitars Live, which are continuing, and are a great source of inspiration.
Richard Whiley was a great friend and colleague of Jane. Not only a guitar player and teacher but also a very good guitar maker and repairer to whom Jane and Carlos turned to on numerous occasions. He participated in many of Jane’s workshops and festivals, both as student and teacher. As a player he fulfilled a lifetime ambition in 1987 and played Rodrigo’s Aranjuez Concert in Great Yarmouth. He continues actively involved in teaching and is greatly in demand.