ConcertPulse
Ana Vidovic, guitar
Elbphilharmonie, Kleiner Saal (Hamburg)
It sounds delightfully Mediterranean, also a bit like a holiday: the »Aranjuez Concerto« by Joaquín Rodrigo – probably the most famous work of all for classical guitar. The acclaimed Croatian guitarist Ana Vidovic does not play it in its original version with orchestra however, but as a solo version, completely exposed and with no safety net from the large ensemble behind her. It proves advantageous to Vidovic that she plays on her instrument as masterly as only a few others can currently do so. She also shows her dexterity in the rest of the programme: for instance in a daring piece by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, which quite rightly bears its title »Capriccio diabolico«. Born near Zagreb, Ana Vidovic started to play the guitar at five years old and also performed internationally early on. Today, she can look back on over 1,000 performances all over the world, among them also in many famous halls like the Wiener Musikverein and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Some things have not changed since the start of her career though: for instance, her great love of Johann Sebastian Bach. And so she also starts her concert with two Bach transcriptions. She plays the Partita in A Minor for solo flute and the famous Cello Suite No. 1.