BLOND andcurly hatred Remy Cordier and sole-mn faced Michel Kirschner enthralled the Dhakn audience recently with their dedicated and superb duo performance of the flute and the guitar. The evening at the Anwr-ican International School proved to be an excellent soiree for lovers of music; despite their youth . the two musicians revealed their long experience of duet co.icrrts, uniting a perfect complicity with a solid instrumental technique.

Michel Kirschner revealed his mastery of the difficult task of playing the guitar In Lobo's "Prelude No 3," which is an old well known European piece, while Remy Cordier made a dazzling demonstration as he accompanied his partner in Sor's —Encouragement". Piazzolla's Tango 1900", Cimarosa s "Sonate en re". some Irish com positions, Saraste's "Romance andafouse", Joplin s" The stre-nous We". Paganini's "Sonate concertante". Debussy's "Syrinx", Piazzolla's "Night club" and Carnival Venlae".

The audience appreciated the warm velvet sonority of Remy who had Michel to accompany him on the guitar, which was precise, ample, and endowed with an irreproachable accuracy.

The duo performance sponsored by Association Fran raise d'Action Artistiquc was quite complete, but Michel was equally competent in the solo guitar when he played Lobo s "Prelude", while Remy played elegantly , when performing by himself. Michel was a student of Minoru Inagaki and Alexander Logoya. People say. "His in strument is an extension of himself." They compare him also with Slgoria for the superb sounds created by his classical guitar.

Their greatest concern is not to be taken too seriously. They say." We are beginning to make ourselves known. We arc fortunate, the first year, to have criticism tn the Washington Post' and also in France Amerique'. which is read by all the people df the States, This has pul us on the scene."

They added,"We searc h the scores, copies, adapted to in stiuments. and become original composers, mainly due to Gerard tghsta who works with us: Our goal is to present pieces that we are the only ones to Pl*Michel. 41. the guitarist ex plained that he picked up playing the guitar when he heard his friends playing it. He has been playing for 25 years

and teaching for 18 years. He is a professor of guitar In mnm schools. He himself practices for four hours every day and advises his student to "listen and practise".

"I met Rcrny in a musical school in .'83 and realised that we had the same taste In music, and we both cared for classical and modern music. That is when we formed the duo. Pcr-

■ sonally my favourites are •Piazzolla. Villa Lobos and Bach," Michel said.

Dwelling on whether the popularity of concert music was dropping or not in Europe, Michel remarked." Many children in France and western European countries have regular music lessons. 1 believe that the popularity of concerts Is I he same as say two decades ago. In ■ fact, now In Frapce we have more concerts than before. Of course, these concerts are not all classical. I feel that the quality of concert performances all over Europe is the same."

During their recent tour the

duo gave eight performances al Trivandram, Pondicherry, Bangalore. Hyderabad. Goa, Ahmedabad. Poona and Bhopal They also gave tv/o performances at Shri Lanka. They liked the places as well as the audiences. Michel commenting. "1 felt that the audience in Poona and Hyderabad were most enthusiastic. After playing at Dhaka and Chittagong, we proceed to Lahore, Islamabad

and Karachi. We have travelled before in South America, playing on cruises at Brazil and Rio”, Michel informed.

Talking about guitars. Michel explained that there were three types of guitars — folk, electrical and classical (Spanish). He himself plays the classical guitar.

Dwelling on eastern music Michel commented, "1 have heard Ravi Shankar and liked him very much." Considering the matter of combining notes of east and west in compostions such as the Beatles had done, he said," I believe it Is difficult to combine the eastern and -western notes as they arc intrinsically so different. There is only one renowned piece for the flute and guitar in which the notes have been mingled, as far as 1 know. In terms of classical music the two are different to mix. In modern music, however, if it is well done, 1 like it."

He admitted,"It is difficult id Hve on concerts alone and one must teach to make ends meet.

I myself have a fairly comfortable life. 1 give about 30 concerts a year. As for my students. 1 have 85 of them and do' not find any difference in the performances of the boys and gtrls."

Whlle Michel ts relaxing, he likes to listen to country music of Joe Cash, Elvis Presl.y and Led Zcpplln. He admitted that with the invasion of video programmes. more people now prefer to stay at home and become potato ‘couches rather than make the effort to go to concerts.

Remy Conifer the 34 year flautist. who looked much younger than age. began playing in public at the age of ten. He said. "I was very pleased with my audience In the Subcontinent. I found them very responsive. Coming from the west and looking at India and Bangladesh. I was not at all depressed by the dust and poverty — I found 11 different and was pleased with the warmth and hospitality of the people."

Speaking about his career Remy said," I am the only mu-slcian in the family and niy pci >plc have never objected to my profession."

Talking about his favourites he named Vivaldi, Boccherini. Mcn-adanlc among the Italians and Jolivet and Messtan among the French. Having played the flute for 20 years, and having been a teacher for ten years, his advfee to music students is "Listen well and practise". Remy was well aware that the Sub-' continent was a place of fan-lastlc flute playing and had listened to Indians playing the flute earlier, lie was exposed to eastern music while at France. Dwelling on the Idea of mixing western and eastern notes, Remy commented." The concept of combining the two musk is tnlcrcsling but the result Is not necessarily successful ."

The duo concert was a welcomed entertainment for an autumn evening, as it is not often that foreign musicians come to Dhaka to let us sample their , exjicrtise.