Master Class with Julian Bream: 18th Century Farmhouse Session

Setting and Host

Location: 18th Century Farmhouse in Rolla, Wiltshire
- Home of guitarist Julian Bream
- House and garden cared for with enthusiasm similar to Bream's musicianship
Purpose: Series of television master classes
- House's dining table transformed into a workshop for a guitar maker
- Small room used for table tennis and informal recitals
Participants: Young guitarists watching and learning from Julian Bream
- Includes advanced students and young professionals from various countries

Nationality: Brazilian
Prolific Works: Created ~2,000 pieces before his death in 1959
Focus Piece: Preludes for Guitar (written in 1940, inspired by Segovia)
Guitarists in Session:
- Darko Petrinjak from Yugoslavia: Studied guitar and lute
- Forbes Henderson from Sheffield, Yorkshire: Wigmore Hall debut, Lanchester International Guitar Competition winner
- Robert Brightman from London: Self-taught guitarist, annual performer at Wigmore Hall since 1975

Performance Feedback:
- Effective performance noted for color and intensity
- Emphasis on careful sound production and accompaniment
Bream's Recommendations:
- Accompaniment holds the piece together; must be meticulously played
- Shape of the melody needs to be managed with broad, sweeping emotional spans
- Avoid overplaying the guitar; seek a balanced sound
- Maintain accompaniment as pulsating force behind the melody
- Ensure bass notes are audible and supportive
- Manage middle sections to grow naturally out of the first section
- Crescento should build organically; every note must be precise
- Technique specifics: prolonged finger contact on strings, gentler slides

Challenges:
- Requires significant legato playing
- Maintaining a singing melody and smooth chordal support
Posture and Relaxation:
- Adjustments in foot placement and overall posture recommended
- Smoother, more beautiful phrase execution through relaxation
Tempo and Character: Focus on caressing quality and love in the playing
Detailed Corrections:
- Maintain rhythm and phrasing integrity
- Focus on minor details like harmonic carry-overs and vibrato
- Greater emphasis on phrasing to avoid monotony
- Deep, passionate expression required for the piece's mood

Expressive Playing: Keep the piece's character in mind; every phrase has intent
Technical Precision: Details matter; slight alterations affect overall performance
Emotional Engagement: Infuse playing with passion and sensitivity
Corrective Practice: Regular adjustments and awareness of posture and mechanics

Overarching advice: Rhythmically consider the work carefully and impart shape to the phrases
Importance of performance atmosphere and expressive intensity in holding audience interest