Fantastic music on Good Friday

Simon Thacker and his amazing partner, Justyna Jablonska, will be appearing in Whiting Bay Hall two weeks earlier than originally scheduled, on Friday 18th April, at 7:30 pm. This is to avoid the clash with a visit from Lesley Riddoch, the well-known broadcaster, who is due to speak on Friday 25th, thus causing a lot of people agonies over which to choose.

Simon is Head of Guitar at Edinburgh’s Napier University, and is well known throughout Europe and beyond for his superb, ground-breaking performances. He tours constantly and has appeared in Spain, France, Malta, Cuba, Belgium and the US, among countless other places. Justyna, who is from Poland, is likewise internationally renowned, a skilled cellist with an extraordinary repertoire of varied musical styles. Together, the pair of them link in a duo called Karmana, which is Sanskrit for ‘performing anything by means of magic’. Their combination of deep sonority from the cello and romantic invention from the guitar is indeed magical, and irresistibly seductive. They play music from all over the world, ranging from the fire of Brazil and Spain to the exotic rhythms of the Balkans, but touch also on the European tradition, with lovely tunes from Vivaldi and the mid-nineteenth century classics. Simon is a composer as well as performer, and has written a suite suitably called Karmana. He and Justyna have worked with musicians from countless different countries, and absorbed their musical inheritance. It is with good reason that a recent review described their performance as ‘A veritable tour de force that took the breath away.’

In their crowded international schedule, we have been fortunate to find a date where they can fit in a visit to Arran. Don’t miss them – they truly are, in every sense of the word, fantastic.

Tickets at £10 can be bought at the door, from Inspirations in Brodick on online from www.arranevents.com

See pictures of the performers here.