Carlos Antonio Bonell (born 23 July 1949) is an English classical guitarist of Spanish origin. He has been described by ''Classical Guitar'' magazine as "one of the great communicators of the guitar world".
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Career

Born in London, Bonell started to play at the age of five, learning to play Spanish folk music on the guitar from his father who was a keen amateur guitarist, while also studying the violin more formally at school. He continued his studies at the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including performanc ...

with John Williams, where upon completing his studies in 1972, he was appointed professor. In 1973, he won the Greater London Arts Association Young Musicians' Scheme award and as a consequence gave more than fifty concerts in the south-east of England between 1973 and 1974. His concerto debut in 1975 was with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by

Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos (born Rafael Frühbeck; 15 September 1933 – 11 June 2014) was a Spanish conductor and composer. Frühbeck was born in Burgos, Spain to a family of German ancestry. He first took up conducting while on military serv ...

at the Royal Festival Hall, London in a performance of the

Concierto de Aranjuez The ''Concierto de Aranjuez'' (, "Aranjuez Concerto") is a classical guitar concerto by the Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo. Written in 1939, it is by far Rodrigo's best-known work, and its success established his reputation as one of the mos ...

Joaquín Rodrigo Joaquín Rodrigo Vidre, 1st Marquess of the Gardens of Aranjuez (; 22 November 1901 – 6 July 1999), was a Spanish composer and a virtuoso pianist. He is best known for composing the '' Concierto de Aranjuez'', a cornerstone of the classical gu ...

. His first solo LP recording, for the Enigma Classics label, recorded in 1975, was "Guitar Music of Spain". The following year he recorded a Grammy nominated album with John Williams and friends for CBS with the instrumentation of two guitars, marimba, xylophone and double bass. The group performed throughout the UK for several years. His first performance in New York in 1978 was at the

Mostly Mozart Festival The Mostly Mozart Festival is an American classical music festival based in New York City. Venues The festival presents concerts with its resident ensemble, the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, principally at David Geffen Hall of the Lincoln C ...

in the Avery Fisher Hall. ''The New York Times'' wrote of his performance: "Carlos Bonell is a player of superb poetic gifts".

Concierto de Aranjuez

In 1981, Bonell made the first of three recordings of

's ''

''. Recorded in Canada with the

Montreal Symphony Orchestra The Montreal Symphony Orchestra (french: Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, or OSM) is a Canadian symphony orchestra based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The orchestra’s home is the Montreal Symphony House at Place des Arts. It is the only orch ...

and Charles Dutoit for the

Decca label Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American Decca's president. ...

, it was one of the first digital recordings of the concerto and was described as "a magnificent triumph" by ''Classical Music'' magazine. It was awarded a "Rosette" by the ''Penguin CD Guide'' and has been frequently singled out as the finest interpretations available. During 1986, he played Rodrigo's ''Concierto de Aranjuez'' five times in London's Royal Festival Hall, with The Royal Philharmonic,

The London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's Hall Orche ...

The London Philharmonic Orchestra The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is one of five permanent symphony orchestras based in London. It was founded by the conductors Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a rival to the existing London Symphony and BBC Symphony ...

and

English Chamber Orchestra The English Chamber Orchestra (ECO) is a British chamber orchestra based in London. The full orchestra regularly plays concerts at Cadogan Hall, and their ensemble performs at Wigmore Hall. The orchestra regularly tours in the UK and internationall ...

Tours and recordings

Between 1987 and 1995, he recorded seven albums ranging from music for solo guitar to concertos with the English Chamber and Royal Philharmonic Orchestras. During the 1980s, Carlos Bonell formed an ensemble of three guitars, flute and percussion. It played in more than 20 countries including Australia, Hong Kong, and much of Europe. In 1995, he gave a benefit concert at London's

Wigmore Hall Wigmore Hall is a concert hall located at 36 Wigmore Street, London. Originally called Bechstein Hall, it specialises in performances of chamber music, early music, vocal music and song recitals. It is widely regarded as one of the world's leadi ...

with John Williams to raise awareness of the plight of children caught in acts of war around the world. All proceeds were donated to the organisation War Child. Other artists with whom Bonell has recorded and appeared in concert include guitarists

Paco Peña Paco Peña (born 1 June 1942) is a Spanish flamenco composer and guitarist. He is regarded as one of the world's foremost traditional flamenco players. Biography Born in Córdoba, Spain, as Francisco Peña Pérez, Paco Peña began learning to pl ...

and Martin Taylor, violinists

Pinchas Zukerman Pinchas Zukerman ( he, פנחס צוקרמן, born 16 July 1948) is an Israeli-American violinist, violist and conductor. Life and career Zukerman was born in Tel Aviv, to Jewish parents and Holocaust survivors Yehuda and Miriam Lieberman Zuk ...

and

Salvatore Accardo Salvatore Accardo (; Knight Grand Cross born 26 September 1941 in Turin, northern Italy) is an Italian violinist and conductor, who is known for his interpretations of the works of Niccolò Paganini. Accardo owns one Stradivarius violin, the "Ha ...

, and singers

Patricia Rozario Patricia Maria Rozario is an Indian-born British soprano. Born and educated in Bombay, India, she went on to study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. She has performed at the English National Opera, Opera North, Glyndebour ...

Teresa Berganza Teresa Berganza Vargas OAXS (16 March 1933 – 13 May 2022) was a Spanish mezzo-soprano. She is most closely associated with roles such as Rossini's Rosina and La Cenerentola, and later Bizet's Carmen, admired for her technical virtuosity, mu ...

and the late

Philip Langridge Philip Gordon Langridge (16 December 1939 – 5 March 2010)Millington (7 March 2010) was an English tenor, considered to be among the foremost exponents of English opera and oratorio. Early life Langridge was born in Hawkhurst, Kent, educ ...

. He has played at international festivals including The City of London, Aldeburgh, Helsinki, Israel, Tanglewood, Sydney, Istanbul, Hong Kong. In 1997, he visited Australia for the first time, returning several years later in a nationwide tour including all the major cities. After his first visit to Latin America in 2000 he returned every year until 2007 to play with Venezuelan orchestras associated with

El Sistema El Sistema (which translates to The System) is a publicly financed, voluntary sector, music-education program, founded in Venezuela in 1975 by Venezuelan educator, musician, and activist José Antonio Abreu.Lesniak It later adopted the motto "M ...

, working closely with some of the younger players prior to performances. In 2004, Carlos Bonell recorded his first DVD. ''Classical Guitar Performance'' includes music ranging from Bach to Albeniz. The same year saw his first book about the guitar: ''Guitar. An Easy Guide''''Guitar. An Easy Guide'' (New Holland Publishers Ltd., 2005), . In 2006, Bonell undertook a tour of the US, which included Fort Worth, Dallas, Atlanta and Las Vegas, presenting his solo programme "Millennium Guitar, the first 1000 years", which included music from

Hildegard von Bingen Hildegard of Bingen (german: Hildegard von Bingen; la, Hildegardis Bingensis; 17 September 1179), also known as Saint Hildegard and the Sibyl of the Rhine, was a German Benedictine abbess and polymath active as a writer, composer, philosopher ...

to works by contemporary composers. His career also includes recordings for television and film. He has recorded sound tracks for the Hollywood films '' City of Angels'' and '' The Honest Courtesan'' and for the BBC TV productions of ''

Inspector Morse Detective Chief Inspector Endeavour Morse, GM, is the eponymous fictional character in the series of detective novels by British author Colin Dexter. On television, he appears in the 33-episode drama series '' Inspector Morse'' (1987–2000), ...

'' and '' The Politician's Wife''. In 2010, he returned to Japan and the United States for more tours.

London International Guitar Festival

In 2004, he directed the Latin Quarter Guitar Festival in London in honour of Greg Smallman, the Australian guitar maker, who visited and lectured in England and Spain for the first time. 2005 saw the first London International Guitar Festival, of which he was founder and artistic director. The festival presented events in five major concert venues. It included an 80th birthday tribute to Venezuelan guitarist Alirio Díaz. Performing artists included Alirio Díaz, John Williams (with whom Bonell played duets), Pavel Steidl in his London debut, Elisa Perez-Saponi,

and others. The festival had two further editions under Carlos Bonell's direction in 2007 and 2008. In 2010, he devised and inaugurated the Transformations Music Series, presenting guitar-related concerts at London's Bolivar Hall.

Queen and The Beatles

In 2008, he recorded the album ''Queen Guitar Rhapsodies'' of new arrangements of music by the group

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

for solo guitar and symphony orchestra. His arrangement for solo guitar of "Love of my Life" was praised by Queen's

Brian May Brian Harold May (born 19 July 1947) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and astrophysicist, who achieved worldwide fame as the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen. May was a co-founder of Queen with lead singer Freddie Mercury and ...

. From 2006, he has been helping with the recording of a concerto for classical guitar and orchestra composed by

Sir Paul McCartney ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...

. The work was featured in a June 2007 cover article by ''The New Yorker'' magazine. His CD album ''Magical Mystery Guitar Tour'', released in 2012, is dedicated to the music of the Beatles in his own arrangements for solo guitar. It went to number one on the UK iTunes Classical charts, and a track from the album reached number four in the Singles' charts.

Teaching

Carlos Bonell conducts international teaching courses in Italy, Spain, the UK and

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. He is Senior Professor at London's

, London; Professor Invitado at the

University of Guanajuato The Universidad de Guanajuato (in English, the University of Guanajuato) is a university based in the Mexican state of Guanajuato, made up of about 33,828 students in programs ranging from high school level to the doctorate level. Over 17,046 of ...

in Mexico; and directs the Cátedra Internacional de Guitarra Carlos Bonell in Venezuela. His pupils include Alan Banks, Detlev Bork, Nils Klöfver, Jakob Lindberg,

Nigel North Nigel North (born 5 June 1954) is an English lutenist, musicologist, and pedagogue. Student days He studied guitar on a scholarship to the junior department of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (1964–70), taking up the lute in 1969, at ...

, Brad Richter, and numerous others. In 2007, he was awarded the Spanish prize "Premio Trujamán" for his work for the solo guitar.

Discography

* ''John Williams and Friends'': CBS 73487 (LP, 1976); MK 35108 (CD, 1990) * ''Guitar Music of Spain'': Enigma Classics (1976) * ''Guitar Music of the Baroque'': Enigma Classics (1977) * ''Showpieces'': Decca SXL6950 (1981) * ''Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez + Fantasía para un Gentilhombre'', with Montreal Symphony Orchestra conducted by Charles Dutoit: Decca LP SXDL7525 / CD 4482432 (1981) * ''Paganini Trios and Quartets'', with Salvatore Accardo (violin and viola), Sylvie Gazeau (violin), Alfonso Ghedin (viola), Rocco Filippini (cello): FonitCetra ITL 70091 (1982) * ''Twentieth Century Music for Guitar'': EMI CDC 7495122 (1987) * ''Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez + Fantasía para un Gentilhombre'', with English Chamber Orchestra conducted by Steuart Bedford: Collins Classics 10322 (1989) * ''Fandango'': ASV Records CD QS 6038 (1990) * ''Once Upon a Time in the West'', with Xer-Wai (violin): Elite Music EL 5027 (1993) * ''William Walton: Anon in Love'': Chandos Records CHAN 9292 (1994) * ''Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez + Fantasía para un Gentilhombre'', with Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Jacek Kaspszyk: Tring TRP 050 (1994) * ''Benjamin Britten. The Folk Songs'': Collins Classics 70392 (1995) * ''The Sea in Spring'', with ensemble: Upbeat Classics URCD 128 (1997) * ''The Passion of Morse'': Tring 003 (1997) * ''The Private Collection'': Upbeat Classics URCD 145 (1998) * ''Kinkachoo, I love you (Millennium Guitar, the First 1000 Years)'': Rainbow Classics 993010 (1999) * ''Song of the Sea'': Spearhead Music SM 100 (2004) * ''Classical Guitar Performance'': Young/Bonell Production (2005) * ''Queen Guitar Rhapsodies'': Young/Bonell Production (2008) * ''Saints and Fireworks'': Spearhead Music SM 200 (2010) * ''Magical Mystery Guitar Tour'': Young/Bonell Production (2012)

Film and television

* ''City of Angels'' * '' The Honest Courtesan'' (released as "Dangerous Beauty" in the US) * ''Inspector Morse'' * ''The Politician's Wife''

Publications

* ''Spanish Folk Songs and Dances'', Ariel Publications, 1975 * ''Gaspar Sanz: Airs and Dances'', Ariel Publications, 1977 * ''A Tarrega Collection'', Ariel Publications, 1980 * ''First Pieces for Solo Guitar'', Ricordi, 1983 * ''The Romantic Collection'', International Music Publishers, 1983 * ''The Classical Collection'', International Music Publishers, 1983 * ''Spanish Folk Songs for 3 Guitars'', Schott Music, 1984 * ''Purcell: 3 Pieces'', Schott Music, 1984 * ''Tárrega: Fantasia'', Schott Music, 1984 * ''Technique Builder'', Cambridge Music Works, 1998 * ''Guitar. An Easy Guide'', New Holland Publishers Ltd., 2005, * ''Essential Classics for Guitar'', Bonell/Young Publications, 2007

References

External links

*
New Yorker – feature on Carlos Bonell's collaboration with Sir Paul McCartney
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonell, Carlos 1949 births British people of Spanish descent English classical guitarists English male guitarists Living people Musicians from London