Outstanding cellist Robert Irvine, well known for creating an immediate rapport with his audiences through his lively and informal introductions, comes together with guitarist Allan Neave, one of the foremost classical guitarists of his generation. Two musicians of remarkable sensitivity and authority delight audiences with a diverse repertoire ranging from the stately baroque to the fiery passion of Spain and the Americas and beyond.
Robert Irvine was born in Glasgow, and at the age of 16 was awarded a scholarship to the Royal College of Music where he studied with Christopher Bunting and Amaryllis Fleming. Whilst there he won most of the major prizes in chamber music and solo playing.
On leaving the Royal College, he went on to further studies with William Pleeth and Pierre Fournier before joining the Philharmonia as sub principal cello. He also worked extensively at Aldeburgh, forming the Brindisi String Quartet and working closely with Sir Peter Pears as continuo cellist and as principal cellist of the Britten Pears Orchestra. At this time he toured much of Europe with the Brindisi Quartet, making numerous festival appearances and broadcasts.
He left the Philharmonia in 1988 to take up the position of principal cello with the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields, touring all over the world.
In 1990, he returned to Scotland to take up the post of principal cellist with Scottish Opera, and with Sally Beamish and James MacMillan founded the Chamber Group of Scotland, performing and broadcasting a wide range of music both chamber and solo.
The coming year includes concerts and recitals throughout the UK, including the Cheltenham Festival, St Magnus festival, Gloucester, Norwich, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Dundee and Inverness, as well as several European festivals.
He has recorded several CDs including the complete cello works of Sally Beamish for the Swedish label BIS, which received high critical acclaim, including CD of the month in the Gramophone magazine. There are also plans for further solo recordings in the next year, including Rachmaninov and Schostakovitch cello sonatas and some contemporary repertoire discs for Delphian Records.
He is a senior tutor of Cello and Chamber Music at the RSAMD in Glasgow.
Robert plays on a fine Venetian cello by Gofriller from 1725, kindly loaned to him by Renagour Rare Instruments.
Allan Neave studied at the RSAMD (1984) and the RNCM (1988) and since then has been performing worldwide. He is a regular guest at many of the worlds’ leading musical events, including the Dublin Guitar Festival, the Irish Guitar Festival, the Lewes International Guitar Festival, the Bath International Guitar Festival, the Guitar Celebrity Series Bonn and the Instituto Cultural Peruano Norteamericano in Lima, Peru. He has worked with many influential musicians, including Nikita Koshkin, Edward McGuire, Hans Werner Henze, Gordon McPherson and Stephen Dodgson, many of whose works he has premiered.
To date, career highlights have included recording Gordon McPherson’s concerto Born of Funk and Fear of Failing with the new music group Psappha, performing Scottish guitar music in Peru, a tour of Australia with virtuoso flautist Alison Mitchell and a further tour of the far east with Tetra Guitar quartet, performances of Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez with the RSNO in their prom season and filming a documentary in Argentina and Venezuela with local folk musicians.
He has broadcast widely both in the UK and abroad, including Radio 3 and 4 broadcasts at the Edinburgh International Festival, performances of Schoenberg’s Serenade with the Hebrides Contemporary Music Ensemble for BBC Radio 3, the isle is full of noises on KFZAZ Radio USA, RadioSodre Uruguay and BBC Radio 3. He also gave the world’s 1st live Internet guitar concert broadcast in 1997.
His CD releases include a recording with Tetra guitar quartet, Gordon McPherson’s aforementioned born of funk and fear of failing for guitar and small orchestra on the Metier label, Friends in strange places by Gordon McPherson for multi tracked guitars and percussion, Celtic/Jazz crossover with jazz virtuoso Don Paterson and the isle is full of noises (BGCD104). His forthcoming recording, ‘International Guitar’ will be released in spring 2006.
Recent performances include the ‘Island Tapes' with David Allison at Glasgow’s Celtic Connections and a tour of South American music. Forthcoming performances include the West Falian Guitar Festival, Germany, Mozart at the Chapel Royal, Brighton, a guitar and flute recital in Perth Concert Hall, West End Festival, Glasgow, Dundee Festival and a German tour of the ‘Island Tapes’ with Ian Melrose and David Allison.
Allan has been Artistic Director of the Dundee International Guitar Festival since its inception and in 2000 he received the Scotland on Sunday Glenfiddich® Spirit of Scotland Award for Music. These awards were set up to recognise individuals who lead the way in Scottish culture.