BUDE Music Society was extremely lucky to have the distinguished Katona Twins Guitar Duo playing for the summer concert on Sunday, June 12 at St Martin’s Church, Killerton Road, Bude.

Peter and Zoltan Katona are both very talented players and presented an interesting and challenging programme entitled ‘From Bach to The Beatles’, introducing each item in turn, bringing the pieces to life and giving some interesting points of historical background writes David Robinson.

The programme had a strong Spanish influence, which contrasted with Baroque works by Bach and Handel, many of which had been arranged by ‘Katona’.

The arrangements were really skilful and exciting, including various percussive effects, as well as harmonics, glissandi and fluttering accompaniments. It was often difficult to tell which player was playing the melody or the accompaniment.

Technically, there seemed to be no limits as to what their fingers could produce.

What impressed overall was the wide range of colour, tone and dynamics in the ‘Spanish works’ by Albeniz, Granados and de Falla and the instinctive feeling for tempi, rubato and rhythm.

The whole programme was played from memory and the ensemble was faultless. The movements by Bach and Handel were equally musical, with exquisite ornamentation and melodic shape, though balance was a little bass heavy at times.

The pieces by Piazzolla and Tedesco were especially interesting, being new to the audience, and included several ‘special rhythmic effects’.

It would be nice to hear these works again. ‘Come Together’ and ‘Day Tripper’ (the two Beatles’numbers) were full of life and character, with an interesting transition from the Bach Allemande to ‘Come Together’, which worked really well.

The Katona Twins are already an established, professional duo and the society had asked them back to play ‘by special request’. It was a privilege to hear them, in person, in such fine form.