Renaud Garcia-Fons/Claire Antonini (France) - Bray Jazz Festival
At a glance
About this event
World renowned bass player Renaud Garcia Fons’ formed a duo several years ago with eastern music expert and theorbo maestro Claire Antonini.
Together, they produce music that draws on their unique experiences and passions for early music, jazz, and oriental music in the broadest sense. Their repertoire draws on material from the Middle Ages, Baroque era, North African folk and traditional Persian tunes, and has been described as an imaginary journey to a cultural crossroads.
Renaud Garcia Fons has been called ‘the Paganini of double bass,’ while Claire Antonini, is one of the world’s best known players of the theorbo, a giant, plucked stringed lute from the baroque era.
A student of the legendary Syrian bass player François Rabbath, Garcia Fons is a bassist of astonishing technique. His ‘con arco’ (with bow) technique has been described by the LA Times as more reminiscent of the viola or cello.
Claire Antonini and Renaud Garcia-Fons released their first collaborative recording, ‘Farangi’ in 2019, to widespread critical acclaim.
Their performances extend the timbres of the two instruments deep into Iran, to Kurdistan or Syria, but can also – in a charming chaconne – sound quite courtly-Baroque.
– JazzThing
Location
Bray Town Hall, Main St, Bray, Co. Wicklow
Venue details
Bray Town Hall was originally built in 1884 and was substantially refurbished in 1992 to provide a restaurant and Council Chamber for Bray UDC. The building is considered one of the finest buildings in Bray.
