DESCRIPTION:
Ambient / minimalist guitar music (after the Prelude to Act 3 of Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde") from a set of pieces, "The Silence of Temples and Shrines", for 10-string guitar, written for Viktor van Niekerk by Bob Dickinson (*1955, UK/France), revised by Van Niekerk

About the performer:

"an exceedingly gifted, sensitive and intelligent musician, artist and ... an extremely talented and promising scholar who has been conducting valuable research in all the disciplines of his specialisations." (G. Florian Messner, composer and PhD in Musicology [University of Vienna])

"the potential to illuminate the conception, realization and 'consumption' of music in entirely unusual ways ... this exceptionally gifted candidate deserves all encouragement and support possible ... an important and most innovative study." (Prof. Martina Viljoen, Odeion School of Music)

"I was impressed by the strength and richness he played with. He is a great artist who knows how to play with the colors of sound with great mastery." (Amalia Ramirez, Guitarras José Ramirez)

"a water colour-like transparent palette ... intimate understanding of the repertoire and ... innovative transcriptions ... As a young guitarist in South Africa, he has no equal. His dedication to the 10-string guitar runs parallel to the great Narciso Yepes." (Charl Lamprecht, University of Pretoria)

"a conscious artist, with a total understanding of the ten-string guitar as envisioned by Narciso Yepes." (Fritz Buss, alumnus and teaching assistant of Narciso Yepes)

"Viktor van Niekerk demonstrated an orchestral array of sounds on the formidable 10 string guitar; playing many of his own transcriptions for the instrument" (What's On in Cape Town, 5 May 2013).

"When his fingers glide across the ten strings, it is with the same finesse and flair as an Olympic athlete in action." (Rapport, [South African Sunday paper] 5 Sep. 2008, p. 3.)

"I am convinced that Mr Van Niekerk will make a strong contribution not only to the academic community but also to broader society." (Prof. Mike Marais, Rhodes University)

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Both video and audio include original content, © Viktor van Niekerk 2014. Unauthorized re-uploads are prohibited.