The Enchanting GUITAR by Peter Richardson

The Enchanting GUITAR by Peter Richardson

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The Cape Winelands - The Ultimate Choice for Style & Sophistication

The Cape Winelands is a region of the Western Cape Province of South Africa. It is the largest wine producing region in South Africa and is divided into six main wine regions, each offering their own unique wine route. Constantia, Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Paarl, Robertson and Wellington are the most popular. The geographic area is generally referred to locally as the Boland, meaning uplands in Afrikaans.


This is a very special place - With it's bustling mother city, Cape Town, the Cape Winelands has much to offer. A winning combination of Breathtaking beauty, sunshine, wonderful people, luxury & style, award winning hospitality and some of the finest wines in the world. Due to their outstanding universal cultural significance, the Cape Winelands and their cultural landscape were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List 2004 in the Cultural category - what an accolade . . . 


South Africa is said to be the New World country with the long wine history and the Cape’s wine culture goes back 350 years. It is one that reflects the country’s colonial past, but also shines with the potential and expectation of the modern wine world. It has often been said that South African wine is in the unique position of straddling the old and the new worlds. It can offer the wine-drinking world all kinds of new flavour experiences.


The Cape Winelands is the Ultimate Choice for the discerning visitor. It is also the location of some of the most prestigeous events and social life in the Cape offering world class venues for weddings and all special occasions.


Please watch our Video dedicated the Winelands . . . . . perhaps over a cold glass of Sauvignon Blanc

A Day in the Life of a Guitarist

For those that know only the finished performance of a piece they may wonder how a guitarist spends their day.
So how do I spend my day's with my old guitar?.It's not all scales and arpeggios you know. In fact so many of my exercises consist of sections extracted from pieces I've played over the years. You know- the stubborn dificult bar or two , the stretching of the fingers or the speed of a right hand configuration or the quest to establish a stable hand position. In fact some of my pieces I am only mastering after years of practise.

Anyhow .."how do I spend my days?"...Well with plenty of weddings coming up there are always new and old pieces to master,such as Hero and Waterloo on the popular side or Pachelbel Cannon or Passacaille on the the more Classical side.

Now for those who don't know..my wife and I are planning a trip to Cape Town in December/January this year in order to fulfil certain wedding assignments..now that's a lot of planning. I am also planning my next concert. For those who remember my last few I played at the KKNK you will be delighted with my program.

Well I guess it's back to the drawing board and prepare to DELIVER...after all I've praised myself up enough. Well somebody has to don't they. Now don't forget - If you need any music for your function in December/ January give us a call on local number (021) 3002332... bye for now.

MUSIC and WINE

BANK HOLIDAY Monday - It's Back!!!!

Well, it's the traditional wet bank holliday here in the UK. and I am finding myself practising up my concert pieces whilst my wife is as ever busy marketing the "Return of the Cape Guitarist."

In correspondence with a good friend of ours Tim Pearson and listening to some of his Raving Revues about his Clear Crisp Fruity Sauvignon Blanc  recently launched from SA


Click to Watch a Great Review.

I notice many similarities. For one: Both Music and Wine can be pleasing to the "pallet" and when they produce some beautiful NOTES then they can be served up as the perfect compliment to any occasion. Secondly : To achieve the desired CLARITY one has to aim for the correct BALANCE  and HARMONY of texture.

So what a goal to aim for in interpreting my pieces for my next concert. I think it will be  FOUR CENTURIES OF CLASSICS. More about later, in the meantime go and purchase a bottle of Tims SB you won't regret it. You can buy a bottle at  CYBERCELLAR

Thank You For The Music

Well, I guess that would come to my mind, as I am playing over a nice glass of "Perlenbacher"..sorry South Africa..but I just felt like a nice Pils. But seriously..What WOULD  we do without music. I say thank you for the musicians that work hard to bring to our senses such sweet sounds of melody. Well having said all this ..(yes I am practising up my Abba pieces) ...??? What SHALL  I call my next concert? Well with such works by Albeniz, Granados, Weiss and a few Beautiful Popular Hits thrown in?? Any ideas? Maybe "4 Centuries of Popular Hits?" " Top of the Pops on the Classical; Guitar? "...Well, it will eventually come to me. In the meantime, I know one thing: Practice Practice & Practice.Yep, it looks like it's going to be a "Lekker" weekend and next week our house goes on the market with a very proactive agent..so Cape Town here we come...Till then, enjoy your music, whatever it may be.

Calming my nerves with Passacaille

Sylvius Leopold Weiss

In-between the notes of this most beautiful piece I'm playing written by Sylvius Leopold Weiss CLICK for VIDEO  we had a knock on the Door.I had almost forgotten our appointment with the estate agent..In desperation we have hired a new and hopefully more proactive agent to help us get off this rock. It is exciting how many contacts we are making back in South Africa and hopefully our trip over in January will be full of lovely engagements. In the meantime it is back to work on putting together my new concert which I hope to perform somewhere in the Cape. I am already getting some interest in the idea...any ideas anyone please let me know.

Well that's it for now but we'll keep in touch with twitter.Don't forget the Good Food and Wine Show at CTICC this week http://www.cticc.co.za/public/subsites/eventscalendar/eventDetails.aspx

  

Why I Love the Cape so much . . . . .by Vanessa Richardson

It is not a mere matter of "like" or "being fond of". When it comes to the place where your heart is firmly and happily routed, the place where you feel part of it in every way, where every sight, sound and smell brings a deep feeling of belonging - this is a place that one wants to be in, and to me this place is HOME - The Cape in South Africa.

  

The people of the Cape, and indeed the whole country have not had a life without turmoil and anxiety, but yet they have beaming faces and happy hearts filled with song and good cheer. You are always happily greeted in the Cape, and the infectious smiles and cheeriness is the perfect anecdote to a woeful soul. There is no match for the beauty of the vineyards at the feet of the majestic mountains, and the sophistication and glamour of the wineries dotted all over, providing the perfect backdrop to some of the best wines and finest occasions the Cape can offer.

It is about more than just being born and raised here, it is about being part of something so much more than yourself. The Cape has a huge variety of dramatic landscapes, whether it be inland or on it's breathtaking coast. Like gentle giants, the mountains guard and protect the valleys and plains below, with its rich heritage of vegetation and wildlife. Tiny little wild flowers and fynbos decorate the land, and although they look fragile and delicate, they are part of one of the world's most important ecosystems. Large brightly coloured succulents and plants dance in the African Breeze, and the protea proudly stands tall smiling at the sun. A sea of wheat creates waves and tides breaking into the rocks. The air is a metropolis of flying insects and buzzing things like a busy airport. The eagle fly's on high looking down on the dassie or meerkat going about their business. On the coast the cascading cliffs embrace the wild white waters continuously battering the rocks. There is a cool breeze with an intoxicating ozone smell bursting through the rays of sunlight stretched out over a blue scape that reaches far out into the horizon. As the sun sets at night, the scarlet sky shimmers like gold dust on the ocean, and the valleys and plains start to quiet and rest, while the "sonbeesie" starts its night chorus in expectation of the return of the sun in the morning.

The city of Cape Town lies at the feet of Table Mountain, serving up a cosmopolitan bowl of people. The architecture boasts the highest spec modern developments through to the historical and colonial influences of a bygone era. Wonderful addictive flavours and spices fill the air and the city is abuzz with activity day and night.

Yes, the sights, the sounds, the smells and the comfort of knowing you can always rely on these things, this is Home - this is The Cape.