Montauk Pioneer - June 5, 2009

Last Saturday, Carolyn Balducci, the Montauk Library's Program Director, introduced American Guitarist William Feasley to a full auditorium held at the Suzanne Koch Gosman Room. It's been a while since Montauk's weather has cooperated. We've had so much rain and fog lately with low temperatures, but Mr. Feasley brought us warm weather that will hopefully stay.

At first I didn't know what to expect of the concert. I knew that Mr. Feasley was a classical guitarist. What I didn't know is how he would be able to convey the Spanish painter, draftsman and printmaker Francisco de Goya y Lucientes (1746-1828). I was pleasantly surprised when I took my front row seat and noticed a familiar painting on the screen. I knew I would be in for a great evening since Art History was my major and seeing Goya's paintings were like meeting old friends again.

Mr. Feasley opened with Fernando Fernandiere (c.1750-c.1816) four pieces from Arte: Alemanda, Minue, Rondo and Contradanza de los currutacos. Each song was accompanied by Goya's beautiful, colorful paintings of men and women dressed in their 18th Century costumes. Women in their long, velvet gowns and men wearing black pointed hats and their long coat tails and white tights. When a lively song was played, a countryside scenery would pop up with kites flying, dogs chasing and people frolicking about. The slides were graciously operated by Ms. Balducci while she kept up with Mr. Feasley's fast tempo.

"Francisco de Goya was not an overnight sensation as a painter," Mr. Feasley explained. "But he was the door to the 20th Century painters." He married into an artistic family and his first paintings were cartoon like with wall paintings or tapestries.

Before each piece was played, Mr. Feasley would give a background of the guitarist and would add something humorous about them. Guitarists Enrique Granados' (1867-1916) "Intermezzo from "Goyescas" tried to sketch Goya's Mahas and Mahos painting through music. Goya painted many Mahos, or men dressed as bullfighters, that it became "cool" to dress as one to the point that Nobility was forbidden to do so.

When Mr. Feasley played the Italian, Angelo Gilardino's (b.1941) Soledad or Homage to Goya, one could hear a pin drop. Goya, having had three devastating illnesses in his life withdrew from life in a Villa in Madrid and painted black paintings such as "The Preaching Monk" showing desperation. This was a dark period in Goya's life and the paintings were not for the public showing.

Mr. Feasley had a standing ovation and played an encore called Recuerdos do la Alhambre by Francisco Tarrosa with "The Milkmaid of Bordeaux" painting. Here Goya was in a good time of his life living in the South of France until he died.